"The First Eagle" is a mystery novel written by the author Tony Hillerman. This 1998 novel was written in memory of six Navajo Indian that were killed in the line of duty since the 1970’s. The story itself involves the death of a policeman, eagle poaching and the plague.
In this mystery novel, a young Navajo police officer named Ben Kinsman calls for the assistance of Lieutenant Jim Chee at a crime scene. This crime scene is located on a Navajo reservation and Lieutenant Chee must come from Tuba City to respond. By the time that Chee reaches the reservation, he finds, to his surprise, the young officer dead from a crushed skull. Chee discovers that he was killed with a rock. A young Hopi Indian named Robert Jano was found near the crime scene in possession of an eagle. Since the Hopi had been arrested by Ben Kinsman in the past for eagle poaching, Lieutenant Chee considers this to be a good motive for the murder. Therefore, Jano is placed under arrest for the murder of the Navajo policeman by Chee, who is Navajo Indian himself.
Lieutenant Jim Chee later finds himself working with a fellow Navajo named Joe Leaphorn who has different opinions on the traditions of this Indian tribe. The two are brought together when they begin working on a separate case of a woman’s missing niece. Even though this case seems unrelated to the murder case, it turns out to be linked to it as well as a case of the bubonic plague which has hit the Southwest. With all the plot twist and turns and fabulous writing, “The First Eagle” is a great read for any fan of mystery.
