"A form of the plague is racing across the Navajo nation, much to the fear of its people. Another deadly form is also stalking the reservation--in the form of a killer of humans! Acting Lieutenant Jim Chee has come upon a Hopi eagle poacher--a serious crime in itself--over the corpse of a tribal policeman, and he knows he has an early case solved! The "evidence" is obvious that the man is guilty of murder. But not so fast. Retired Joe Leaphorn enters this scenario. To complicate things, a medical biologist named Cathy Pollard disappears--the exact day that the policeman was murdered. Add to this is news that a skinwalker (a Navajo witch) is making appearances! Hillerman, in "The First Eagle," really makes the feathers fly and this episode in the series shores up Hillerman's reputation as a first rate writer of Southwestern mysteries! "
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
"Jim Chee, acting lieutenant in the Navajo Tribal Police follows up a call for backup by officer Benny Kinsman. He finds Kinsman dead and Robert Jano standing over him with blood on his clothes and arm. Kinsman has arrested Jano for poaching eagles in the past, and Chee correctly assumes he was poaching on this occasion. He arrests Jano for murder.
Jano claims he is bleeding because an eagle he caught tore his arm. However, an eagle in Jano's cage shows no traces of blood. Jano says he caught another eagle, but it got away. That he says, is the eagle that wounded him.
While Chee is following up the Kinsman murder, his mentor and former lieutenant Joe Leaphorn – now working as a private detective – is investigating the disappearance of a biologist, Catherine Pollard. Catherine and Richard Krause study bubonic plague among the animals – and fleas – in the Navajo and Hopi country of the Southwest. They work for the Arizona Health Service, and they are concerned because a drug-resistant strain of the disease has killed three people recently. Apparently coincidentally, Catherine has disappeared in the same area as Kinsman's murder. However, Leaphorn, with 30 years of police experience, doesn't believe in coincidences.
Chee's life is further complicated by the presence of Janet Peet as Jano's court-appointed attorney. Chee and Janet were engaged at one time, but they were never able to reconcile his desire to stay with his tribe and her desire to live high in Washington. After a stint in the Justice Department, she's back – and Chee harbors a hope that this means she has decided to return to her people and to him. At her insistence, he continues investigating a case he considered closed. His Navajo skills serve him well as he catches the eagle that wounded Jano – confirming at least part of Jano's story.
One possible witness to Kinsman's murder is a researcher, Al Woody. Woody is trying to understand why some colonies of prairie dogs and kangaroo rats survive a plague that wipes out thousands of animals around them. Success could lead to a plague vaccine. Woody has been working in the same area as Catherine, which is the area where Kinsman was murdered.
As Chee and his former boss, Joe Leaphorn, compare notes on their two cases, they discover evidence that seems to link them. They work together to find a solution that wraps up both mysteries.
"
David Gordon, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The First Eagle
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 20% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
- Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
- present (2000-2010)
Exploring into the wild
Yes
Plotlets:
- rare animal hunt
- finding criminal(s)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 50%
- 80%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Big focus on autopsies
Kind of investigator
- no powwow with Indian killers
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Terrain
- Desert
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
- just the right amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Genius
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Mountains/Cliffs
Yes
Mountains:
- climbing on trails
Desert?
Yes
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 2
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- biohazard/virus
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
