Navajo Autumn  by R. Allen Chappell

This is the first book in the series by R. Allen Chappell. It’s really a novella, as it’s only around one-hundred and twenty pages. The series is currently at thirteen books. I was hoping for insight into Navajo life in northern Arizona and I did get that. However, the author himself says the way of life depicted is the old ways. The book was written ten years ago, as well, so some of the lifestyle may have changed. However, that was the best aspect of this story, the life of the people depicted.

The story is about a drunken Navajo (yes, a stereotype, but it’s done well) named Thomas Begay who wakes up under a bridge, which he often did. In this case, there’s a dead woman (not Navajo) in the river close to him. He is accused of the murder of this woman, who is from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He runs and hides. His friend Charlie Yazzie doesn’t believe he’s guilty, so tries to solve the murder to prove his friend innocent.

The story is told from several points of view, including a heavy-handed narrator at some times. In general, I’m not a fan of omniscient point of view and in this case, it wasn’t needed. Third person multiple point of view would have been sufficient and preferred. The story starts with the narrator. Personally, I would have preferred to see it start with the main character, Thomas, waking up and discovering the dead body. We also see the story told from Charlie Yazzie’s point of view. He’s a special investigator for legal services on Navajo Nation. These are the two main characters from which the story unfolds and upon which the series is built. We get into the heads of several other characters as well.

Overall, the writing was okay. I think the story suffered from not enough feedback from other writers or editors. The mystery is over about halfway through. We find out who the killer is. A little later, I figured out who was behind the person that did the killing.

As mentioned above, the setting is rich. The description of the lifestyle of the Diné people and the culture is deep and interesting. This is what kept me reading. The characterization is okay, but since it’s a series, I didn’t expect to get too deep into the main characters.

It’s a short read and if you’re interested in the series or in modern Navajo life, I recommend you start at the beginning to get to know Thomas and Charlie.

For the most part, this is a clean read. There is some mild profanity. No sex and no graphic violence. The series will be on my list to circle back to in the hopes the author’s writing improves. I’ll rank this one thirteenth out of the twenty-one I’ve read this year.

1. Rooms by James L. Rubart
2. The First Lady by Ed Gorman
3. Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
4. I’ll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark
5. In Darkness Cast by Jonathan Shuerger
6. Several Deaths Later by Ed Gorman
7. Citadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko Kloos
8. Blazing China by R.F. Whong
9. Redemption by Deborah J. Ledford
10. Death of a Messenger by Robert McCaw
11. The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold
12. Shadow Games by Ed Gorman
13. Navajo Autumn by R. Allen Chappell
14. Barrier Island by John D. MacDonald
15. Serial Killer by Perry Martin
16. Jake of All Trades by A.T. Mahon
17. Fireplay by Steve P. Vincent
18. Wrong Place Wrong Time by David P. Perlmutter
19. Nowhere Safe by Kate Bold
20. The Bone Key Curse by Mike Scantlebury
21. Run for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

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