Navajo Autumn

Series: Navajo Nation, Book 1

By: R. Allen Chappell / Narrated By: Kaipo Schwab

Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins

Ah Dude, we did it again…

By that I mean that we here at Audiobook Accomplice, okay okay, it was me and my sister had nothing to do with it: I thought I’d scored big, scored huuuuuge, by finding an Autumn book that -also- celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day. And while Navajo Autumn does indeed feature Navajo characters? Oh good golly gosh, the guy who wrote it, R. Allen Chappell? Oh gosh, he’s totally white. I mean, like, really; to the point where his Author Bio goes to great lengths to point out that he grew up with Indigenous, went to school with ‘em, has forged last friendships with ‘em.

But is totally white.

-Ok-

So with a sigh that is oh soooo heavy, I apologize for the blooper. Next year, I’ll check out the authors before I run willy nilly off with an Ode to Whomever. I PROMISE that this November, Native American Heritage Month will be free of such an egregious faux pas.

Anyhoo! Onto the review!

‘Tis a MOST unfortunate thing when Rez drunk Thomas Begay is found dead drunk. That’s not so unusual; it’s just that he’s found next to the very dead body of one Patsy Greyhorse, a BIA investigator.

For some reason, the government wants to wrap this case up really quickly, which throws a monkey wrench into Navajo native Charlie Yazzie’s life. He’s fresh from law school, and tho’ he’s quickly embroiled in the murder case, he’s kinda on the outside looking in. He’s not trusted by the white men; he’s not embraced by the community as they feel his education has set him apart.

For some reason, tho’ Yazzie is fairly ambitious, he chooses to chuck it all and help Thomas escape and hide out. So head scratch there. Then we’re introduced to one doozie of a Bad Guy who works unfortunate hoodoo that has Thomas terribly afraid and hesitant to engage. However, once the main squeeze of Thomas and her dad are put in jeopardy, Thomas will move mountains to protect them. Kinda abrupt turnaround, with a few things kinda falling conveniently into place. As a matter of fact, there are PLENty of convenient coincidences, but I did enjoy the characters so I’m not gonna rag on the writing for that.

All goes to hell in a handbasket, and I found m’self rooting for Thomas and Charlie. I liked the relationships between both “couples” (Thomas and his ex’s mother… huh? okay…) and Charlie and Sue, the gal Friday who has an In with the Rez law enforcement.

The reviews I read just went on and on (And on) about how, golly! author Chappell just soooo totally scratched the itch that Tony Hillerman (And even Anne Hillerman— ick!) left behind. Nope, didn’t see it from my seat on the sofa, but if people were pleased, okay. It’s just that things went sooo quickly, sooo many things happened just in the nick of time, that I was a trifle disappointed. Add to that some areas where characters could’ve been developed a bit more, and the end result was just a weeee bit underwhelming.

What helped was some jolly good narration by Kaipo Schwab. Would it be unfortunate to say that he made the characters aDORable? I’m pretty sure it would, but when a hardcore alcoholic, a brutal killer, and a man torn between two lifestyles come off as charming and relatable? Seriously, I dunno how else to put it, what different word to use. And when it all starts hitting the fan? Schwab’s pacing was flawless.

It’s just that there’s really not that much hitting the fan; the fraught stuff goes by fairly quickly. And while I haaaate cliffhanger books, I must say that Navajo Autumn rather leaves several strings loose, which I’m assuming is Chappell’s way of leaving doors open for further installments, a way to have the stories, the characters develop more fully?

A charming enough opener to a series; it’s just that there’s sooo much room for author growth. Blah blah Tony Hillerman blah, but it’s not really. It’s just a charming little series opener, and

DUDE!

Not written by a Native American, so this soooo was NOT what I intended Indigenous Peoples’ Day to be. I PROMISE to do better for November!!!

If not? You can shoot me with the gun Charlie Yazzie is forEVer losing…