Lost Birds (2024) is the ninth gripping novel in Anne Hillerman’s Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito mystery series, blending Navajo culture with a high-stakes thriller. Retired detective Joe Leaphorn works as a private investigator, tackling two intertwined cases: helping a "lost bird" (a Navajo woman adopted by non-native parents) find her birth family, and locating a missing man involved in a mysterious explosion, with assistance from Officer Bernadette Manuelito