Part of Leaphorn & Chee, book 10
First published 1992
Officer Jim Chee discovers his friend and fellow Navajo Tribal Policeman Delbert Nez died from a bullet wound, not the blazing car wreck where his body was found. The murder weapon belongs to Ashie Pinto, an elderly shaman who drowns his days in whiskey. Pinto refuses to speak about the killing, offering neither confession nor denial. Chee grieves for Del while struggling to understand why the old man stays silent. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn suspects the case runs deeper than a simple killing. He joins Chee to investigate connections between the murder, a significant historical discovery, and missing money. Their search reveals a web of greed and violence stretching beyond the immediate crime. The mythical Coyote, that ancient trickster of Navajo tradition, lurks nearby to complicate their pursuit of justice with unexpected and dangerous complications.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, native-american
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, police-procedural
Setting: Navajo Tribal Police
352 pages · Paperback · HarperPaperbacks