First published 1987
Jim Chee nearly dies when someone tries to kill him outside his trailer on the Navajo reservation. The young tribal police officer survives the attack, but three other victims across the vast desert landscape were not so lucky. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn examines the crime scenes scattered 120 miles apart and finds little to connect them. The murders appear random, but Chee suspects something darker lurks beneath the surface. As the two investigators dig deeper, they uncover evidence pointing toward Navajo witchcraft and skinwalkers who can transform into animals. The case forces both men to navigate between modern police work and ancient tribal beliefs. Chee and Leaphorn must determine whether they face a serial killer using traditional fears as cover or something that defies rational explanation. Their investigation leads them into remote canyons and isolated hogans where old ways still hold power. The clues eventually point toward a single suspect, but reaching the truth requires both officers to confront the mystical forces that still shape life on the reservation.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, native-american
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: police-investigation, supernatural-elements
Setting: Navajo Reservation
321 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Pr