Part of Leaphorn & Chee, book 9
First published 1990
Lt. Joe Leaphorn works to identify a murder victim while his colleague Officer Jim Chee arrests Henry Highhawk, a Smithsonian conservator who has been stealing ancestral bones. Highhawk claims he is reclaiming sacred remains of his own people, but his actions have drawn the attention of dangerous pursuers. As Leaphorn investigates his corpse and Chee processes his arrest, the two cases begin to merge in unexpected ways. The Navajo Tribal Police officers discover they have stepped into a web that connects ancient ceremonies with modern crimes. Mysterious figures hunt Highhawk for reasons that reach beyond his grave robbing. The investigation forces both men to navigate between traditional beliefs and contemporary law enforcement, where superstition meets science and living gods walk among the dead. Leaphorn and Chee must solve both cases before the forces pursuing Highhawk claim more victims.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, native-american
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-conflict, police-investigation
Setting: Navajo Nation
Period: contemporary
338 pages · Paperback · HarperTorch