Part of Leaphorn & Chee, book 1
First published 2002
Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police stares at a corpse in the remote desert. The victim lies in an isolated location with sand packed in the mouth. No footprints mark the scene. No obvious clues point toward a suspect. The crime scene appears untouched except for the body itself. Leaphorn knows murder when he sees it, but this case feels different. Something malevolent seems to hang over the investigation. His instincts tell him to consider possibilities beyond ordinary criminal behavior. The evidence suggests a Wolf-Witch may be responsible. Leaphorn must follow leads that take him into dangerous territory where Navajo beliefs about supernatural forces intersect with police work. His investigation forces him to navigate between traditional mysticism and modern detective methods. The hunt becomes a test of courage as Leaphorn pursues a killer who may not be entirely human.
Genres: mystery, thriller, native-american
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: police-procedural, supernatural-elements
Setting: Navajo Tribal Police, Remote Desert
306 pages · Mass Market Paperback · HarperTorch