Part of Leaphorn & Chee, book 12
First published 1997
Human bones rest on a ledge beneath Ship Rock's peak, undisturbed for over ten years. The skeleton belongs to a murder victim whose death remains unsolved. Three hundred miles away on the Navajo reservation, a sniper kills an elderly canyon guide with a single bullet. Joe Leaphorn, who recently retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, suspects the shooting connects to the ancient remains on Ship Rock. The bones remind him of a puzzle that once defeated him. Acting Lieutenant Jim Chee shows little interest in revisiting old cases. He has current problems demanding his attention. But when the violence from this cold case strikes close to Chee personally, he can no longer ignore it. Both investigators must confront how past crimes reach into the present, threatening people they care about on their reservation.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, revisiting-the-past
Setting: Ship Rock, Navajo Reservation
Period: Present Day
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · HarperTorch