Part of Leaphorn & Chee, book 6
First published 1992
Tribal Policeman Jim Chee witnesses the aftermath of violence at the Shiprock Wash-O-Mat through the eyes of Old Joseph Joe. Two strangers arrived, blood was spilled, one man died, and the survivor fled into the vast Big Reservation. Before escaping, the killer showed the elderly Navajo witness a photograph of his target. This single clue launches Chee on a complex investigation that pulls him from the familiar terrain of Navajo country into unfamiliar territory. His pursuit leads him from a hogan where a ghost remains trapped to the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. The case forces Chee to navigate between two worlds as he follows a trail of murder and revenge. The investigation culminates in an ancient Navajo healing ceremony where the prescribed cure is death itself. Chee must unravel the connections between traditional Navajo beliefs and modern crime to solve a case rooted in both vengeance and cultural identity.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, native-american
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-clash, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Shiprock, Big Reservation, Los Angeles
Period: modern
301 pages · Mass Market Paperback · HarperTorch
Content warnings: violence