About this item
Legendary Navajo policeman Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn takes center stage in this riveting atmospheric mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman that combines crime, superstition, and tradition and brings the desert Southwest vividly alive.Joe Leaphorn may have retired from the Tribal Police, but he finds himself knee-deep in a perplexing case involving a priceless artifact - a reminder of a dark time in Navajo history. Joe's been hired to find a missing biil, a traditional dress that had been donated to the Navajo Nation. His investigation takes a sinister turn when the leading suspect dies under mysterious circumstances and Leaphorn himself receives anonymous warnings to beware - witchcraft is afoot.While the veteran detective is busy working to untangle his strange case, his former colleague Jim Chee and Officer Bernie Manuelito are collecting evidence they hope will lead to a cunning criminal behind a rash of burglaries. Their case takes a complicated turn when Bernie finds a body near a popular running trail. The situation grows more complicated when the death is ruled a homicide, and the Tribal cops are thrust into a turf battle because the murder involves the FBI. As Leaphorn, Chee, and Bernie draw closer to solving these crimes, their parallel investigations begin to merge . . . and offer an unexpected opportunity that opens a new chapter in Bernie's life.
About the Author
New York Times best selling author Anne Hillerman continues the mystery series her father Tony Hillerman created beginning in 1970. Anne's debut novel, "Spider Woman's Daughter," follows the further adventures of the characters Tony Hillerman made famous: Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn and adds Bernadette Manuelito as a major player. The book received the Spur Award from Western Writers of America for Best First Novel.Her second, "Rock with Wings," received the New Mexico Book Awards' Founders' Award. The third novel in the reinvigorated series, "Song of the Lion," was a finalist for New Mexico's Zia Award. In that story, Bernie and Chee go the Grand Canyon and Tuba City, Arizona to solve a crime that begins with a deadly explosion. Next came "Cave of Bones" which took the reader to the mysterious and majestic lava landscape of El Malpais for a story that concerns a missing person, possible misuse of tribal funds, and combative mothers-in-law. The fifth novel in the series "The Tale Teller," released in April, 2019, brings legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn back as a full-fledged crime solver. Anne also is the author of "Tony Hillerman's Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn" with husband/photographer Don Strel. In collaboration with St. Martin's Press she established The Tony Hillerman Prize for best first mystery novel set in the Southwest.Anne belongs to many writers' organizations and served on the board of Western Writers of America. In 2019, she was deeply honored to receive the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She gave the annual Rudolfo and Patricia Anaya Lecture on the Literature of the Southwest at the University of New Mexico. She is a frequent presenter at the Tucson Festival of the Book, Malice Domestic and Bouchercon and has represented New Mexico at the National Book Festival hosted by the Library of Congress. She lives and works in Santa Fe with trips to the Navajo Nation.
