This is the latest in the series of Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee mysteries set on the Navajo Indian
Reservation in northern Arizona and New Mexico. If you haven't read any of these, you're missing out. As mysteries they're just so-so. But Hillerman does an excellent job of characterization, and he provides an insight into contemporary Navajo culture. Apparently many Navajos have been surprised to learn that Hillerman is a white man.
He's been writing this series for about 20 years. The books in the series don't need to be read in strict chronological order, but the characters do develop and things happen to them, so it's probably more enjoyable to read them in close to their original order.
The only real gripe I have is that a few of the recent books were not well edited. Occasionally you will notice that Leaphorn or Chee learn something (a clue), and then 20 pages later learn it again, and act like they've never heard of it before. Hillerman's publisher needs to do a better job.
-- DaleBrayden - 15 Jul 2002
Books RSS
