Legendary Navajo police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn takes center stage in this riveting, atmospheric mystery that combines crime, superstition, and tradition and brings the desert southwest vividly to lifeJoe 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 weaving that had been donated to the Navajo Nation. His investigation takes a sinister turn when the lead suspect dies under mysterious circumstances and Leaphorn himself receives an anonymous warning. Meanwhile, Officer Bernie Manuelito discovers a body near a popular running trail.The situation grows more complicated when the trail-side death is ruled a homicide, thrusting the tribal cops into a turf battle with the FBI. And Sergeant Jim Chee finds himself working a burglary case in another part of the Navajo Nation that morphs into something much more sinister. As Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito draw closer to solving each of these crimes, their merging investigations create an unexpected opportunity that may open a new chapter in Bernie's life.
