A debut novel that depicts the beauty and mystery of Navajo Country and allows the reader to discover the rituals and customs of the people who live on the reservation.
Navajo Nation Police Officer Bernadette Manualito is at a breakfast with her fellow cops when retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn - now a private investigator - gets up to leave. Bernie, needing to make a phone call, walks out with her former mentor. As Leaphorn nears his car, Bernie sees a truck pull up and hears a shot. Then Leaphorn is down, lying on the asphalt in a pool of blood.
Every officer in the squad and the FBI rally to find out who shot the legendary lieutenant, now in the hospital fighting for his life. Bernie is determined to solve the crime, but as an eyewitness, she's put on leave. So she works on her own, while her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, is put in charge of the case. Soon they discover that a cold case of Leaphorn's may be very much on the front burner. These two will do everything they can to get at the truth, but the closer they come, the more they are putting their own lives at risk.
