Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed on 1/6/2018 + 1032 more book reviews

I haven't read any Hillerman in a few years and it's been a really long time since I read this one. First published in 1970, it introduces Lt Joe Leaphorn and the Navajo way of life. Excellent sense of place with its descriptions of the Southwest landscape and the Navajo reservation. It's mostly told from the POV of Leaphorn's anthropologist friend McKee, who is visiting in order to pick up stories about witches. It's certainly a good book although there are some small bits left unexplained at the end, and I wasn't terribly convinced of the potential romance. But as an introduction to Leaphorn it definitely whets your appetite for more. I'm looking forward to seeing how the character evolves as I read the rest of the series, because in my memory the later Leaphorn is a bit different than this one.

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