Synopses & Reviews
Since his retirement from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn has occasionally been enticed to return to work by former colleagues who seek his help when they need to solve a particularly puzzling crime. They ask because Leaphorn, aided by officers Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito, always delivers.
But this time the problem is with an old case of Joe's his last case, unsolved, is one that continues to haunt him. And with Chee and Bernie just back from their honeymoon, Leaphorn is pretty much on his own.
The original case involved a priceless, one-of-a-kind Navajo rug supposedly destroyed in a fire. Suddenly, what looks like the same rug turns up in a magazine spread. And the man who brings the photo to Leaphorn's attention has gone missing. Leaphorn must pick up the threads of a crime he'd thought impossible to untangle. Not only has the passage of time obscured the details, but it also appears that there's a murderer still on the loose.
New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman is at the top of his form in this atmospheric and riveting novel set amid the rugged beauty of his beloved Southwest.
Review
"[L]yrical....[T]here's real poignancy in Leaphorn's efforts to track down an antique rug woven to commemorate 'all the dying, humiliation and misery' on the Navajo nation's 'Long Walk' home from an Army concentration camp in the 1860s." Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"[I]t's great to see Tony Hiller man return to top form....The book is filled with fascinating Indian lore and the plot gallops to its satisfying conclusion. Hillerman makes his characters as real as ever..." Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review
"Not much mystery this time....But Hillerman's warmth is undiminished as he follows a dogged old cop who burns up gasoline by driving all over Arizona because he can't bear to sit at home." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman, whom the New York Times Book Review calls “a wonderful storyteller” is back with another blockbuster novel featuring the legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn
Since his retirement from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn has been called on occasionally by his former colleagues to help them solve a puzzling crime. And Leaphorn, aided by Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito, always delivers.
But this time, the problem is with an old case of Joe's--his “last case,” unsolved and haunting him. And with Chee and Bernie on their honeymoon, Leaphorn is on his own. The case involved a priceless Navajo rug gone missing. Now, years later, Leaphorn is picking up the threads of a crime he'd thought impossible to solve. Hillerman is at the top of his form in this atmospheric and stunning novel.
Synopsis
"With The Shape Shifter, Hillerman once again proves himself the master of Southwest mystery fiction, working in a Hemingway-esque tradition of pared-down writing to bring the rugged Southwest into focus."--Santa Fe New Mexican
Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is drawn back into the past to solve a cold case that has haunted him for nearly a decade in this atmospheric and twisting mystery infused with the Native American culture and lore of the desert Southwest.
Though he's officially retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn occasionally helps his former colleagues Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito crack particularly puzzling crimes.
But there is that rare unsolved investigation that haunts every lawman, including the legendary Leaphorn. Joe still hasn't let go of his "last case"--a mystery involving a priceless Navajo rug that was supposedly destroyed in a fire. Nine years later, what looks like the same one-of-a-kind rug turns up in a magazine spread, and the man who showed Joe the photo has gone missing.
With Chee and Bernie on their honeymoon, Leaphorn plunges into the case solo, picking up the threads of this crime he'd long thought impossible to solve. Not only has the passage of time obscured the details, but a murderer long thought dead continues to roam free--and is ready to strike again to keep the past buried.
Synopsis
Don't miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+
"With The Shape Shifter, Hillerman once again proves himself the master of Southwest mystery fiction, working in a Hemingway-esque tradition of pared-down writing to bring the rugged Southwest into focus."--Santa Fe New Mexican
Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is drawn back into the past to solve a cold case that has haunted him for nearly a decade in this atmospheric and twisting mystery infused with the Native American culture and lore of the desert Southwest.
Though he's officially retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn occasionally helps his former colleagues Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito crack particularly puzzling crimes.
But there is that rare unsolved investigation that haunts every lawman, including the legendary Leaphorn. Joe still hasn't let go of his "last case"--a mystery involving a priceless Navajo rug that was supposedly destroyed in a fire. Nine years later, what looks like the same one-of-a-kind rug turns up in a magazine spread, and the man who showed Joe the photo has gone missing.
With Chee and Bernie on their honeymoon, Leaphorn plunges into the case solo, picking up the threads of this crime he'd long thought impossible to solve. Not only has the passage of time obscured the details, but a murderer long thought dead continues to roam free--and is ready to strike again to keep the past buried.
Synopsis
Retirement has never sat well with former Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. Now the ghosts of a still-unsolved case are returning to haunt him, reawakened by a photograph in a magazine spread of a one-of-a-kind Navajo rug, a priceless work of woven art that was supposedly destroyed in a suspicious fire many years earlier. The rug, commemorating one of the darkest and most terrible chapters in American history, was always said to be cursed, and now the friend who brought it to Leaphorn's attention has mysteriously gone missing.
With newly wedded officers Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito just back from their honeymoon, the legendary ex-lawman is on his own to pick up the threads of a crime he'd once thought impossible to untangle. And they're leading him back into a world of lethal greed, shifting truths, and changing faces, where a cold-blooded killer still resides.
About the Author
Tony Hillerman was a former president of the Mystery Writers of America and received its Edgar and Grand Master Awards. His other honors included the Los Angeles Times' Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, the Center for the American Indian's Ambassador Award, the Silver Spur Award for the best novel set in the West, and the Navajo Tribe's Special Friend Award. He passed away on Sunday, October 26, 2008.