Tony Hillerman
creates a sense of place so strong and compelling you forget this is a mystery
and just get caught up in the land, its people, and its history. More mystical
than mystery, A Thief of Time is named for the criminals who steal Native
American artifacts—in this case, Anasazi and Navajo pots—and sell them for
exorbitant amounts. Those people, according to Navajo culture, are stealing
their ancestors’ history.
In the book,
an anthropologist who has found a treasure trove of artifacts disappears, and
the Navajo Tribal Police are charged with finding her. It’s a compelling story,
largely because of the cast of full-bodied characters, including two tribal
policemen, several anthropologists, a random assortment of petty thieves, an
influential Mormon leader with a sad secret, a New York museum curator, and a
wealthy Manhattan pot collector.
Lieutenant Joe
Leaphorn leads the search; this theoretically is one of his last cases, having
given his notice of resignation after his beloved wife Emma died. The young Jim
Chee joins him, trying to balance his police work with his unsuccessful
attempts to become a Navajo shaman. Both are beautifully crafted characters
whose frustration with one another is matched with a common love for their religion
and traditions.
As well-woven
as a Navajo rug, the story centers on the remarkable Chaco Canyon and the surrounding
area of New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona. It won the Macavity Award
for Best Mystery Novel (1989) and was a nominee for the Anthony Award for
Best Novel (1989) and the Edgar Award for
Best Novel (1989).
It’s the eighth of 18 books Hillerman created featuring Leaphorn and Chee. His daughter Anne completed an additional two. PBS produced TV movies of three of them—A Thief of Time, Skinwalkers, and Coyote Flats—that are available through PBS or on Netflix.—Pat Prijatel
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