The Ghostway

By Tony Hillerman

Jim Chee keeps finding, and losing, the granddaughter of a missing man.  She is also wanted by a heartless killer, who wants her dead because of a missing photograph.  Meanwhile, Chee has to decide whether to abandon his heritage in order to stay with Mary Landon, the white schoolteacher in Shiprock.

Not much to this story.  The storyline was sketchy, and never did make a whole lot of sense.  It seemed like it was just a reason for Chee to drive long distances, reliving conversations with his girlfriend.

Mary seems like a shallow white woman who thinks that the Navajo Way is nothing but meaningless rituals.  Chee wants to help his people, and Mary thinks the only way to do that is to civilize them.  All of the old traditions are being lost, and Chee is dedicated enough to want to keep it alive.  But of course he has to forget that & join the FBI to keep Mary happy.  Why is this even an issue?  It just makes her look like a selfish witch... dump her already.