Talking God

By Tony Hillerman

While Joe Leaphorn tries to identify a body found murdered in the desert, Jim Chee is arresting an attention hound for desecrating whites' graves.  The man, Henry Hightower, is a Smithsonian curator who wants thousands of Native American bones returned to their tribes.  Somehow, the dead man and Hightower are connected, and Leaphorn and Chee attack the case from their own angles to solve the crimes.

Hightower claimed to have a Navajo grandmother, yet he secretly recorded chants and didn't even know how to dress like a "regular Indian", preferring to copy the Hollywood version.  He also never needed to prove his heritage, which was strange, especially since he was blond.  I never believed the altruistic side of Hightower, which made the story unbelievable. Plus, they threw in this weird story arc about Chilean leftists that was only partially explained.  But I always like when Leaphorn & Chee are working together. Not Hillerman's best, but good.