The Tale Teller

Joe Leaphorn has retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, but a client still brings him work. A biil, a traditional Navajo dress donated to the Navajo Nation, has gone missing, and he is hired to find it. The dress is a priceless artifact tied to a dark period in Navajo history.

The search turns sinister when the leading suspect dies in mysterious circumstances. Leaphorn then receives anonymous warnings telling him to beware, and the messages point to witchcraft.

Meanwhile, his former colleague Jim Chee and Officer Bernie Manuelito are gathering evidence against a cunning thief behind a run of burglaries. Bernie finds a body near a popular running trail. The death is ruled a homicide, and because the FBI has a stake in the murder, the Tribal cops are pulled into a turf battle.

Crime, superstition and Navajo tradition meet in the desert Southwest of this mystery. The two investigations run in parallel, then begin to merge, and where they meet lies a chance that could open a new chapter in Bernie's life.