A Thief of Time (1988)

I remember reading most if not all of the Leaphorn and Chee books, back some years. I thought they were well written and good distractions from the then work-a-day world. I still remember scenes from them, but get mixed up as to which of the books the scenes were from.

For those not familiar, they were Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels. ( )

This mid-series Leaphorn & Chee novel seems to suffer a bit from ennui. Leaphorn's wife has died (in a previous volume) and he is now contemplating ending his career. Without his driving force, the story just feels stilted and extremely slow-moving.

Essentially, it's a so-so mystery involving pottery thieves and academic conflicts among the archaeologists studying the Anasazi ruins. ( )

NA

A THIEF OF TIME shows Tony Hillman's mastery of Navaho time, mystery, and place while developing a plot that encompasses
Anasazi pottery, anatomy, and possible migration routes.

For those of us who have no liking for gruesome murder details, he holds this to a minimum.
Instead, he concentrates on the interweaving of the main characters, Leaphorn and Chee, as they resolve conflicts with people, the river, and the ruins.

Hillerman's descriptions of the changing seasons and the environment are truly memorable
and as addictive as his plots. The opening of TALKING GOD is unforgettable!

I just hope that Leaphorn went back to free the dying tethered frogs and to convince the man to find a new hobby. ( )

Jim Chee & Joe Leaphorn work together on base of missing archeologist and stolen back hoe