People of Darkness is one of the series of Navajo mystery books by Tony Hillerman. The main character, Jim Chee, is a Navajo Tribal policeman, but he is also considered to be a detective. This books gets its name from one of the antagonists, a radical Indian group called the People of Darkness. This group worships the prince of the Navajo underworld.
The setting of People of Darkness begins in Shiprock, New Mexico, where Jim Chee tries to keep the peace. Chee has been asked to investigate a burglary in Crwonpoint, which is normally outside of his jurisdiction. The powerful people who are responsible for the crime want Chee to stop his investigation. When he does not, they start killing people that are involved but are lower on the totem pole. This serves to throw Chee for a loop as he investigates further.
As Hillerman's books often do, People of Darkness intertwines this main story with a seemingly separate mystery. As part of another case, Chee must recover a box that has been stolen from a person of wealth. The box is no value except for sentimental value. The box is believed to hold a secret that someone does not want revealed. Along the way, Chee meets a girl named Mary. She acts as Chee's assistant as they try to find out the mystery behind the box. This puts her in a grave amount of danger, as someone continually plots to kill both her and Chee to keep them from getting any further in this spiritual Navajo mystery.
