Talking God is another in the fine line of books by Tony Hillerman, again putting Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee together. This time, however, the two aren't in the gorgeous splendor of the Navajo lands; they are in the bustling city of Washington, D.C.
Joe and Jim are solving separate cases, never thinking there's a link. Jim is trying to figure out who the dead guy is that was found near the railroad tracks. Oddly, there's a note on him about some Navajo ritual that will soon be happening. It involves Yeibichai, or a ceremony where the maternal grandfather talks to the gods. It also mentions the name Henry Highhawk. Jim finds out the dead guy is a bad character from Chile, but why did he die? What was he going to do? Jim is then asked to check into a Yeibichai mask, which is filled with all the Navajo's beliefs. Joe Leaphorn is supposedly on vacation in D.C., when he finally tracks down Highhawk, who swears he has Navajo blood. He has been tampering with old bones, among other things. He wants something in the Smithsonian, but what? And why?
Chee and Leaphorn both end up in the Smithsonian, where Highhawk is killed. Now, what's going on? Who killed him? If you're a fan of Leaphorn and Chee, who can't get a certain woman out of his mind, and Tony Hillerman books in general, you're sure to want to read this. It's another great work by the master of Native American-themed mysteries.
