The Dark Wind by Tony HIllerman

Dark Wind is a novel written by Tony Hillerman. The plot is set in Central Arizona. The story also addresses the land dispute between the Hopi and Navajo Nations.

The story is about an aircraft crash that unfolds. The plane is part of a covert drug delivery to a remote dry wash in the Black Mesa area. The airplane crashes near a vandalized windmill being staked out by Navajo Tribal Officer, Jim Chee. Chee then finds himself involved in a federal investigation for missing cocaine. Chee's investigations lead him to a series of cases involving a mutilated Navajo corpse and some pawned silver at a trading post.

Chee interviews the Hopi elders. These interviews lead him through mazes in New Mexico. Luckily, Chee is an expert tracker who uses his Navajo culture to examine the evidence placed before him. He soon coordinates with his boss, Joe Leaphorn, to patrol the joint Hopi and Navajo lands. Chee and Leaphorn investigate the murder, the plane crash, and the disappearance of the cocaine. One suspect is Joe Musket, a known Navajo drug dealer. Throughout their investigation, they are drawn into a web of corruption, prejudice, and deceit.

This novel was also made into a movie featuring Lou Diamond Philips as Jim Chee. Filmmaker Errol Morris made this dramatic feature about murder and dirty dealings on the reservation. Also cast in this movie is Fred Ward as Joe Leaphorn, Gary Farmer as Cowboy Dashee, the Hopi Sheriff, and John Karlen as John West, the Hopi shop manager.