Strange events which took place in 1938 lead to the present-day cold-blooded killing of a ranch hand in the remote canyon country near Moab, Utah. The only clue besides a 9-mm bullet in the victim’s head is an ancient-Indian potsherd stuck into his chest.Deputy Sheriff Manny Rivera is assigned the case and judges it’s related to a drug deal gone bad. But he’s actually up against an intelligent … intelligent and cunning adversary driven by greed who’s discovered a long-forgotten cave containing a collection of rare museum-quality Indian artifacts.
Local politicians and merchants are exerting strong pressure on the sheriff for a quick resolution to the case as the killing is threatening to disrupt the upcoming tourist season, Moab’s sole source of economic activity. After all, who would want to explore the backcountry with a killer on the loose out there?
In the end, Rivera faces an ethical dilemma: Should he enforce the letter of the law or serve the cause of justice? And a woman learns the answer to a question that’s been haunting her for seventy years.
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Loved the chain of events leading to the conclusion
I love mystery books and this one was outstanding to me.
Loved this book,enjoyed it so much that I would all books by this auther!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will certainly read more of this series. The characters are interesting and, although the identity of the murderer is not a mystery, it’s interesting to see how his identity is revealed. I also like what the book says about the moral dilemmas that people can get into.
I sure hope this is part of a series. It kept me intrigued cover to cover. The landscape is richly described in the way Tony Hillerman did.
Good story, well developed characters. Plausible tale, well told with some unexpected twists. Lawman stuck to his trainer’s rules and advice. I would like to read more by this author.
If you like Tony Hillerman, you’ll like this book.
The setting is interesting as the author takes us from several years back to the current time. Finding ancient artifacts peaks the interest.
Great characters, wonderful scenery descriptions, easy to read.
Good follow-up to Tony and Anne Hillerman mysteries. Very descriptive of an awesome area.
Great plot – couldn’t put it down!
Great series. Read them all. I bing read them.
An excellent story, very well told and extremely entertaining.
It is a murder mystery first and foremost. It also involves treasure hunting and how to turn it into cash.
Great details about the geography and history of this area
Awesome ending
have already reviewed.
It was pretty good with some twists.
Excellent western story of lost treasure.
Interesting “who done it” with unexpected twists and turns along the way.
I liked that after many years the mystery was finally solved and the fiance finally knew what happened to her man