A THIEF OF TIME - excellent reading for people who are interested in the following highly original mixture:
There is a. the classic plot of a detective novel, in which the reader and the two protagonists are trying to find out why Dr Eleanor Friedman-Bernal, a noted anthropologist, has disappeared.
There is b. the extraordinary "niche" which Hillerman has found for his characters. A THIEF OF TIME (and the other books in the series, which are loosely connected with each other) does not have the usual big city jungle as a setting, but the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico. Thus it is Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, members of the Navajo Tribal Police, who are trying to solve the case, at the same time offering Hillerman the opportunity to make the reader acquainted with Navajo culture and mythology.
And there is c. the beautiful landscape of the canyons, of bizarrely-shaped sandstone cliffs, of arroyos and washes, and of prehistoric sites of the Anasazi. This extraordinary setting not only serves as a background, but provides - together with the characters - the unique atmosphere which is so typical of Hillerman.
Last but not least, the two protagonists are not one-dimensional or "flat" characters. To the reader it seems as if they are real people with real problems: Joe Leaphorn, the older one, is trying to cope with the fact that his wife has suddenly died, and Jim Chee is not quite sure about his feel-ings for Janet Pete, a young (beautiful) Navajo lawyer - and vice versa.
Hillerman succeeds in capturing the reader's attention from the very beginning. And although the whodunit aspect, being central to the plot, is supposed to be in the foreground, it is actually - at least to me - of minor importance. The fascinating thing about this novel is the atmosphere created through the characters - Navajo Indians - and the setting - the American Southwest and the Navajo Reservation. Therefore: have fun!
PS. If you've ever been to the American Southwest (like I have), Hillerman makes you feel like hopping on the next plane and taking in that amazing landscape again.