The Shape Shifter Review

The story involves a double murder (the Handys) that occurred many years before.  Three people (Ellie McFee, Bennie Begay, and Tomas Delonie) were caught, convicted, and sentenced for the crimes.  However, the ringleader, Ray Shewnack, escaped.  Several years later, Totter's Trading Post burned down and a badly burnt corpse was found inside.  The body was identified as Shewnack.  This seemed to close the case of the Handy murders.  A couple of years after the fire, the owner of the trading post was reported dead in Oklahoma.  Of particular interest in the trading post fire, besides the corpse, was the disappearance (presumed burnt up in the fire) of a valuable tale-teller Navajo rug that had been on prominent display. 

Leaphorn, who was then a young police officer, was investigating the robbery of two large buckets of pinyon sap when he was ordered to help with the trading post fire.  Returning to the present, Leaphorn is contacted by a former police associate regarding the Navajo rug.  It seems a recent magazine has a picture of the rug hanging in a home outside of Flagstaff.  The former associate went to investigate and disappeared, later being found dead in what appeared to be a traffic accident.  By this time, both McFee and Begay were long dead and Delonie was out of prison.  Events rapidly come to a climax instigated by Leaphorn's investigations. 

In the telling of his story to the Chees, Leaphorn leaves out many details that the reader is told.  The story winds through the above history, weaving in the Navajo concept of skinwalkers and the US involvement in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.  In the end, all the puzzle pieces are put into their rightful place, making for a mostly satisfying conclusion, including solving the ancient pinyon sap robbery.  There were still a few questions I had at the end, but these were minor details.  The main question I had that doesn't ruin the climax is, "What happened to the rug?"  The essential mystery is solved to the reader's satisfaction.

As with all of Hillerman's mysteries, this is a lot of fun to read.  It is a quick read and the insight into Navajo culture and religion is interesting.  I easily recommend The Shape Shifter.  Also, should one want to read other mysteries in this vein besides Hillerman, I'd suggest the Ella Clah mysteries by Aimee and David Thurlo.  These also take place on the Navajo Reservation.  The Thurlos however, incorporate more of the Navajo religion into their mysteries.