Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2006
288 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Since his retirement from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn has occasionally been enticed to return to work by former colleagues who seek his help when they need to solve a particularly puzzling crime. They ask because Leaphorn, aided by officers Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito, always delivers.
But this time the problem is with an old case of Joe's—his "last case," unsolved, is one that continues to haunt him. And with Chee and Bernie just back from their honeymoon, Leaphorn is pretty much on his own.
"Starred Review. Only Hillerman could so masterfully connect such disparate elements as an ancient cursed weaving, two stolen buckets of pi on sap and the Vietnam War." - PW.
"Not much mystery this time, and Sgt. Jim Chee and his bride Bernadette Manuelito ("now it's Chee") are mostly kept offstage. But Hillerman's warmth is undiminished as he follows a dogged old cop who burns up gasoline by driving all over Arizona because he can't bear to sit at home." - Kirkus.
"As always, Hillerman seamlessly weaves bits of Navajo lore and history into the narrative, the major strength of this entry in his long-lived series." - Library Journal.
This information about The Shape Shifter was first featured
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Photo credit: Kelly Campbell
Tony Hillerman, author of many novels including the Leaphorn/Chee mystery
series, died in October 2008 at the age of 83.
A past president of the Mystery Writers of America and recipient of their Edgar and Grand Master Awards,
his other honors include the
Center for the American Indian's Ambassador Award, the Silver Spur Award for the
best novel set in the West, the Navajo Tribe's Special Friend Award, the
National Media Award from the American Anthropological Association, the Public
Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Nero Wolfe Award,
the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book, an
honorary life membership in the Western Literature Association, and the Grand
Prix de Littérature Policiére.
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