People of Darkness
People of Darkness is a crime novel by American writer Tony Hillerman, the fourth in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series, first published in 1980. This is the first novel in the series to feature Officer Jim Chee.
First edition cover | |
| Author | Tony Hillerman |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Francesca Greene |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police Series |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Set in | Navajo Nation in Southwestern United States |
| Published | 1980 Harper & Row |
| Media type | Print and audio |
| Pages | 202 |
| ISBN | 0-06-011907-1 |
| OCLC | 6142519 |
| Preceded by | Listening Woman (1978) |
| Followed by | The Dark Wind (1982) |
The story is set in New Mexico, where Jim Chee takes a position at the Crownpoint, NM office of the Navajo Tribal Police. New crimes center around a very wealthy white man and several Navajos he befriended nearly 30 years earlier, helping them support their church. His wealth arose from uranium, in high demand back then, more than could be made from oil.
The novel was well-received: "well-written and gripping . . . [set] against a background of authentic Indian culture, an incredible achievement for a non-Indian writer." and "thoroughly splendid work: moody, atmospheric, complex without contrivance, and properly unsettling." A review written in 2010 was still impressed with the novel, saying "the great triumph of Hillerman’s art lies in the way he was able to weave this Native American theme into the story, along with all the accompanying cultural background, without ever compromising the mystery."