Preview of Talking God Summary:

Named for the ceremonial mask depicting one of the powerful Navajo yeibichai or principal gods, Talking God focuses in a number of ways on the conflict between the European-based white culture and traditional Native American tribal customs and metaphysics. The mystery is structured around two separate and yet oddly interrelated instances of a native people's attempts to repossess certain religious and ancestral artifacts housed in the vast collections of the venerable Smithsonian Institution. The novel underscores the clash of cultures by sending Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee — separately — to Washington, D.C., the former in search of clues to the identity of an anonymous murder victim, the latter in response to a friend's request for help in a case involving a museum conservator who wants to become a member of a Navajo clan.

Talking God examines an increasingly significant ethical question: At...