At the end of the novel, Leaphorn asks Chee to sing a curing song. What might be Leaphorn's motive in this request? Has he completely reversed his thoughts on the value of traditional ways, or is he perhaps trying to show Chee that he appreciates the younger officer's superior police work?

Setting is an important element to any work of fiction. Is setting even more significant to this story. Could this mystery be set anywhere else, such as a densely populated urban environment?

At the beginning of the novel, Joe Leaphorn has submitted his resignation to the Navajo Tribal Police after the death of his wife. He has experienced a loss that seems to has profoundly changed his life. Is Joe Leaphorn the only character whose actions are guided by a sense of loss and feelings of grief? What sorts of losses have the...