This book's a hoot. It is the sci fi version of the murder on the rez' genre (pioneered by Tony Hillerman.) The book takes place in the not to distance future. The Navajo Indian reservation is now a haven for hi-tech firms (mostly Asian) seeking skilled labor and tax havens.
Although the Dineh have pretty much abandonned the ancient superstition...it turns out that there's something funky going on with the sand paintings. The cops in the book get to explore the sand paintings, Navajo culture and computer technology and more.
As mentioned in another review. The book is not well written. The characters are weak, and the author never really develops the plot or the symbology in the sand paintings. I really wish the author or editors had taken the time to turn this fantastic idea into a block buster.
Accidentally picked up this stinker at the airport, rushing to catch a flight. oh my god. prose that whines, bores and tires. granted there is a cute idea wrapped in all the tedium, perhaps enough for a short story or a novella, not a book. truly `a dark and stormy night' quality of writing: ``As Moody's gaze rose from the screen he noted that the wind was no longer blowing across the canyon. Instead it was now blasting toward them, making his own hair and (much more impressively) that of Samantha Grayhills' stream out behind their heads.'' the author attempts to add character development to the story, instead paints caricatures. borded and desparate to kill time i found myself skipping pages at a time to make the pace passable, to get to the end so i could throw this thing out.
