What seems to be a carjacking gone wrong leads to the death of Jimmy Blacksheep a Navajo member of the New Mexico National Guard recently returned from Iraq When Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah receives a mysterious package in the mail she begins to suspect that Jimmys death is part of something larger Complicating the case is the fact that Jimmys brother Samuel Blacksheep is also a cop on the Farmington PD Samuel is also ostensibly investigating Jimmys death but Ella wonders why Jimmy sent his secret message to her rather than his own brother If Jimmy didnt trust Samuel perhaps Ella shouldnt either When even the FBIs experts are unable to figure out the dead mans message Ella realizes that she must use Navajo lore not cryptography to decode it Tantalizing clues link Jimmys death to his military service--but what could the medic have seen in Iraq that would make him a target for murder back homeEllas personal life seems just as complicated as her case Her mother Rose Destea marries her long-time beau Herman Cloud and moves in with him While Ella is delighted to see her mother happy she cannot help but worry about making sure her daughter Dawn is safe and cared for at all times Dawns father asks for a change in custody arrangements that will reduce Ella to a weekend mother--a much easier fit with her workload but something that will take a terrible toll on her heart.
