The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman

The provided sources contain excerpts from Tony Hillerman's 1984 mystery novel, The Ghostway, which follows Navajo Tribal Police Officer Jim Chee as he investigates a murder linked to a complex Los Angeles criminal conspiracy and missing persons cases on the reservation. The narrative focuses on Chee's search for the killer, the disappearance of a key witness named Leroy Gorman, and the simultaneous quest for Gorman's niece, Margaret Sosi, while emphasizing the tension between Navajo traditional beliefs (such as the dangers of chindis or ghosts) and the procedures of modern law enforcement. The text also includes annotations by Hillerman discussing his writing process for other novels and a "Profile of the Navajo Nation," which details its three-branch governmental structure and challenges like poverty and infrastructure deficits. Overall, the documents showcase a suspenseful crime story set within the cultural and sociological context of the Navajo Nation.