Wolf without a track

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wolf without track is the first crime novel by Tony Hillerman . Under the title The Blessing Way he appeared in 1970 in English , in German for the first time 1,972th

context

Wolf Without a Track is an ethnic thriller set in the northeast of the US state of Arizona in the sparsely populated Navajo Nation Reservation . The detective is the police officer Joe Leaphorn, Navajo (Diné) and officer of the Navajo Tribal Police ( police of the Navajo Nation Reservation). The novel thrives on the tension between modern industrial and consumer society on the one hand and those living according to traditional values ​​and customs of the Navajo on the other. Their representation, the description of the seasons, customs and landscapes take up a lot of space. It's not just an exotic setting. Rather, this traditional context provides the actors and the reader with clues that allow conclusions to be drawn about the perpetrators, motives and possibilities for committing the crime. For the reader, this opens up an interesting perspective on the culture described. The criminal cases can only be solved in relation to the Diné tradition.

“ I suspected something was wrong with Jackson. But I was counting on him to react like a Navajo. He reacted like a white man . "

people

  • Joe Leaphorn, Navajo Tribal Police investigator . His office is in Window Rock, Arizona .
  • Emma Leaphorn, his wife.
  • Bergen McKee is a professor of social anthropology at a university in New Mexico . He specializes in antís (the equivalent of werewolves in the Navajo mind ). He is a school friend of Joe Leaphorn.
  • Jeremy Canfield is a colleague and friend of McKee's. He does archaeological research.
  • George Jackson, a Navajo, is a stranger in the area.
  • Eddie Poher, a blond white man, works with George.
  • Jimmie W. Hall, Ph.D. is an electronics professional testing equipment in the area.
  • Ellen Leon is Jim Hall's girlfriend.
  • Luis Horseman, a Navajo, is a petty criminal and is on the run.
  • Billy Nez, Luis Horseman's brother, is 16 years old.
  • Charlie Tsosie is the uncle of both and desperately needs an "enemy spell".

action

Joe Leaphorn is looking for Luis Horseman and also has a specific idea of ​​where he should be. But it is found elsewhere. Bergen McKee is researching and therefore looking for information on Antís. When he meets the first one, it becomes extremely dangerous - not just for him. Billy Nez, Luis Horseman's brother, is also looking for the Antí. Ellen Leon is looking for Jim Hall, which also turns out to be extremely dangerous and has a completely different result than expected.

Relation to other works

Tony Hillerman started a series with Wolf Without a Track , which he initially built around Joe Leaphorn as an investigator and the Navajo culture as a context. The sequel to the series is the crime novel Shots from the Stone Age (Dance Hall of the Dead).

expenditure

Individual evidence

  1. ^ 2001 edition, p. 184.