Hillerman knows the Southwest like no other contemporary writer. From its wry politics to its astonishing history to the hypnotic rhythms of daily life, these nine pieces offer the New Mexico readers have never seen but will come to love.

In this extraordinary collection, Tony Hillerman presents the Southwest as only he can, choosing remarkable true tales from his personal archives of local lore. As you read these stories, you will be amazed, astounded, and oftentimes confounded by the power of ingenuity, serendipity, and the strange, comical coincidence of life and how it proves, once again, that truth is ultimately stranger than fiction.

From the amusing title story of the holdup that didn't happen, to the riveting account of scientists tracking Black Death through the arroyos, to the ironic account of how a black cowboy's commonsense intelligence destroyed the dogma of the Smithsonian Institution, master storyteller Tony Hillerman reveals the present and timeless past of one of America's most beautiful and haunting regions.

Tony Hillerman was the former president of the Mystery W

Tony Hillerman was the former president of the Mystery W

Tony Hillerman was the former president of the Mystery W

Tony Hillerman was the former president of the Mystery W

Tony Hillerman was the former president of the Mystery Writers of America and received its Edgar® and Grand Masterriters of America and received its Edgar® and Grand Masterriters of America and received its Edgar® and Grand Masterriters of America and received its Edgar® and Grand Masterriters of America and received its Edgar® and Grand Master aw