I have a feeling that this was mean to to show how being in the back country amongst his people brings him closer to the values and traditions he grew up with, but the change was abrupt and a bit jarring. Then he rapidly changes into an altruistic soul willing to risk life and career to help his friend. Charlie is first seen as a young man totally focused on his career- in this behavior more white than Navajo. The characterizations of Charlie and Thomas can be a bit inconsistent.

The setting and the cultural aspects of this novel alone are well worth the price of admission.This first novel (and first mystery) does have a couple of problems. It's a land with plenty of nowhere, a land that few people will enter to find someone unless they know the area well themselves.In addition to his lyrical description of the landscape, Chappell excels in his straight-shooting depiction of the Navajo people, their customs, their beliefs, and their way of life in this remote area. Those who have been there will roll their eyes, laugh, and keep an eye out for the next mistake.) Most of the action in Navajo Autumn takes place out in the back country of the Four Corners area. (People unfamiliar with the area can see the glaring error by looking at a map. You're not going to find any of his characters jumping on the interstate outside of Kayenta as I did in a book I read a few months ago.

Allen Chappell has all this in abundance.Chappell grew up with the Navajo, went to school with them, worked with them, and built enduring friendships along the way. What always makes the difference in this or any other subgenre of crime fiction is the writer's storytelling ability and his knowledge of his setting and his characters. With the deserved success of Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee mysteries, other aspiring authors hustled to find their own place in this new niche.

Navajo Autumn by R. Allen Chappell