"Blackening Song," first in the series by Aimee & David Thurlo, is set on the Rez during a conflict between those committed to Navajo Tradition vs those who believe it is time the leave the culture, language and religious practices behind.

The story provides an interesting window into a world closed to outsiders, including those in the FBI who are responsible for capital crimes on Reservations. Context is everything and the story functions on multiple layers without becoming confusing. ( )

I wanted to like this so, so bad, but it falls short in a couple key areas. First, it tries really hard to be authentic, but it makes a couple key mistakes that a real Dine person would never make. Second, it emphasizes points occasionally that it then does inconsistently. For instance, one chapter emphasizes how traditional members of the Dine avoid using people's names and have a predilection for nicknames. This is correct. But then the book doesn't actually do this except for one character. It's like the authors came up with one good nickname and didn't bother trying to avoid names for the rest of the characters. Inauthentic and inconsistent. ( )

Navajo FBI agent Ella Clah returns to the reservation, where she must plumb the depths of the struggle between traditionalist and modernist forces among the Navajo to find her father's murderer.