a detective fiction novel, Hunting

A

sBadger builds on the genre interest in crime, guilt, punishment, and justice and, in particular, the ways in which our representative authorities conduct their investigations to determine who bears the responsibility for violence or malfeasance, to uncover supportive evidence sufficient for a court conviction, and finally to bring the accused before a jury of his or her peers. However, Tony Hillerman takes his detective novels beyond questions of law and order to examine how culture influences perception, methodology, and final sense of justice.

Throughout his canon, Tony Hillerman explores the place of the Native American on the fringes of American society, the clashes between native traditionalists and mainstream attitudes, and effects of assimilation to U.S. mainstream culture on those raised in a community-centered culture. In particular, Hunting Badger looks at conflicts over federal interference in rural life and the...