For the very first time in mass market paperback, here is a unique compilation about life in New Mexico by one of the nation's finest writers.Tony Hillerman, who knows the Southwest like no other contemporary writer; presents nine extraordinary, true tales that capture the history and rhythms of daily life in New Mexico. From the comical title story of the holdup that didn't happen, to the riveting account of scientist tracking the Black Death through the arroyos in "We All Fall Down," to the ironic account of how a Black cowboy's commonsense intelligence destroyed the dogma of the Smithsonian Institution in "Othello in Union County," master storytellerTony Hillerman reveals the present and the timeless past of one of America's most beautiful and haunting regions.Tony Hillerman is professor emeritus of journalism at the University of New Mexico and an Edgar Award-winning mystery novelist. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico."Hillerman is surely one of the finest and most original craftsman at work...today." --Boston Globe Book Review