This entry has a lot more spirituality and mysticism than any of the previous. And it's darker in tone than the others without being what I'd call "dark"; there is still some of the usual banter but most of the book is taken up with Walt's arduous journey, his internal dialogue, and those who will help him as well as those trying to kill him along the way. Walt's dreams about Owen White Buffalo are terribly sad and his determination to see the hostages - both living and dead - brought home is extraordinary. The descriptions of the blizzard conditions will give you chills while you're reading (actually kind of nice during a Phoenix summer). The conversations with enigmatic but dangerous Virgil White Buffalo are sometimes down to earth and sometimes baffling. Dante's "Inferno" plays a big part in the story and I regretted that I'm not more familiar with it, as I expect there were many allusions that just went past me. Don't expect a straightforward action mystery here; it might start out that way, but in the end you'll be wondering which parts were "real". As Henry Standing Bear says in the end "Just because he was not there does not mean he was not there". And do not miss the reading list at the end, compiled for Saizarbitoria by the folks in Walt's office, who have to be the best-read sheriff's staff in the country.
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