The series that is based on Tony Hillerman creation, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police, was met with quite a level of excitement. Not least of all here in the offices of FRONTROW. The reason? Well Hillerman crime novels are well regarded. This is due to their cinematic elements and because they are tinged with fantasy, drama and noir riffs throughout. Charting the story of a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley in 1971, DARK WINDS takes in two of these novels (well a full one in LISTENING WOMEN (1978) and elements of PEOPLE OF DARKNESS (1980))

The series focuses as the books do on Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (played with cool menace by Zahn McClarnon). He is a well known member of the Tribal Police and this leads to hostility and respect. He is also under siege from a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. A bank robbery, a dead man and girl. Then the FBI agents floating around the edge of the reservation, sniffing into these crimes, caring more about money than life. The closer he digs to the truth, the more he exposes the wounds of his and his peoples past. He is joined on this journey by his new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), who has his own old scores to settle as a double agent and now college grad.

DARK WINDS is a rather seductive series. It gets into its groove quickly, taking the best bits of the characterisations, plot and tones of the book. It then suffuses within this the historical relevance of the period and the product also. We liked this a lot. We loved it in fact. We loved especially McClarnon, who holds the centre ground well. Giving it a core and a connection. He might be many things. Ice cool, hard and direct. But he also layers emotional depth in his swinging flows. All of this allows the viewer to get and glean the reason the series of books did so well. Now this might all seem great but there are a few issues. The production design is a bit wishy washy (surprising for AMC). Also the series is too long. Dragging the novel hard. The peppering of plots from another novel, is annoying also for fans. It hampers a clear conclusion and this in turn is irritating.

But, this is a problem for the fan of the book I believe and not the causal viewer, who will love what they see mostly. I hear that a second and third season are in the offing and think it is onwards and upwards. This is a good thing for the series, which will grow as it has volume to and the works of Hillerman, that will get more eyes on them.