Coyote Waits is the second American Mystery made-for-television movie based on one of Tony Hillerman's Navajo novels. In this story, Jim Chee (Adam Beach) is taking a hitchhiker (Candice Costello) to work when he gets a call from fellow cop and friend, Delbert Nez.

He can't quite make out what his friend's saying, so Chee goes ahead and finishes driving the teenage girl to her job. Later, he finds Delbert shot to death in a burning car. He injures his hand trying to rescue his friend and blames himself for Delbert's death. In his guilt, he even reconsiders his decision to be a cop.

Joe Leaphorn (Wes Studi) didn't want to be involved in this case at all, but Ashi Pinto (Jimmy Herman), who is arrested for the murder, is kin to Leaphorn's wife, Emma (Sheila Tousey). She's not going to let a kinsman be framed.

This puts Chee and Leaphorn at odds -- at least momentarily, until they opt to work together.

There is a wonderful reappearance of Graham Greene as Slick Nakai, a tribal Christian reverend and taxi-cab driver. Overall, this is a well-done film and well worth seeing.