Sacred Clowns

By Tony Hillerman

Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+!  

From New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman comes another unforgettable mystery in which Leaphorn & Chee must race against the clock to solve two brutal murders.

“[Hillerman's] clowns are . . . every bit as raucous, profane, and funny as Shakespeare's."—New York Times Book Review

During a kachina ceremony at the Tano Pueblo, the antics of a dancing koshare fill the air with tension. Moments later, the clown is found bludgeoned to death, in the same manner a reservation schoolteacher was killed only days before.

Officer Jim Chee and Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn believe that answers lie in the sacred clown's final cryptic message to the Tano people. But to decipher it, the two Navajo policemen may have to delve into closely guarded tribal secrets—on a sinister trail of blood that links a runaway, a holy artifact, corrupt Indian traders, and a pair of dead bodies.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061801938

Tony Hillerman

TONY HILLERMAN served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and received the Edgar and Grand Master Awards. His other honors include the Center for the American Indian’s Ambassador Award, the Spur Award for Best Western Novel, and the Navajo Tribal Council Special Friend of the Dineh Award. A native of Oklahoma, Tony Hillerman lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until his death in 2008.

Reviews for Sacred Clowns

[nodosaurus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Joe Leaphorn asked Jim Chee to find a runaway schoolkid. During this investigation, he is on the scene of a murder during a Tano ceremony. This murder had similar characteristics to another murder, but they couldn’t be related. Of course all three threads tie together in a fascinating story.Side stories include a hit and run accident. A relationship between Jim Chee and Janet Pete in which Jim has trouble resolving a possible clan violation in their seeing each other. At the same time, Joe Leaphorn is planning a trip to China with Louisa Bourebonette.Tony Hillerman gives the reader excellent insights into the Navajo culture, especially in the way that Jim Chee resolves his personal issues. Through his investigations, we also get a glimpse into the Tano culture, a branch of the Pueblo tribes.The book is a very good read, it keeps moving forward and has interesting developments in the mysteries.

[ffortsa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jim Chee has joined Joe Leaphorn as his assistant, still not a sergeant, but he has to solve a hit-and-run to get it. We learn a little (not much) about the Tano tribe, part of the larger Pueblo group in this episode. Besides the hit-and-run to solve, there are a few murders connected to the Tano celebration that opens the book and gives us the title. Maybe more important is the developments of the relationships between Jim Chee and Janet Pete, and between Joe Leaphorn and Louisa Bourebonette.I realized, looking for the spelling of names in the text, that Hillerman uses the women's first names in the narrative way before he uses the men's first names. Chee is always Chee except in dialog, but Janet is Janet almost immediately. It doesn't ruffle me. Just noticing.Anyway, a good mystery in the series, and I liked the fact that we are finally getting Leaphorn and Chee together (see, even I do it). 4 stars.

[buffalogr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sacred Clowns examines the Navajo, pueblo and Hopi cultural and religions.There's a hit and run to solve and our heroes get stuck in politics. In the end, all the unrelated cases come together and it all works out--the bad guys are caught. It's fun to watch the unfamiliar logic work itself to the ending. The characters and the color are the best parts of this book as they wrestle with personal issues. Next Hillerman?

[debnance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first Tony Hillerman mystery. We took it along with us on our trip to New Mexico at the suggestion of some book blogger friends. It was a great suggestion. It took a bit for me to get into the story and I never did really figure it out, but it was filled with wonderful Native American characters and it had just a bit of romance and it was full of little bits of Native American information. Yes. Delightful.

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee investigate two seemingly unrelated murders: one of a high-school shop teacher on the Navajo Reservation, and the other of a "sacred clown" in the religious traditions of the Tano tribe. The working relationship between Leaphorn and Chee is much improved in this outing, although readers who prefer less personal romance mushy-mush and more mystery wham-bam may be disappointed.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good mystery. Mr. Hillerman writes with a nice balance of suspense, action, mystery and romance. His characters are very human and understandable. These stories are also illuminating about the Southwest culture.

[bastet_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my first introduction to Hillerman and I'm glad I made the leap.A fascinating look at Native American culture.I also enjoyed the protagonist--caught between modern Americanism and ancient traditions--quite well.

[keylawk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Author's Note: ..."Tano is not a Hopi village and the descriptions in this book do not represent Hopi religious activities." Navajo Tribal Police Officers Chee and Lieutenant Leaphorn work, uneasily, together to solve a killing at the mission school and then murder strikes at Tano, seemingly outside their jurisdiction. But the two killings seem to be related with the odd behavior of a runaway student. But nothing is what it seems.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Always enjoy Hillerman's books. I find all of the Indian culture information very interesting and the stories are entertaining.

[morrise.graham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sacred Clowns examines both the Navajo and Hopi cultural and religeons, steeping the murder mystery in a rich cultural tapestry that Hillerman was known for. As always, the story involves the human elements of both Chee and Leaphorn, their love lives and their personal struggles. This has it all.. mystery, politics, history, intrigue, and yes, two murders to solve.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Hillerman leaves his two main characters, uncharacteristically, in happy personal places at the close of this complicated mystery. Another nice development is watching the beginning of Leaphorn & Chee working together professionally on purpose, instead of by coincidence. The beginnings of the friendship that I remembered begin here.

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a re-read for me and still one of the best Hillerman's. I am fully engaged by the novel's balance of suspense, action, and mystery embedded in tribal customs. An irritating flaw in the plot for me is the angst that Chee has in his interactions with Janet Pete. I find that relationship which persists through several of the novels utterly tedious. As ever, the author seems intimately connected to the land and the people of the American southwest.

[danhammang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great read, classic Hillerman, terrible picture of a Sacred Clown on the cover.

[lbswiener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sacred Clowns is an excellent Leaphorn and Chee suspense novel. It takes place in the desolate New Mexico Indian reservations. There is a lot of culture and humor involved with the characters. Tony Hillerman knows how to write an excellent story and Christian Baskous knows how to read it. This book received four stars in this review and is highly recommended. Enjoy.

[lyndainoregon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This early entry into the Leaphorn & Chee series is a major disappointment. It's extremely slow-paced, and through most of the book, it seems that no one has a clue how (or if) two murders are related. Both men are involved in trying to establish tenuous new romantic relationships while also figuring out how to work together. There are lots of meaningful silences and long periods of introspection.Definitely not the best of the series.