Sacred Clowns

Rating:
Summary: A cultural tour
Review: Review
By
Judith Woolcock Colombo

Sacred Clowns set within the context of Navajo culture and using the overwhelming physical presence of the Southwest as backdrop, mixes ethnicity, human greed, and romance into an intriguing mystery.

The novel reunites Navajo Detective Jim Chee and Lt. Joe Leaphorn. Chee now part of Leaphorn's two-man Special Investigations Office has been assigned to follow Delmar Kanitewa, a runaway student and grandson of a powerful member of the tribal council.

Chee follows the boy to the Tano Pueblo for a ceremony of koshares, sacred clowns, only to see the ceremony interrupted by a murder. The boy, who is in full site of Chee during the murder at the Pueblo, vanishes. Later it is discovered that he may also know something about another murder, that of shop- teacher Eric Dorsey.

With the boy's disappearance, we are left with the mystery of how exactly the two murders are connected. However, these murders are just the beginning of an intricate plot that involves an unsolved hit and run case, political and religious scandal, and romance for both Chee and Leaphorn.

This is a well-woven story that brings us into the hearts and minds of Hillerman's two very different heroes. The contrast between the lives and characters of the men from their two different methods of problem solving to romancing the women of their choice is as much a part of the story as the mystery itself.

I enjoyed this story very much and was particularly intrigued by the aspects of Navajo culture and tribal law that ran throughout the story. There were some aspects of the methods used, especially by Chee that as both a mystery writer and wife of a retired Sergeant of Detectives, I found questionable. However, I realized that Hillerman is writing as much about a culture as he is about solving a mystery. Police officers like all of us are defined by their culture and act within its bounds.

This is a very enjoyable mystery and I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Fairness verses justice
Review: Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman

This is only the second Hillerman I've read but I got the same amused intrigued homesickness from this one as the previous. I thought the mystery plot was just a bit contrived but the story around it was really the important part anyway. And the emotional attraction is best exhibited by Ernie. Watch for him. In the last few paragraphs of chapter 26 the best description of hozho as contrasted with Anglo perceptions is presented, another high point to watch for. And will Jim Chee and Janet Pete finally become a couple and how about Joe Leaphorn and Louisa Bourebonette? The patient stoic character of Leaphorn and the starry eyed ambition of Chee offer the world that only another South Westerner could give us - the world where Indian is pronounced In-dun and keeping Navajo time is taken for granted. The Navajo dialogue is outstanding with that exacting slow spoken articulation that teaches patience as its by-product. Being the student of Southwest history that I am I must confess I had never hear of the Lincoln canes, or any of the three different presentations of canes, to the Pueblo nations. A little research brought about a most interesting verification of these canes offered as symbols of the new sovereignty, extending continued authority for the Pueblo form of government recognized by the U.S. federal government. So this novel spurred me on to a fuller concept of that age-old struggle of expansion verses indigent rights. But it took no research to comprehend the amusing view of another culture, that of the Cheyenne, as seen by the Navajo Chee. It is sweetly clever and helps to remind us of the extreme diversity of the Native American cultures. All in all, as much a history lesson as a love story as a panoramic view of the wondrous Arizona/New Mexico high lands as a murder mystery - a good read that warms this tired old heart.

Rating:
Summary: Fairness verses justice
Review: Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman

This is only the second Hillerman I've read but I got the same amused intrigued homesickness from this one as the previous. I thought the mystery plot was just a bit contrived but the story around it was really the important part anyway. And the emotional attraction is best exhibited by Ernie. Watch for him. In the last few paragraphs of chapter 26 the best description of hozho as contrasted with Anglo perceptions is presented, another high point to watch for. And will Jim Chee and Janet Pete finally become a couple and how about Joe Leaphorn and Louisa Bourebonette? The patient stoic character of Leaphorn and the starry eyed ambition of Chee offer the world that only another South Westerner could give us - the world where Indian is pronounced In-dun and keeping Navajo time is taken for granted. The Navajo dialogue is outstanding with that exacting slow spoken articulation that teaches patience as its by-product. Being the student of Southwest history that I am I must confess I had never hear of the Lincoln canes, or any of the three different presentations of canes, to the Pueblo nations. A little research brought about a most interesting verification of these canes offered as symbols of the new sovereignty, extending continued authority for the Pueblo form of government recognized by the U.S. federal government. So this novel spurred me on to a fuller concept of that age-old struggle of expansion verses indigent rights. But it took no research to comprehend the amusing view of another culture, that of the Cheyenne, as seen by the Navajo Chee. It is sweetly clever and helps to remind us of the extreme diversity of the Native American cultures. All in all, as much a history lesson as a love story as a panoramic view of the wondrous Arizona/New Mexico high lands as a murder mystery - a good read that warms this tired old heart.

Rating:
Summary: Sacred Clowns, a Hillerman hit!
Review: Still dealing with the loss of his beloved Emma, Lt. Leaphorn teams up with Officer Chee to investigate murder; one at a Dinee Mission school, another related, but out of their juristiction on another reservation. It's a mix of mystery and religion, loved by Hillerman fans, including Kachini rites.

Rating:
Summary: I'm Not Clowning Around; This is A Great Mystery
Review: There's something special about reading a Tony Hillerman mystery. Not only are you drawn into an excellent whodunit, but an intimate look at the Navajo culture as well. In this new adventure, Officer Chee introduces us to the Tano people and their sacred kachino ceremony. However, something odd occurs at the ceremony and one of the sacred clowns is brutally murdered soon afterward. Both Chee and Lieutenant Leaphorn wonder if there is a connection to another murder on the Navajo reservation. There, a schoolteacher was found bludgeoned to death in his wood and metal shop.

The best part of this novel, besides the mystery, is the growing relationship between Hillerman's main characters, Chee and Leaphorn, and the women they're involved with. Chee tries to find away to express his mounting feelings for Janet Pete, a beautiful Navajo attorney. However, there is a catch; she might be a clan sister. The prospect of violating the incest taboo weighs heavily on Chee. In order to marry Janet Pete and still be Navajo in the traditional sense, Chee must learn whether she is related by blood. Leaphorn, struggling with the absence of his dead wife, must decide whether he is ready to move on. An attractive professor from Northern Arizona University invites Leaphorn on a trip to China. Will he go?

Although I would recommend to readers new to the Hillerman series to start with "Skinwalkers," this is an excellent, enjoyable mystery that shouldn't be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Well Done
Review: This is a Jim Chee mystery. Chee has been assigned to find a young boy who has run away from school. Meanwhile, a man has been murdered at the school where the boy ran away from. While Chee is on the trail of the boy, the boy's uncle happens to be murdered almost right in front of him. Coincidence? Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Chee's boss, doesn't believe in coincidences. But there are no clues linking the three incidents. It's up to Chee to figure out what's been happening in case the boy is in danger.

As with all of Hillerman's books, this tale is rich with detail from Navajo culture. Through Chee's eyes, we witness a Pueblo ceremonial and learn about some of the roles tribesmen play during the ritual. Despite the urgency of the situation, Chee must divide his attention between his job and his personal life, between the ethics of his tribe and the law. This book will draw you in from page one.


Rating:
Summary: Navahos and more
Review: This time we confront a different Pueblo People the Hopi. In the Hopi there are sect or Koshari societies; they do not practice curing; they are concerned with fertility and growth. Their religion is more personal than public and clans are most important.

Along With a new people we are treated to a piece of history; The Spanish had a tradition of The Canes of Office here. Governors and lieutenant governors and the like were issued a cane as a symbol of office. Ten years after the Gadsden purchase. The Indians stayed neutral curing the Civil War. So President Abraham Lincoln has some canes made of black ebony and crowned with silver inscribed with his signature,"A. Lincoln." These where given the nineteen different pueblos, each cane had the pueblo name on it.

Tony Hillerman spins his magic once more in this story of missing people and a death that may be related or religion and again maybe just down right greed. Chee and Leaphorn bust work together to find meaning and reason. In the Hillerman tradition all the clues are laid out in the open allowing you to bet them to the conclusion if you can.

Good companion book for this story is "American Indians of the Southwest" by Berth P. Dutton

Rating:
Summary: Navahos and more
Review: This time we confront a different Pueblo People the Hopi. In the Hopi there are sect or Koshari societies; they do not practice curing; they are concerned with fertility and growth. Their religion is more personal than public and clans are most important.

Along With a new people we are treated to a piece of history; The Spanish had a tradition of The Canes of Office here. Governors and lieutenant governors and the like were issued a cane as a symbol of office. Ten years after the Gadsden purchase. The Indians stayed neutral curing the Civil War. So President Abraham Lincoln has some canes made of black ebony and crowned with silver inscribed with his signature,"A. Lincoln." These where given the nineteen different pueblos, each cane had the pueblo name on it.

Tony Hillerman spins his magic once more in this story of missing people and a death that may be related or religion and again maybe just down right greed. Chee and Leaphorn bust work together to find meaning and reason. In the Hillerman tradition all the clues are laid out in the open allowing you to bet them to the conclusion if you can.

Good companion book for this story is "American Indians of the Southwest" by Berth P. Dutton

Rating:
Summary: A Real Stumper of a Mystery!
Review: Tony Hillerman is one of my very favorite mystery writers. Having grown up in the Southwest, the tribal backdrop for the series has always charmed me. Jim Chee is a deeply spiritual Navajo who is also a tribal policeman. His ability to deal with the spiritual and the physical issues makes for interesting plot twists that add important knowledge about one of our oldest and proudest cultures in North America. Joe Leaphorn, the classic thinking detective, is a good contrast -- drawing heavily on inductive and deductive logic to solve cases.

In Sacred Clowns we get lots of both Jim and Joe, something that all of the best Tony Hillerman mysteries have in common.

What makes Sacred Clowns special is that the plot is a nice amalgam of tribal and nontribal culture, bringing up nice opportunities for contrasts. You'll find yourself fascinated by the way the two cultures are intertwined in this very complex story.

Finally, and most importantly, this is one of the hardest mysteries to solve that I have ever had the pleasure to read. It had me confused right up to the end. I even went back and reread the story to be sure I hadn't suffered from temporary amnesia. No, the clues are all there, but they are really subtle. This is a great thinking person's mystery plot.

If you have never read any of Tony Hillerman's work, you have a real treat in store. You'll be amazed how good this novel is. If you have read lots of his work, you also have a big treat. This is clearly one of his finest novels!