Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman

Like all Hillerman novels, Sacre Clown stays true to Hillerman's unique, but realistic detective genre while also exploring the interaction between Navajo and white cultures. Hillerman expertly explores the relationship between native cultures and the protagonist and associated characters. Hillerman's personal knowledge of the American Southwest and its Native people continues to shine in this fascinating novel.

The story starts quickly, with two murders that may seem unrelated, but are not. The first murder is of a schoolteacher, and is followed rapidly by that of a Tano Kachina dancer, a sacred clown, in the same manner as the teacher. Hillerman's primary protagonists, policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, newly assigned together to the Special Investigations office, must learn to work with one another. The two must also work with with Janet Pete, a half Navajo lawyer who was not raised on the reservation and a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer from Chicago. Neither character have a firm understanding of Navajo culture and how to conduct investigations within it.

This odd team must ultimately find their way along the complex trail linking the murders, different tribes, a missing boy, crooked lobbyists and a sacred relic. Leaphorn and Chee, in true Navajo style, begin this trail by interpreting the message of the sacred clowns. All is not as it initially seems, but as this story progresses you can see the interwoven details begin to form a pattern, much like the dances of the sacred clowns. This parallel is drawn expertly by the pen of Hillerman, and he does not disappoint his followers in this way.

Hillerman has created a complex, but easily readable and evocative novel, likely to be remembered as his best.