The first half of Listening Woman, the third in the Joe Leaphorn series, is vintage Hillerman. There's lots of desert scenery and insights into Native American life. Unlike other books, this book is focused entirely within the Navajoes but even then we learn that there are 58 clans, 57 who keep Navajo time and then this clan that's slow even by Navajo standards. Of course, much of the mystery takes place on their turf.

Joe is investigating a variety of backburner cases as an excuse to be in an area where a motorist had nearly hit him. As he digs deeper, a missing helicopter and an FBI investigation seem to be involved in whatever is going on. Enter the Dirk Pitt side of Joe's personality. I won't spoil the surprise but suffice it to say that Joe endures flame, flood and a host of other harrowing experiences as he solves the crime and saves the day.

Bottom line: Less religion and culture, more action than the other Hillerman's I've read. Still, a fun, entertaining read.

There are few things as satisfying in the modern mystery novel as looking into the methodical mind of Detective Joe Leaphorn. While many people read Tony Hillerman for his insights into Navajo culture, I most enjoy his depiction of the always thoughtful Leaphorn.

In Listening Woman, Leaphorn faces his usual intertangled mess of events: being nearly run over by a maniac, the theft of a helicopter, and two unsolved deaths in a remote corner of the reservation. The joy of this book is its window into Leaphorn's mind as he tries to make sense of seemingly random events.

Hillerman's myteries are enjoyable because he keeps the details in front of the reader. His detectives express bafflement, hold erroneous assumptions, and are very much prone to mistaken judgement. As such, they are real and believable.

Listening Woman features a remarkable and intense closing sequence, which I have no intention of ruining. This is one of Hillerman's best novels and I heartily recommend it.

"Listening Woman" is typical Tony Hillerman: a thrilling adventure in Navajo country, told from a Navajo's point of view and written by one who knows the lingo. The book begins with the totally impossible and progresses to a satisfying grand finale that couldn't be topped by a hot celebration on the 4th of July!

The characters are so true to life, one is certain that some of them must surely be neighbors or their neighbors' children. The action never ceases, and the reader never stops loving Joe Leaphorn.

This book is a good representation of what Hillerman does best, the intertwining of an intriguing mystery and the cultural insight into the Navajo life, religion, and traditions. This book also plays well on the lives of Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee and how Leaphorn is affected by the deterioration of his wife's mental capabilities after a lifetime of a loving marriage, and how Chee is affected by the separation from his longterm girlfriend. In Hillerman's most recent books these items have gotten somewhat out of hand, but in this book everything has its place. This is a very quick read, and an interesting mystery that may not keep you guessing til the very end, but will have you trying to piece it all together up to the last few pages. If you are looking for a solid Tony Hillerman book and don't want to start from the beginning, this is a great one to pick up.

An unknown person tries to kill Navajo policemen Jim Chee and three apparently unrelated murders on the Navajo reservation puzzle Lt. Joe Leaphorn. The murders, it appears, all something to do with witches (skinwalkers).

"Skinwalkers" is the seventh book in the Navajo Detective series by Tony Hillerman. He wrote three books featuring Joe Leaphorn, then three featuring Jim Chee, and now he brings the two policemen together in the same book. Also, in this book, Hillerman introduces Janet Pete, an agressive Navajo lawyer, as a new love interest for Chee. Hillerman fans will be interested in this book to see how Leaphorn, methodical and reliable, and Chee, a bit flaky but brilliant, get along working together. The answer is: uneasily.

The mystery itself is not overly credible, but weaving the story in and around Navajo beliefs about skinwalkers is fascinating and, as always, Hillerman uses the backdrop of the violent weather and magnificient landscape of the Navajo reservation to frame his story. And as always Hillerman includes a goodly dose of instruction in Navajo etiquette and attitudes and demonstrates -- usually with good humor -- the ineptness of white policeman, especially the FBI, in the Navajo culture and environment.

If you haven't read Hillerman before, this is probably not the best book of the series. He has written more intriguing mysteries. But the settings of Hillerman's books are fabulous and Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are top caliber characters worthy of inclusion in a short list of the best detectives in fiction.

"Sun will be created - They say he has planned it all."
Skinwalkers are witches in the Navaho legends and can fly or turn themselves into a dog or wolf. This mystery involves the conflict between Skinwalkers and shamen and belegana medicine. Then again it may be a straight forward set of independent murders. In any event it looks like some one is out to kill Navajo Tribal Police Officer Jim Chee and he has not got a clue as to why.
As with all of Tony Hillerman's stories you have the feeling you are there. In fact if you have visited or live in the area (Four Corners canyons) that the mystery takes part in, you will be better able to identify with the people and landmarks. And as with his other books there is an overt and covert story.
I have read the book but the addition of the voice of George Guidall ads a dimension to the story by helping visualize the people and correcting pronunciation of certain words. I suggest you read the book and listen to the recorded version.
...The book is much more in depth and the motive and additional characters made the mystery much more intriguing.

I'm not really a mystery buff, so when my book discussion group chose this title to read, I was a little wary. But someone who had read several Hillerman titles recommended his works as much for the cultural portraits they provide as for the mystery element. With SACRED CLOWNS the cultural component is strong indeed: in fact, you could say that the murder mystery is mainly a pretext to explore Navajo and Pueblo life more deeply. Cultural lore comes first, and wrapped up in the text of a pulpy detective novel, it may seem easier to take than, say, a anthropological tome or a socio-political screed.

I found the murder story sketchy and confusing. Perhaps regular readers of the genre would disagree. What I did find compelling were the principal characters, tribal police officers Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, their inner conflicts and their attempts to make sense out of the cultural conflicts they experience. They, and some of the secondary characters as well, are well developed characters, whom you come to care about. What makes the mystery storyline a little less resonant, I suspect, is that we never really get to know much about the victim or ultimately, the murderers themselves. The ending is a bit of a surprise, but primarily because it involves characters we scarcely got to know at all.

Still, I wouldn't rule out reading more Hillerman. As a more or less painless way of acquainting oneself with American Indian culture, this novel can't be beat. Well worth checking out--if not at the cash register, or via email, at least consider borrowing it from the local libary.

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.

Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, Tony Hillerman's crack Navajo investigators, know treachery, deceit, corruption, wickedness, and tribal politics of their fellow Navajos very well. In "Sacred Clowns," Hillerman is in top form, spinning his web of intrigue, murder, and, indeed, mayhem in the Southwest. In addition to a taut plot line, in which Leaphorn and Chee are at their best, Hillerman's penchant for presenting the character of these two is superb. Both are incredibly complex men, yet so vastly different too. A teacher at a local Navajo school is murdered; shortly afterward another murder, this time at the Tano Indian pueblo. With the adroit skill of which his readers have become accustomed, Hillerman unfolds his story with the dexterity of a surgeon. The sacred kachina scenario is one of his finest, as Hillerman evokes the landscape and atmosphere so well. Hillerman seems to have done more for the preservation of the Navajo culture than just about anyone, yet his

story line does not suffer. As the kachinas (sacred clowns) are not what they seem, neither are the murders. This book is refreshing--and compelling--to read! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Not my favorite Hillerman book, but still pretty interesting and entertaining. Won't hurt anyone to read something like this just for fun!

Tony Hillerman's book are often marketed as quick paperback reads. Sure they are mysteries at heart but they are more than mysteries. Hillerman asks the reader to think.

In this book, Hillerman is pondering heavy questions. The first underlying theme is whether Chee should leave the reservation for a job with the FBI. Since Chee does lots of driving in the book, we share many hours of internal debate on the issue. The second and more subtle theme involves aging and wisdom. While the core of the mystery involves middle-aged folks, many of the most valuable witnesses are very elderly. They are the people many investigators would ignore. I found the Chee's interviews with the seniors to be top flight writing.

The actual plot is ok. Chee has to spend more time in Los Angeles that I enjoyed. Still, city life for Native Americans is a reality. There were a couple of annoying redundancies as certain plot points were revisited. The survivalist bad guy was pretty over the top and his excesses were quite unnecessary.

Bottom-line: Not my favorite Hillerman but not a waste of time by any definition. For those who like to read their books in order, this is number six in the greater Chee/Leaphorn series.

This is the sixth of Hillerman's "Navajo Detective" series and the third in which Jim Chee is the main character. In "Ghostway" Hillerman explores the conflict of a Navajo drawn to the White world. Jim Chee is in love with a White school teacher, Mary Landon, and he contemplates marrying her and leaving the reservation to take a job as an FBI agent. But he is also pulled in the opposite direction to become a "singer" and preserve the Navajo ceremonies that are being forgotten as the old timers die off. Chee's preoccupation with the personal choices he must make are always near the surface of this mystery novel.

Hillerman, as always, celebrates the magnificience of the Navajo land and the Navajo's sensitivity to their natural surroundings. And, as always, the knowledge of their land and people give Hillerman's detectives the insight they need to solve the mystery.

"Ghostway" begins with a shootout in the parking lot of a laundromat in Shiprock, New Mexico that leaves two men dead. The story is not one of Hillerman's best or most credible but the character of Margaret Sosi, an entrancing, 15-year old girl wearing a black pea coat makes up for plot deficiencies. We want this girl to live -- but Hillerman readers know he has cruelly killed off children in other novels in the series.

Hillerman novels contain no sex whatsoever, but "Ghostway" comes closer than about any other to intimating that Jim Chee and Mary Landon might have engaged in something more than romantic conversation.

"For they are seldom disappointed"
I started with the recorded book 11 CD set and listened to the book read by Tony Hillerman. Then I bought his book (ISBN 0-06-050586-9) for the pictures of family and friends, and to look at the spelling.
There are many five star books out there. However this book excels beyond the five stars. Being the memoir of Tony Hillerman this is really several books in one as he remembers his several lives from impoverished childhood through military, through collage student, through reporter, now writer.
This memoir gives us many insights as to what Tony draws on for material in his books. And many aspects of his childhood can be related to by any child. His war experiences would rival "All Quiet on the Western front" and reflects the experiences of the most recent wars. I am now reading some of the source materials that he read for background of his novels.
. "Seldom Disappointed" actually enhances the enjoyment of reading the Tony Hillerman novels.

Completely fascinating and thought provoking. Full of so many surprises and unexpected pleasures. I thought his portrayal of growing up in depression Oklahoma a revelation and a window to a time those of us who grew up later can hardly imagine. His infantryman's view of WWII must be read by anyone with any delusions of the "glories" of war. His immersion into the world of journalism and politics at the city, state and university level enlightens. And the joys of family life that have sustained him will sustain all. His whole attitude toward life and all the cards that he has been dealt is an example for us all. I have been a fan of his books and have regularly given or loaned my copies. Having studied anthropology in the distant past, I've found his portrayals of the modern day Navaho and surrounding groups to be better than any ethnography I have ever read - plus his mysteries are so well done, using the cultural complexities to further the plot. The only part I skipped was at the very end where he discusses each book - and only because I think I want to go back and reread them - in order. Tony Hillerman fills a need we didn't know we had until he came along and this book does the same. Thanks a lot!

Hillerman is part of Brokaw's Greatest Generation. That's a trite notion, but Hillerman can wear that mantle proudly. This book covers a lot of ground. It's about the Depression, growing up in Texas. It's about being in the Infantry in World War II. He seems to do a good job of describing war and armies of young kids killing each other. It's sobering if you read the history books, about policies gone bad and the rise of bad governments. In the end it's about kids killing kids, and I don't pretend there's any way to avoid that in many instances. I'd like to.

Eventually, Hillerman ends up in New Mexico. The stuff about political corruption is priceless. It sounds a little like Arizona, where I grew up. Those confessions when you have a bike lock around a suspects privates make a guy a bit cynical. But it's little glimpses of the legislature and the university that really explain how things work in the mountain west. Hillerman comes off as a good guy. Not a hero, but a good guy.

I've met Mr. Hillerman. I've read all the books. I like the idea of finding harmony with the land and with ourselves. He seems to (want to) understand how people go bad. Sometimes it may be because they grow up with nothing, and sometimes because they grow up with too much. His books take the view that people are generally the product of the pressures they face growing up, and sometimes the influences produce rotten scoundrels. That's not the simplistic view of 'personal responsibility', but Hillerman doesn't offer excuses, only explanations. And, as a mystery writer, he 'needs' bad people, right? This book provides interesting explanations, from real life, for some of his villains. There's a hierarchy of evil in some of his books, trashed-out people trying to survive and powerful manipulators pulling their strings. It's interesting to juxtapose this on 'authority' that is based on constant cleansing and renewal of blessing. What makes this book so great is that you see how a writer's experience molds everything he does, and what sometimes seems like a formula is, hopefully, a very rich blending of human experience that has generated unique perspective. I have more respect for the books since I read this book, and I was already a fan.

Hillerman makes me proud to live in the Southwest.

George Sears

Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police join forces in Hillerman's imaginative series on crimes occurring in or around the four corners country of the Southwest. Leaphorn and Chee track down a killer and along the way travel throughout the vast Navajo nation imparting arcane data on Native American pots, shards, and rituals.

Leaphorn and Chee's murder investigation touches on the "thieves of time;" those persons who desecrate and often destroy Native American archaeological sites in their fervor to collect ancient artifacts. The officers decipher clues leading to the identity of a killer who leaves bodies at Anasazi sites which have been looted. The interchange between Leaphorn and Chee, both said and unsaid, forms the main contrast in this book. Both men are interesting but Leaphorn is a more complex person; an aging Indian nearing the end of his career.

Known as the ancient ones, the Anasazi have been the subject of numerous studies by academia as to their origin and demise ranging from speculation to sober reality. The end result is conjecture although Hillerman is able to touch on the Anasazi lifestyle and history with a sure and steady hand.

There are more than 140,000 Native American sites registered within the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Registration is required and approval is needed from the U. S. Government before digging can be undertaken by archaeologists at any of these sites. Unfortunately, the vast majority of sites are unidentified and thus unregistered. If they are identified, they are often unprotected and subject to vandalism by anyone.

Many of the unregistered sites are located on private land allowing the owner or others to remove aritifacts under cover of law. Some Indian artifact stores in the Southwest have knowingly bought stolen artifacts but the proof required to convict the owners is often lacking.

Hillerman introduces a reader to more than murder within the pages of his books. The various facets of the investigation opens the door to a reader's mind. Hillerman's main purpose is to educate a reader to the Navajo and Hopi tribes; their rituals, their people, and the gentle pace of their hard won existence.

Read Hillerman's series of books on Leaphorn and Chee. You'll become as addicted as millions of other readers have.

"A Thief of Time" was my first introduction to the writing talent of Tony Hillerman. He is a master at interweaving past and present in a captivating story. Reading a Hillerman novel familiarizes readers with the Four Corners area of the southwest and introduces them to "The People." Hillerman's respect for the Navajho and their way of life shines through this well plotted novel. One reading of "A Thief of Time" convinced me to add Mr. Hillerman to my list of favorite authors and I eagerly await each new offering.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge

Having spent 30 years in Law Enforcement, and knowing forensics, and how much down and dirty investigating goes into solving a crime, and having a keen interest in Archeaology, I felt that Mr. Hillerman is a master of combining police work, Archeaology, suspense into one believable mystery. His intertwining of Indian culture, and modern day police work is ingenious. I have read all of his books twice or more. I love them.

Mystery Buffs should not miss Hillerman's work.

If Only!

If only this book had been printed by the National Geographic Society, or Arizona Highways, or somebody who specializes in scenic calendars. The fabulous photos in here deserve top quality printing, and they didn't get it.

However, I heartily recommend this book to all my fellow Hillerman fans, *anyway*, because the essays are great, and the background information on some of the events that inspired scenes in certain of the novels is priceless. If you loved 'A Thief of Time' as much as I did, you'll very much enjoy the descriptions of the actual site that inspired it. Hillerman's 'travelogue' down the Rio Grande is also wonderful.

If you ever read books of Tony Hillerman, be sure to take a look at this book. His love of the state of New Mexico is well known by readers of the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn Mysteries, but this book is about the overwhelming beauty of the state. The vast open spaces, the silence and the history. This collection of essays together with the outstanding photographs is a must.

This book was really exiting it had me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time reading it. The Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman is the perfect book for the murder mystery lover. Ernesto Cata and George Bowlegs are best friends they both mysteriously disappear, Cata leaves a pool of blood and is found dead, and George flees the area. Joe Leaphorn a Navajo police officer follows up on the case, but a number of things complicate his journey to find George and solve the Mystery. This book is suspenseful and a real thriller there are just enough characters to make it interesting but not confusing. The book was so great that I could not put it down until I learned what happened next. This was because of the author's style, which always left you hanging at the end of each chapter. Although this book was one of the better books I have read it does not have a very intriguing beginning, but whatever you do don't stop reading. I almost put the book down and stopped reading a few times in the first two or three chapters as I neared the end I was definitely glad that I continued. There's no doubt that you should definitely read this book.

This is the second book in the "Navajo Detective" series by Tony Hillerman and the first in which detective Joe Leaphorn is the principal charactor.

Dance Hall of the Dead is a sad story. It concerns the murder or disppearance of two boys, a Navajo and a Zuni, and Joe Leaphorn's efforts to find the missing boys. The riddle is entwined with Zuni religious ceremonies which Leaphorn, a Navajo, tries to understand.

Hillerman gives a virtual travelogue of the Zuni and Navajo country of New Mexico and Arizona in the early 1970s when the book was written. Leaphorn is a thoroughly likeable hero, rational, even-tempered, and ethical with a compulsion to get to the bottom of things. Hillerman is a master of creating an exotic atmosphere of Zuni and Navajo culture and ceremonies overlaid by the splendor of the natural setting. With such ornament, it hardly matters that the solution to the mystery itself is not very convincing.

What a great title! If you're a wide-open-spaces-kind-of-a-person Hillerman is unbeatable as a mystery writer with a western twist. In Joe Leaphorn he has created a fictional detective who can take his place among the all-time best.

The Dance Hall of the Dead will cause you to lose sleep! Not only is it one of the most suspenseful books around, the reader simply will not be able to put it down.

Hillerman writes in such vivid terms the reader will feel the chill of the wind and snow as well as see the vistas that have enchanted so many who have been on the Navajo and Zuni reservations. The characters come to life, and you will find yourself right next to Joe Leaphorn as he searches for clues to solve this mystery of murder and intrigue.

All of Hillerman's books are more than just mysterys, and this one is no different. Zuni culture explored at the finest level enriches this story tenfold. If you are interested in knowing about a small Native American culture that is difficult to find information about, this book is for you.