Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman

Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman

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.

Tony Hillerman (1925-2008) was an American author of award-winning mysteries set on the Navajo Indian reservation featuring Native American policeman Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee, twelve novels of which made the New York Times bestsellers list. He also wrote several stand-alone novels, books for children, and nonfiction. His Leaphorn novels have won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, and Macavity Award for Best Novel. 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. The Western Writers of America honored him with the Wister Award for Lifetime achievement in 2008, and was named by the Mystery Writers of America as one of mystery fiction's Grand Masters.