Sacred Clowns

De: Tony Hillerman

Narrado por: Christian Baskous

First there was the trouble at Saint Boneventure boarding school. A teacher is dead, a boy is missing, and a councilwoman has put a lot of pressure on Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee to find her grandson. Sitting on a rooftop watching sacred clowns perform their antics in a Pueblo ceremony, Chee spots the boy. Then, suddenly, the crowd is in commotion. One of the clowns has been savagely murdered.

Without a single clue, Chee and Leaphorn must follow a serpentine trail through the Indian clans and nations, seeking the thread that links two brutal murders, a missing teenager, a band of lobbyists trying to put a toxic dump site on Pueblo land, and an invaluable memento given to the tribes by Abraham Lincoln in a fast-paced, flawless mystery that is Hillerman at his lyrical, evocative, spellbinding best.

©1993 Tony Hillerman (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Well written as usual. Nice plot twists.

A good story to listen to. Narrator does a great job of characterization and timing. Depictions of ceremonies are good. Depictions of life on the reservation are interesting.

Enjoyable, miss Guidell

Another enjoyable Leaphorn and Chee tale. Nothing earth shattering, but a fun whodunnit. I must say that I miss George Guidell as the narrator. I probably would like Christian Baskous better if he was the narrator I’d started the series with. His performance isn’t bad, but it’s very slow paced and his inflections often miss the mark for me. Not a reason to pass it up, but if you are used to George Guidell’s narration from some of the previous books you might feel the same as I do.

Naration is painful

If I wasn't so invested in the series I'd stop listening and return the book. I'm powering through it at 1.5 speed.

Slow then good

First half was so slow —- ready to give up. But the last half was worth it.

Love, Navajo Way in modern times

Not Hillerman’s best work and yet well worthy of listening to through the entire novel. Too much dialogue telling action and way too little showing action, but worthy in series to a deeper understanding of the Navajo Way and both protagonists. Thank you, Audible. How about getting the earlier books not on audible under contract and then production. I’m not a young man anymore and I would like to hear your treatment of the others that I have read many times.

Even better second time around

I know I listened to this some time ago, but didn't review it at that time. Since then I've become more critical, and it's wonderful that I can stand to listen to anything twice. I really enjoyed this book because 1) I like the way Hillerman moves the action and detection processes along; not a lot of violent action, but keeps things hopping. 2) I get so impatient with books that spend a lot of time with the heroes mucking around in irrelevant emotional riprap. I actually find Jim Chee's trains of thought to be amusing, rather than distracting, simply because, once again, Hillerman moves it along. 3) When I read a mystery/detective novel, I'm not trying to find out all the intimate details of everyone's love life. This book actually has two romances going on, but they added a bit of fun rather than annoying me. In fact, I think they're about the most romantic scenes I've ever read.

At some point George Guidall and Christian Baskous apparently gave up producing these wonderful unabridged audiobooks. I hope one or the other or both of them will pick it up again. Perhaps it was a Hillerman heirs' decision, but I hope they'll get back with the program soon. I've found some of the others on CD, but usually they're abridged, and I can't listen to them on my iPod, so, you know. . .

All Good, this is a little hard to follow

I LOVE all of the chee-leaphorn novels, this one was a little hard to follow. Please try the Anne Hillerman books if you haven’t yet. She has written the best books, keeping the beloved characters alive.

Love the voices and characters

Quite a bit about Native traditions, but also enough light love interest to keep me enjoying this story.

I liked it

I like this book, it was a good story. So romantic for Chee and Leaphorn.

Spiritual Harmony Achieved

Would you consider the audio edition of Sacred Clowns to be better than the print version?

I read this book many years ago and I was delighted to see it come out on Audible. While it is a straightforward police procedural and two murders occur in it, there is so much more at stake than solving the crime. The two iconic characters, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, each solitary men at the beginning of the novel, find love by the end of it. Lovely stuff. If you are new to Tony Hillerman or a fan from way back, I highly recommend this audiobook.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I am fond of all the regulars in this series, of course. I did appreciate the comic quality of the character of Harold Blizzard, who inadvertanly helps Jim Chee solve his murder case and his love problem simultaneously. Clever stuff.

What does Christian Baskous bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Baskous has a lovely voice and his narration perfectly captures Hillerman's vivid descriptions of the dramatic beauty of the landscape on the Navajo Reservation as well as the more personal revelations of the principle characters. Hillerman's novels are famous for having lots of the "action" occur in the minds of the two detectives, with intimate examinations of their thoughts about the tribal world they live in and the universe at large. This novel takes on big questions in a quiet and contemplative manner. Mr. Baskous expresses all of the actions, observations and expressions of philosophy with proper reverence while creating distinct characterizations of many different voices in the novel.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I was tempted to listen to it all at one sitting, but eight hours plugged into my headphones is a little hard to fit into my schedule! I ended up listening to it in three big chunks, kind of like watching a compelling mini-series on television. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Any additional comments?

There is some real wisdom in this novel, along with a very sweet dual-track love story. I confess, I listened to Chapter 26 twice. Check it out if you want to find out why!