Sacred Clowns is Tony Hillerman at his very best. Both Leaphorn and Chee are at a personal crossroad in their lives while attempting to solve two crimes which may or may not be related. A complex mystery is interwoven with the care befitting a sacred blanket as we learn about the Navajo and their beliefs.

That crossroad for both men is fully explored during this one, each man's loneliness and their individual efforts to end it, poignantly painted by Hillerman in a mystery as good as any he ever penned. Those who relish the way he educates the reader about Native American beliefs while entertaining us with a good mystery will not be disappointed. Perhaps more than any of his novels, Sacred Clowns gives us a better understanding of why the Navajo have survived, while so many other great tribes have all but disappeared.

Chee's new assignment working directly for Leaphorn gets off to a shaky start when the former allows a missing boy to escape during a Tano ceremony soon after locating him. It is the boy's elusive nature, and a murder during the ceremony that kick off one of the most satisfying mysteries in this fabulous series. Leaphorn is still trying to move on after a terrible loss, and Chee is worried Janet may have a tie to his clan somewhere which would put an end to their romance.

On the mystery side, a second murder turns this story into a complex puzzle which has Leaphorn and Chee going in different directions. Chee's carelessness at one point will even result in Leaphorn's suspension. Leaphorn's feelings regarding young Chee's conflicting spirit, torn between Navajo tradition and his career as a Navajo Tribal Policeman, are explored here as well.

Chee will eventually weigh Navajo justice against the secular law he is sworn to uphold, and come to a startling decision. There is need and loneliness here for both men, Chee trying to begin, and Leaphorn attempting to start over. There is a depth and understanding mingling effortlessly in Sacred Clowns, a mystery engrossing enough to be of merit on its own.

We've come to expect a lot of Hillerman's series, and this one really delivers. That magic blend of mystery and Native American beliefs, coupled with likable and very human characters is on glorious display in this one. The mystery is excellent, and you will come away from this one with a greater understanding of the Navajo and, perhaps, humanity. Highly recommended. ( )

This early entry into the Leaphorn & Chee series is a major disappointment. It's extremely slow-paced, and through most of the book, it seems that no one has a clue how (or if) two murders are related. Both men are involved in trying to establish tenuous new romantic relationships while also figuring out how to work together. There are lots of meaningful silences and long periods of introspection.

Definitely not the best of the series. ( )

Great read, classic Hillerman, terrible picture of a Sacred Clown on the cover. ( )

Sacred Clowns is an excellent Leaphorn and Chee suspense novel. It takes place in the desolate New Mexico Indian reservations. There is a lot of culture and humor involved with the characters. Tony Hillerman knows how to write an excellent story and Christian Baskous knows how to read it. This book received four stars in this review and is highly recommended. Enjoy. ( )

This is a re-read for me and still one of the best Hillerman's. I am fully engaged by the novel's balance of suspense, action, and mystery embedded in tribal customs. An irritating flaw in the plot for me is the angst that Chee has in his interactions with Janet Pete. I find that relationship which persists through several of the novels utterly tedious. As ever, the author seems intimately connected to the land and the people of the American southwest. ( )