Plus d'un an entre le premier tome de Hillerman et ce deuxième tome, Dance Hall of the Dead, dérogeant ainsi à mon habitude terriblement chronophage de dévorer au moins quelques tomes consécutifs d'une séries en quelques jours. Je ne comprend pas ce qui s'est passé. Il semble cependant que ce soit une habitude à prendre: patience, pas de lassitude trop rapide, et un peu de place pour d'autres livres qui m'attendent (patiemment?) depuis des lustres.Revenons en à nos bouquins.Dans Dance Hall of the Dead, on retrouve des thèmes et particularités du premier tome avec plaisir. Leaphorn, personnage principal mais pas central, très particulier, lent, têtu, dont la pensée organisée et claire contraste avec le manque de logique et de sens des événements (meurtre d'un adolescent zuñi) et de l'homme blanc (comme il le remarque à plusieurs reprises), notamment. Je trouve très appréciable une intrigue qui ne se trouve pas constamment ponctuée des détails inutiles de la vie du héros. Ici, on ne trouve que quelques détails importants, liés aux éléments de l'intrigue: ancêtres de Leaphorn en lien avec les Navajos et les Zuñis face à l'exil imposé vers les réserves. Savoirs sur les diverses cultures amérindiennes... voilà. Pas besoin de plus pour que le personnage prenne vie.Les plus grand plaisirs à la lectures se trouvent dans le jeu de piste entre communauté hippie parasite, fouille archéologique et deux cultures amérindiennes.Justement, après un premier tome sur les Navajos, on voit ici les Zuñis, rites & mythes et leur perpétuation millénaire. Également quelques remarques où certains protagonistes prennent bien soin de distinguer Navajos et Zuñis, bien sûr différents, mais d'un point de vue mystique et social, les mettant sur des niveaux complètement différents... intéressant. Ah et aussi, ce qui me fait généralement halluciner dans des articles ou ouvrages de non-fiction, et que l'on retrouve un peu ici, le nombre d'agence gouvernementales de police et autres et leurs juridictions: Bureau of Indian Affairs Police, différents représentants des différentes réserves (ici Navajo et Zuñi), Bureau du Sheriff du county, FBI, sans compter les narcotiques, et que sais-je. Chaos et organisation à la fois très bien écrit et caricaturé à travers les yeux de Leaphorn.Et évidemment, le plaisir de l'environnement qui prend vie sous la plume de Hillerman, qu'il soit paysage naturel ou urbain (Zuñis) ou encore rituel et mystique. Une lecture presque trop rapide, mais qui se termine agréablement sans trop se soucier d'un dénouement dans les règles. On a les détails, mais à quoi bon tout clore. Leaphorn désabusé. Fin plus ou moins ouverte. Aaaah!
This 1974 Edgar Best Novel winner was a re-read for me -- I've read and enjoyed all of Tony Hillerman's novels featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Sgt. Jim Chee, alone and together. And, by the time I was 7/8 of the way through it, I had remembered the motive and the perpetrator; but Hillerman's writing maintained me in a state of suspense until the last page.In this, one of the earliest of his Navajo novels, the character of Lt. Joe Leaphorn is just beginning to be developed. We hear nothing at all of his home life, which becomes important in the later books, and his childhood and college experiences are brought in only as they serve to illuminate his ideas and reactions to events in the story. We do learn that Leaphorn is conscientious almost to a fault, and that although he may no longer "believe" in the Navajo religiou in the same way that Jim Chee does, its ideas of harmony and balance still inform his thoughts and way of life, and sometimes bring him into conflict with the rules of his chosen profession. DANCE HALL OF THE DEAD deals with the Zuni religion, taking place just before and during the major festival of the Zuni year. When the young boy who has been chosen to enact the Little Fire God is brutally murdered, and his Navajo best friend disappears, Leaphorn must join members of a number of other law enforcement agencies who may have jurisdiction or interests in the matter. In the process of finding the missing Navajo boy, he will learn more about the Zuni and about himself. He will also spend a good deal of time outside, giving Hillerman the opportunity to transport the reader to the Four Corners area that is the setting for his books. It's difficult for me to discuss the plot of this book much without inadvertently adding a spoiler, and I wouldn't want to do that, in case there is anyone reading this who hasn't yet read Hillerman's fine books. If you are one of those (probably rare) people, I'd urge you to find a list and read them in order of publication. I can't recall ever being really disappointed in one of them, and right now I'm tempted to start re-reading them all in spite of my looming TBR shelves and all the other enticing books out there. This was an excellent choice by the Edgar Best Novel judges. It is just as relevant and exciting now as it was 35 years ago.
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My public library book discussion group picked this as part of a series on Native American mysteries. I had read it 25 years ago but didn't really remember much about it. I'm so glad I had a reason to re-read it! Yay for public libraries!Joe Leaphorn is a Navajo Tribal Policeman and is called in to help find a young Navajo boy, George Bowlegs, when George's best friend, a young Zuni boy, is killed. Having both a Zuni and a Navajo involved in a case presents all sorts of jurisdictional issues for Leaphorn, not to mention that the FBI are there also. The contrast between the white culture,the Navajo culture and the Zuni culture, even in law enforcement, are clearly drawn from the very beginning of the book.Set in the New Mexico/Arizona area, this book is one of the most atmospheric mysteries I've read in a long time. The land itself acts as a character. This is a story that couldn't be set in any other place than where it is set. You will be drawn into the beautiful American Southwest. Don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting to head out on a roadtrip! The mystery itself is well-done and we're given clues through the story but I still didn't figure it out until the end. The cultures of the Zuni and the Navajo are dealt with knowledgeably and respectfully. A highly recommended book and not just for mystery lovers. Anyone with any interest in Native American cultures or the desert Southwest is going to love this.
—Randee Baty
Book: Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony HillermantI thought that the way Hillerman based so much of the story around the secrecy of the Zuñi religion really pushed the way one had to think when reading the book.tTony Hillerman’s, The Dance Hall of the Dead, is a very interesting telling of the murder of a Zuñi boy by the name of Ernesto Cata. It is unclear whether or not it was the boy’s best friend, George Bowlegs, who killed him. Throughout the book we are given unreliable information by the people Lt. Joe Leaphorn, the Navajo investigator, interviews. Instead of making it confusing it really helps the reader understand what the two peoples believe. tMany people would have trouble with the book because it is very slow and uneventful, almost crossing the line to boring, at some points. However I liked this about the book because it made the exciting parts seem much faster and made them seem very fast. tThe only thing that I did not like about this book is that it is often easy to mix up characters. This is because they are usually just shoved into the story with a very quick introduction, often just commenting on their looks and what Leaphorn deduces from that. But as Leaphorn continues to learn about these people it is much easier to remember who they are. The only thing that is hard to do throughout the book is remembering what information was received from which person.tI liked how as I read farther into the book I had to remember if two peoples stories fit together. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery and detective stories but is looking for something out of the ordinary.
—Ben
Navajo Tribal Policeman Lt. Joe Leaphorn investigates the bloody disappearance of a Zuñi boy mixed in with the events at an archaeological dig and a hippie commune.The character of Joe Leaphorn is calm and likable. I enjoy reading stories told through his personality. He is highly observant, especially when it comes to cultural differences between Navajo and white men. In this book, the Zuñi culture is introduced, presenting an amazing set of vocabulary, folklore, and custom. A boy, Ernesto, is in training for playing his part as the Little Fire God at a major Zuñi festival for the Council of the Gods. His Navajo friend, George, wishes to become a Zuñi. The two go missing, leaving a pool of blood behind as evidence of something more sinister. Leaphorn comes into contact with many different characters in his quest for the boys. He ends up learning a lot about the Zuñi culture while doing so. I found the differences between the tribes to be fascinating. Hillerman does a good job of explaining things and sounding authentic about it. The writing keeps getting better. Hillerman's books continue to be solidly written mysteries that grab my attention.
—Kate
