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Tony Hillerman
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Dance Hall of the Dead Mass Market Paperback – April 4, 1990

by Tony Hillerman (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,127 ratings
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Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+!  

The Edgar-Award winning second novel in New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman’s bestselling and highly acclaimed Leaphorn and Chee series

“Hillerman is a wonderful storyteller.”—New York Times Book Review

Two Native American boys have vanished into thin air, leaving a pool of blood behind them. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police has no choice but to suspect the very worst, since the blood that stains the parched New Mexico ground once flowed through the veins of one of the missing, a young Zuñi. But his investigation into a terrible crime is being complicated by an important archaeological dig . . . and a steel hypodermic needle. And the unique laws and sacred religious rites of the Zuñi people are throwing impassable roadblocks in Leaphorn’s already twisted path, enabling a craven murderer to elude justice or, worse still, kill again.

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Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 27
    Leaphorn and Chee
  2. Print length
    272 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    HarperTorch
  5. Publication date
    April 4, 1990
  6. Dimensions
    4.19 x 0.68 x 6.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0061000027
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0061000027
  9. Lexile measure
    870L
  10. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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  1. “Call it ecstasy, or joy, or life, or community unity. So what do you do when you’re beyond life, with no labors to perform? You spend your time dancing.”
    Highlighted by 224 Kindle readers
  2. The word “kachina” had three meanings. They were the ancestor spirits of the Zuñi. Or the masks worn to impersonate these spirits. Or the small wooden dolls the Zuñis made to represent them.
    Highlighted by 191 Kindle readers
  3. The FBI people always seemed to be O’Malleys—trimmed, scrubbed, tidy, able to work untroubled by any special measure of intelligence.
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Two young boys suddenly disappear. One of them, a Zuni, leaves a pool of blood behind. Lt. Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police tracks the brutal killer. Three things complicate the search: an archeological dig, a steel hypodermic needle, and the strange laws of the Zuni. Compelling, terrifying, and highly suspenseful, "Dance Hall of the Dead" never relents from first page til last.

About the Author

TONY HILLERMAN served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and received the Edgar and Grand Master Awards. 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. A native of Oklahoma, Tony Hillerman lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until his death in 2008.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperTorch (April 4, 1990)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061000027
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061000027
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 870L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 0.68 x 6.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,127 ratings

About the author

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Tony Hillerman

Tony Hillerman

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Tony Hillerman was the former president of the Mystery Writers of America and received its Edgar® and Grand Master awards. His other honors include the Center for the American Indian's Ambassador Award, the Silver Spur Award for the best novel set in the West, and the Navajo Tribe's Special Friend Award. He lived with his wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
4,127 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Country Artist
5.0 out of 5 stars Anything Hillarman is always great!
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2023
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Read all the Tony Hillerman books years ago from our local library. Buying them now to reread. Second reading is even better, getting more depth, sense of character, plot clarity on second reading. Like getting together with old friends... Wish Tony were still here to write, but Anne has taken up the torch and is doing, dare i say it, as well or even better than Tony. Their books are always among the very best for entertaining reading from which you can also learn..
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Joan H
4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written book of an intriguing series
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2023
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I enjoy stories featuring Native Americans and had heard much about Tony Hillerman, so I decided to read the books in order. Dance Hall of the Dead is the second of Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee novels.
When someone murders a young Zuni, Ernesto Cata and his Navajo friend goes missing, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police is called in. Authorities believe George Bowlegs might have information about Cata’s murder. Some think Bowlegs might be the murderer.

During Leaphorn’s pursuit, he encounters George’s younger brother, his alcoholic father, a group of hippies that have taken up residence in an abandoned Navajo hogan, and a young man on an important archeological dig. When someone murders George’s father, Leaphorn tries to put the pieces together.

"It seemed to him that a single homicide could be thought of as a unit - as something in which an act of violence contained beginning and end, cause and result. But two homicides linked by time, place, participants and, most important, motivation presented something more complex. The unit became a sequence, the dot became a line, and lines tended to extend, to lead places, to move in directions."

The mystery of this book, combined with facts about the Zuni and Navajo religions and traditions make it a worthwhile read. First published in 1973, it’s still an enjoyable book today. I look forward to reading more of this series.
8 people found this helpful
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Jennifer Mims
5.0 out of 5 stars Dancehall of the Dead
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2024
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I always appreciate Hillerman's awesome stories. They remind me of the years I spent in the beautiful state of Arizona.
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katewynn
5.0 out of 5 stars best Hillerman I’ve read so far
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2023
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I’ve been reading the Leaphorn books for a while now. This is the fourth or fifth I’ve read (sadly, out of sequence) and this is the best so far. Lots of fascinating cultural details, and the character of Leaphorn is beautifully written.
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Nillspace
5.0 out of 5 stars Sadness and desolation.
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024
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The open spaces and mind envisioned landscapes are vivid. The mystery was simple and effective. I've got the next book and happy to have it.
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Eric Garcia
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the time
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2023
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My second Leap horn book. Good characters and speaks a lot of various native religions. I feel it helped me in getting to know Lt. Joe Leap horn a bit better as I continue with the series.
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santera
3.0 out of 5 stars not my favorite hillerman
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023
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Perhaps it’s spoiler alert because the crime is not resolved.
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Roger Elliott
5.0 out of 5 stars Kachina winds
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024
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Powerful and thought provoking… pulls you along with information and ritual! Lt. Leaphorn’s humanity and determination to duty is unparalleled1
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Top reviews from other countries

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Elene Landry
5.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing novel!!!
Reviewed in Canada on May 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
2nd novel of the Joe Leaphorn series. Two Native American boys just vanished, leaving a pool of blood behind them. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is being assigned the tough job of finding one of them. Leaphorn does excel in tracking people. Tony Hillerman wrote here an amazing tribute to this Navajo police officer who is very dear to his heart. As much as Leaphorn was almost a supporting character in the debut novel The Blessing Way, here in this second novel we get to know him mind and soul. The one thing that comes to mind when I want to describe Joe Leaphorn: the Man Who Listens. What a relaxing reading moment this novel has been for me! Hillerman writes with such colorful poetry, sensitivity and love, the description of this savage nature is grand, filled with passion to the Navajo community. Leaphorn is cerebral and takes the time to gather his thoughts, test and question every angle of his investigation to come to conclusions. An amazing novel!
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Sousanna
5.0 out of 5 stars Très instructif
Reviewed in France on July 4, 2023
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On apprend énormément sur les traditions amérindiennes c'est fascinant. J'aime lire les livres de Tony Hillerman pour cela. Celui-ci est le plus instructif.
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Marquinius
5.0 out of 5 stars good story telling mixed with good facts
Reviewed in the Netherlands on February 10, 2023
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I love good “whodunnit” with some strong factual baseline. This is one of the better stories in that category. Quiet, slow paced, deeply horrible.
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april
5.0 out of 5 stars interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2020
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good setting, good characters, good plot...one of his best ones, i think...insights, mysteries, revelations open up...like the incredible landscapes...recommended...
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Wendy Meenenga
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, fabulous reader . . . .
Reviewed in Germany on June 23, 2011
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Can't read a book while driving my car to work, so this is the next best thing - and the 5 CDs just fill my weekly driving time! George Guidall, the reader, really brings all the characters to life with his wonderfully versatile voice. I have all Tony Hillerman's books and have now promised myself one Hillerman CD a month until I have them all! (Must admit though that after the first listening I got the book out and read it again - for at least the 30th time!!!)
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