Blackening Song: An Ella Clah Novel [Paperback]

Aimee Thurlo (Author), David Thurlo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2001 | Series: Ella Clah

Blackening Song is the debut of Navajo FBI agent Ella Clah, who returns to the reservation to investigate the murder of her father, a minister. The ritual nature of the killing makes Ella's brother, a medicine man, the prime suspect. Without cooperation from the tribe, the FBI, or the local police, Ella must plumb the depths of the struggle between traditionalist and modernist forces among the Navajo to find her father's murderer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mystery readers who like their murders solved by applied intelligence will love Ella Clah."--Tony Hillerman

About the Author

Aimée and David Thurlo have been married for more than thirty years and have been writing novels together for nearly that long, in a variety of genres including romance, young adult, and mystery. They have three ongoing mystery series, the Sister Agatha series, starring a cloistered nun, the Lee Nez series, featuring a Navajo vampire who teams up with a female FBI agent to fight crimes that have elements of the supernatural, and their flagship series, the critically-acclaimed Ella Clah novels. Several Ella Clah novels, including Tracking Bear, Red Mesa, and Shooting Chant, have received starred reviews from Booklist.

David Thurlo was raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation and later taught school in Shiprock, also on the Rez. Aimée, a native of Havana, Cuba, has lived in New Mexico for more than thirty years. The Thurlos share their home with dogs, horses, and various pet rodents. They have written more than fifty novels which have been published in more than twenty countries.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Paperback Edition edition (October 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076530256X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765302564
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shallow, poorly plotted, cardboard characters, August 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Blackening Song: An Ella Clah Novel (Paperback)

I read a lot of mysteries, including Hillerman, Michael McGarrity, James Doss, James Burke, but I could not finish Blackening Song. The plot was episodic, with events unrelated to each other and no rising arc of development. Characters' motivations were unconvincing and the characters seemed to undergo sudden and inexplicable personality changes. Dialogue was wooden, with Clah frequently asserting that her "special training" made her superior to others. Who talks like that? Clah also ricochets between trusting some characters and suspecting everyone, which was confusing. I've lived close to the Rez and did not find the authors'presentation of the area or culture convincing. You can pass on this one and wait for Hillerman or McGarrity's next book.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing "Gothic" plot victimizes subjects, readers, March 26, 2003

By 

"amatxi" (Mill Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackening Song: An Ella Clah Novel (Paperback)

By the time I finished this overly long (382 pages) mystery, I was thoroughly irritated with the authors for their unfortunate bait-and-switch approach. The Thurlos start off with a potentially interesting main character, FBI agent Navajo Ella Clah, in the naturally attractive Southwest setting. All too soon, however, the nasty, lurid plot repeatedly lurches unevenly between violent physical confrontations and Ella's immature interior monologues -- with timeouts for her brother's allegedly tradition medicine protective rituals. In addition, as another reviewer has noted, the dialogue too often is unnatural, even donwright unlikely. Even more unfortunate is the sensational presentation of the darker aspects of some traditional Navajo beliefs.

Fortunately, mystery enthusiasts and fans of the Southwest can read one or all of Tony Hillerman's better crafted and much more culturally accurate novels! Happily he never victimizes nor insults the Dineh.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Good As Hillerman!, November 12, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Chicago, Il (wishing in New Mexico)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackening Song: An Ella Clah Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I was looking for a Hillerman-type book and I found it. This was a great book!! It only took me about 3 days to read because I couldn't put it down. This complements/competes very well with Hillerman's style. Loved it! Watch out Tony! :)