Native American Sherman Alexie's new novel is a departure in tone from his lyrical and funny earlier work, which include The Lone Ranger and Tonto ...
read full description
reviews
Dec 16, 2009
Rachel
rated it: 
This was my introduction to Sherman Alexie, and I still think it is his best work that I've read to date. The title itself made me question my thought processes, as I immediately envisioned a book replaying and displaying the historical themes of colonization and genocide against Native Americans in a modernized plot. This is, of course, what Alexie is doing, but the story centers around a couple of local murders attributed to an "Indian Killer" -- an Indian who kills, not someone who
More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Feb 12, 2012
Charra
rated it: 
Sherman Alexie is one of my favourite Aboriginal writers: funny, brilliant, and topical. And not only that, he can write a murder mystery.
This novel explores the psychology of fear that is generated when someone (presumably an Indian) begins killing and scalping white men in Seattle. A Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, Alexie teaches with this tale. The disturbing beauty of this book lies in Alexie’s ability to create plausible viewpoints from several disparate characters: a mouthy racist More...
This novel explores the psychology of fear that is generated when someone (presumably an Indian) begins killing and scalping white men in Seattle. A Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, Alexie teaches with this tale. The disturbing beauty of this book lies in Alexie’s ability to create plausible viewpoints from several disparate characters: a mouthy racist More...
Apr 13, 2011
Kate
rated it:
When John is wrenched from his mother and flown to his adoptive parents he is given the name John Smith. A name which is renowned within western culture for its generalization; it could be any white American man anywhere. Sherman Alexie purposefully chooses a name which could refer to anyone white because it allows a lot more freedom with John as a character. It highlights how little he fits into the white world to which he has been forcible adopted into. Even though he has the name of any other
More...
Aug 20, 2009
Irene
rated it:
I picked up Indian Killer at the library because I'm on a Sherman Alexie kick and this was the only book of his available. Being a psychological thriller about murder, it's not exactly the type of book I normally read. I was a bit apprehensive as I started reading, afraid I'd get nightmares or something, but the book quickly drew me in.
Indian Killer explores themes of identity and isolation across whites and Native Americans. There's the Indian man, adopted by white parents, who long More...
Indian Killer explores themes of identity and isolation across whites and Native Americans. There's the Indian man, adopted by white parents, who long More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 05, 2009
Robin
rated it:
I almost never read murder mysteries, but this one is written by Sherman Alexie,and I loved The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. There's very little endearing humor in this one, but I will give it a chance.
This book is harsh and disturbing, but readable. John, the main character, is revealed to be mentally unstable. We are to assume that this is the result of being separated from his specific Native heritage -- he knows he was born to an Indian mother, but the adoption More...
This book is harsh and disturbing, but readable. John, the main character, is revealed to be mentally unstable. We are to assume that this is the result of being separated from his specific Native heritage -- he knows he was born to an Indian mother, but the adoption More...
Dec 27, 2010
Audrey
rated it: 
WOW. INTENSE. There was a lot of rage and pain in this book. The other other Sherman Alexie book I've read was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a YA novel. Indian Killer is about an Indian serial killer. Though this book is much darker and a lot more violent, Alexie offers social commentary on Native American issues and the tensions between the Native Americans and the whites (which I guess almost goes without saying, as this is a Sherman Alexie book).
Alexie is a powerful wr More...
Alexie is a powerful wr More...
Jan 02, 2011
Kirsten
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 17, 2009
Christy
rated it: 
His other books weren't available at the library, so I went for this one. It was an interesting comment on racial tensions, but seemed overstated, was extremely grotesque and had one of the worst, most unsatisfying endings I've ever read. The characters were more like charicatures and, even though it was listed as a mystery, the mystery is never solved. I'll have to read one of his other books to redeem my opinion of him.
4 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 07, 2011
Stephen
rated it:
This is an angry book, and a book about anger. A serial killer in Seattle, who is scalping white victims and leaving behind owl feathers, Indian symbols of death, exacerbates the underlying tensions between whites and Indians that have long festered in the city. Particularly affected are borderline individuals -- whites who want to be Indians, an Indian half-breed raised by an abuse white father, and a mental disturbed Indian adopted as an infant by an upper-class white couple. As events unfold,
More...
Aug 23, 2009
tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE
rated it:
This starts off w/ a melodramatic bang worthy of Michael Crichton &/or Dean Koontz.. It's a thriller.. but it's a thriller w/ something that Crichton & Koontz will never have: a subtext of sensitizing the reader to American 'Indians'.. & there's no simple resolution. There're plenty of characters, the most sympathetic for me being probably the activist Marie Polatkin, the one who articulates the most accurately (IMO). The complex issue of relations between 'Whites' & "Indians' in the 'U
More...
Apr 20, 2009
Flourish
rated it:
This book was very difficult to read. Oh, the actual words weren't difficult: if anything, I found the writing style simplistic and not always in harmony with the contents. But it was difficult to read because barely any of the characters were - well, I don't want to say "sympathetic"; there were plenty of sympathetic characters. But most of the sympathetic characters were so deeply flawed that it was hard to take.
And you know... when it comes to racial issues, when it come More...
And you know... when it comes to racial issues, when it come More...
Jul 19, 2010
Sherri
rated it:
This is the only Sherman book I didn't love. Mystery is a hard genre to write and there were so many loose ends and odd pieces that didn't seem to fit. I did like the interesting idea of an indian who didn't know what tribe(s) he belonged to and how it affected his identity as a person. I also liked the Tony Hillerman-esque writer, he provided me with some snarky giggles. The premise was a good one, a serial killer who scalps his victims and leaves a feather as calling card, how racial tensions
More...
Jul 27, 2011
Libby
rated it:
I didn't like that there was so much violence and swearing in this book. Although, I will have to say that Sherman Alexie knows how to write and tell a good story. The killings were really bloody and some parts of the book were really violent. I couldn't connect to alot of the characters in the book. Except, maybe Marie and how nice she was to the homless indaians and that she took her time to talk to them and give them sandwiches to eat. Also, I connected with Daniel and Olivia and the love f
More...
Sep 01, 2010
Ingrid
rated it:
this book was really amazing. I don't recommend it to just anyone because of language/content, but I was enthralled by the voice. It was so direct & intimidating, of course, that might be the effect of using sentence fragments.
I also have to say that I was instantly grabbed into the book because I didn't know what was going on. Now, after having finished the book and had some time to think about it, I still have no idea what happened. Crazy. And the book really delves into the issues More...
I also have to say that I was instantly grabbed into the book because I didn't know what was going on. Now, after having finished the book and had some time to think about it, I still have no idea what happened. Crazy. And the book really delves into the issues More...
Oct 06, 2010
Ariel
rated it:
I have been a big fan of Sherman Alexie for years and have wanted to finish reading all his published works. This one was really different from his usual writing. This book was really dark and I think showed his underlying thoughts about the oppression of Indians and the privilege of the Whites.
The book followed several people and their connection to the Indian community. One Indian, John Smith, who was adopted by White parents, decides to take Indian justice into his own hands More...
The book followed several people and their connection to the Indian community. One Indian, John Smith, who was adopted by White parents, decides to take Indian justice into his own hands More...
Aug 19, 2009
Marci
rated it:
In the first half of the book, I was giving it 4 or 5 stars. I enjoyed the writing style, the introduction of the characters. The characters were interesting and unique. Then the second half of the book was like a big pot of hatred, anger, violence and racism and the author just kept stiring the pot and stiring the pot every now and then throwing in some spices to make you suspect a different character as the killer. I dont know if he was trying to build suspense, but I just felt frustration and
More...
Oct 15, 2011
Shannon
rated it:
Ok, I recognize that this is a very well-written and compelling book. I think it would actually be a good book to teach if you were doing a class that dealt with the complicated issues of race in modern day United States. Adam and I had a lot of really interesting conversations as the result of this book--he read it outloud to me. All that being said, I didn't like reading it. It was just too dark and raw for me. If Adam hadn't been reading it out loud to me, I don't think I would have fini
More...
Nov 26, 2009
Saul
rated it: 
I found this extremely disappointing. I'm a big fan of Alexie's stories and autobiographical works, so I was eager to read this. But no character in this entire novel is believable in the slightest. They are all either cyphers put in to make a point or, like the main character, just really poorly imagined. Most of Alexie's work has a beauty and bitter comedy comparable to other western writers like Denis Johnson or Sam Shepard. Stylistically, this is like a bad mass market paperback thrille
More...
Jul 05, 2010
Unwisely
rated it:
I admit that I mostly picked this up because a character in Shadow Unit mentioned it. (If you aren't reading that, go. Go now. You can finish reading this in a couple weeks when you're done.)
And, umm. It's been quite a while since I read my last Sherman Alexie book, (although for various reasons I ended up seeing Smoke Signals about six times), so I can't really compare this one to anything else.
What I've got is that the book was a slow read. Depressing, angry, a More...
And, umm. It's been quite a while since I read my last Sherman Alexie book, (although for various reasons I ended up seeing Smoke Signals about six times), so I can't really compare this one to anything else.
What I've got is that the book was a slow read. Depressing, angry, a More...
Jul 17, 2009
Brenda
rated it:
This was the first Alexie I read, though I was already a huge fan of the film Smoke Signals. It is characteristic of his writing in that it is steeped in the American Indian culture of the Northwest, however, its tone is much darker than anything else I've read by him.
The story centers on a group of American Indians attending college off of the reservation. At the same time a series of ritualistic murders are rocking the Seattle community. You see each murder through the eyes of t More...
The story centers on a group of American Indians attending college off of the reservation. At the same time a series of ritualistic murders are rocking the Seattle community. You see each murder through the eyes of t More...
Feb 24, 2011
Billie
rated it:
I am a big fan of Alexie's writing but somehow had managed not to read this, probably his most popular book, until recently. As usual, there's a playfulness at work underlying more serious social commentary. Alexie both exploits and calls into question the detective/mystery genre. The protagonist is so complex that I almost felt like I left the novel knowing less about the protagonist than I did in the opening chapters. For the entire novel I wondered what he was really capable of, and because o
More...
Jul 28, 2010
Tylernickl
rated it:
Alexie's thriller gets you to reflect on what race really means to you the reader. You come to conclusions and then later realize that you took something for granted about racial identity while reading and the text challenges you to revisit those assumptions as you piece together the mystery. It's also a truly creepy book with great suspense.
Some of the character development is a little weak, but perhaps that's intentional. Maybe Alexie treats his characters as stereotypes so that More...
Some of the character development is a little weak, but perhaps that's intentional. Maybe Alexie treats his characters as stereotypes so that More...
Jan 21, 2010
Nick
rated it:
The intertwining stories of people in the seattle area revolving around the mysterious serial killer dubbed the "Indian Killer" because of his calling card: two bloody owl feathers. Alexie is a brilliant author in touch with the Indian perspective, history, and culture. This novel was better because it described locations that I'm very familiar with. And I loved the character Truck, a loud-mouthed radio host in the mold of Rush Limbaugh. A thrilling novel that reveals the plight of
More...
Jan 17, 2009
Kerri
rated it:
Alexie himself considers this his worst book because he didn't know how it ended and because it was trying to a "big" book. I loved it. Loved it. To me it speaks of the anger and grief and hate that result when people are hurt, abused, humiliated, sold, and used over many, many generations. White people need to hear about these feelings more. Need to listen. Need to stop being defensive. It's not about responsibility. It's about how suffering feels. Right up there with Spike Lee
More...
Jan 10, 2009
Megan
rated it:
A seriously intense book...similar themes to other Alexi books but in a darker context. Interesting to read after having read Twilight where one of the main characters is Native American and the book is absolutely void of any race issues...the way I was raised to think. Anyway, this book was awesome - gives you a lot to think about as you are reading...what your assumptions about the plot say about your own biases and perspectives on race relations and the overlapping of factors that contribute
More...
Oct 09, 2011
Alieda
rated it:
An un-put-downable murder-mystery novel, with all the elements typical of the genre: a psychotic serial killer, a retired ex-homicide detective, and a cast of possible suspects. The plot centers around John, a Native American man from an unknown tribe, ho was adopted at birth by a white couple in Seattle. Not really belonging either to white middle-class suburbia, or to the local Native population, he grows up without friendship or a sense of belonging. To make matters worse, his adoptive paren
More...
Aug 23, 2010
Jinny
rated it:
I’ve had this book on my shelf for 12 years and just picked it up. It was well wrought. It will stay with me for a long time. As a “murder mystery,” it was far from traditional… For me, it wasn’t about actually identifying “the” killer at the end, but exploring the experience and motivations of all the characters, and their potential for both creation and destruction, love and hate, laughter and despair…and the ways in which they simply survived.
Most of the characters were sympathet More...
Most of the characters were sympathet More...
Nov 23, 2009
tartaruga
rated it:
The powerful white men of Seattle had created a law that made it illegal to sit on the sidewalk. That ordinance was crazier and much more evil than any homeless person. Sometimes Marie wondered if she worked so hard at everything only because she hated powerful white men. She wondered if she went to college and received good grades just because she was looking for revenge. She woke up at four in the morning to study before she went to class. She rushed from the University down to the shelte
More...
Aug 26, 2008
John
rated it:
I loved Alexie's earlier books (The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Reservation Blues), but this book disappointed me. Not that it isn't brilliantly written, or that there aren't lots of great characters and ideas in it, but it's way too full of sadistic violence for my taste. I'm sure Alexie, who is dedicated to telling the unromanticized truth about the modern Native American experience, felt that he needed to somehow express the sort of cultural rage of that community, and I guess
More...
Jul 23, 2008
Shayla
rated it:
As a whole, I like Alexie's writing style. He's both descriptive and to the point. The subject matter was serious but the book also has funny lines and moments of levity. The chapters are really short, so the action keeps moving. In Indian Killer Alexie does a good job of portraying the fear and the anger that can quickly arise in a community, especially when it is believed that a person of a one race is committing crimes against another race. His depiction of Indian life in Seattle was just as
More...
