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Sam Chitto Mystery Books In Order

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Publication Order of Sam Chitto Mystery Books

Scalp Dance (2015)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Bone Picker (2017)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Horned Owl (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon
Five-Dollar Indian (2020)Description / Buy at Amazon
No Trespassing (2022)Description / Buy at Amazon

Sam Chitto Mystery Series
Sam Chitto is a mystery series by Lu Clifton. The series follows Sam Chitto’s life and his work working as Choctaw police. There are many mysteries to unravel and a lot to learn about Sam’s personal life and culture.

The author, Lu Clifton has done a fantastic job in depicting the procedures involved in an investigation very well and the descriptions of Oklahoma and its people. Her way with words is also outstanding, and it is amazing how she interweaves science and the Choctaw culture and traditions.

Scalp Dance
Scalp Dance is the first book in the Sam Chitto Mystery series. The author introduces us to Sam Chitto, a lieutenant with the Oklahoma Choctaw Police. Sam comes with a background in criminal justice and geology, which makes him very good at his job.

He also considers himself a man of keeps his word. In the first few chapters, it is clear that Sam has a special connection to the land and the people living in it. However, he is at a point where he is frustrated, tired, and thinking of quitting. The decade-old unresolved murder of his father and the recent death of his wife only make things worse. All the challenges in his work and the pain from his personal loses is becoming too much to bear.
A series of mystical murders draw Sam back into the world he is trying to quit. One of the murders is vividly described in the prologue. Indians who lived in the east are forced to Oklahoma through a deadly march. Those who survive the ordeal are relocated on a piece of land owned by many other tribes. Thanks to the confusing manner of this relocation, the police have to scrutinize the map of the area. They do this to determine the Indian Nation where a crime is committed. Because this often takes more time, perpetrators at times go scot-free.

However, the current murders are nothing like Sam has seen before. The crimes are also committed in different Indian Nations, making it even harder for the police to find the killers.

Through his investigations, Sam thinks that a certain beautiful woman is at the heart of these crimes. How can he prove that she is guilty of the murders and ensure that justice is done? This is an action-packed story that will keep you glued until the last page. Solving the ritualistic killings is not easy for Sam, but he leaves no stone unturned where the investigation is concerned. His desire to move from religious and cultural reasoning to a logical and scientific approach in his line of duty is admirable. The author clearly illustrates Sam’s internal conflict and the way he finally resolves the mysterious murders. Will Sam decide to stay in the force after he solves the recent murders?

Scalp Dance is an intriguing story that will appeal to anyone who likes mystery stories with a rural setting. The characters are authentic and well fleshed out, and the blend of Choctaw culture and science bring some flavor to this story. Follow Sam as he works to solve series crimes. His life will, at times, be in danger, but he is determined to ensure that justice is served. From her descriptions, it clear that the author knows Oklahoma and its people. You can soak in all the Oklahoma awesomeness as you follow Sam through his adventures.

The Bonepicker A
The Bonepicker A is the second book in the Sam Chitto Mystery series. Detective Sam Chitto is disgraced at work thanks to his fallout with the FBI in the previous case. However, the young police officer is still determined to do his job. In this book, Sam will be trying to solve a 35-year-old case involving a Vietnam veteran who went missing, when Sam discovers a man’s skull in the casket of a woman who was also killed under mysterious conditions. This discovery comes to light when the murdered woman’s family exhumes the body for further investigations. The veteran’s mother then approaches Sam to do the investigation because she believed that the skull in the casket belonged to her son.

As Sam works as the Bonepicker, he discovers more details than he anticipated. A double homicide on the same day Walter went missing is obviously connected to him. However, Sam is disturbed by the way the investigation was conducted. First, no medical examiner was involved, and one of the witnesses’ names was omitted in the case documents. Sam is afraid that the person who committed the double homicide is still alive, which would mean that Walter could also be alive. It is also possible that the hit-and-run that almost took Walter’s mother’s life was calculated given the fact that the elderly woman has been asking too many questions about her son’s disappearance.

The more Sam digs into this story, the more the tension intensifies. Long-held secrets will start coming to the surface, and the truth will eventually be unearthed. Sam is going to be at his best, and so will be Sgt. Frank Tubbe and Jasmine Birdsong. The abuse of power and systematic racism is so rampant, so it is easy to understand the unorthodox approach that the characters have to resort to. The author also lets us in on Sam’s growing ties to his heritage. It is fun learning about Choctaw history, beliefs, and customs amidst the prejudice and discrimination. All characters are well-fleshed out, and their complex relationships add a lot of juice to the story.

The Bonepicker A is a perfect read for mystery and police procedural lovers. It is a story focused on righting past wrongs. Sam is a cop on a mission, and it is admirable that his conscience cannot let him rest until justice is done. The author does a good job of interweaving this story with Choctaw’s history and customs. Everything from the plotting to the narration is done right, and while the ending will be unexpected, there could be no better conclusion to this story. This book is about 330 pages and can be enjoyed in one or two sittings.

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