1.Clifton includes elements of Choctaw legends and myths in her Sam Chitto mystery series. This book opens with references to the Bonepicker and the Nameless One. Identify examples of other old stories referenced, including Choctaw and biblical, and how they drove the action? Influenced characters such as

2.The setting for the book is Pushmataha County, located in the remote Kiamichi Wilderness of southeastern Oklahoma. Over time, this area was utilized for different purposes: indigenous people used it for refuge, subsistence hunters for food, railroads to connect remote locations, ranchers to supplement grazing. Currently, it’s appeal is tourism. Describe how Clifton uses the setting to enhance the reader’s understanding of not only the physical geography but also the characters who make use of it, i.e., the sheriffs, past and present; the ranchers, Campbell and Bradshaw; Quince Winters; Crystal Folsom.

3.The elders in the book, Rhody Pitchlyn and Sonny Boy Munro, appear as mystics and spiritual leaders representing the old ways of believing. Chitto and his sidekick, Frank Tubbe, are skeptics. Discuss how Chitto and Tubbe’s attitudes change over the course of the book. What do you see as the role of these two elders in the series?

4.The old mystic, Sonny Boy Munro, wants to cure Frank Tubbe of the shadow in his head. In contemporary terms, that “shadow” would probably be attributed to post-traumatic stress disease. PTSD is an important theme in the book. Four of the characters are identified as veterans; name the four and discuss what, if any, signs of PTSD they exhibit. Discuss how the prologue sets the stage for this theme.

5.Incidents in Vietnam play an important role. The United States Congress never declared war against Vietnam; it was classified a conflict, i.e., an open and armed hostility exemplified by active military operations. Discuss the fine line that distinguishes the terms war and conflict.

6.Clifton also references two military operations: the evacuation of Saigon and the mission to take the town of Lam Son. Coverage of the evacuation of Saigon appeared to focus on the financial losses, i.e., the cost to the government in scrapped equipment. Discuss other losses that resulted from the evacuation, in particularly to the three veterans in the story who served there.

7.Would the long-term effects on those who served in this conflict differ from the effects on those who served in an officially declared war? Discuss.

8.Justice is another prevailing theme in Clifton’s mysteries, and it’s often accomplished outside the official legal system. Discuss how the justice system had been handcuffed in Pushmataha County, preventing justice from being served. Consider Nixon’s goal to achieve “peace with honor.” According to the character, Quince Winters, the peace agreement signed in Paris accomplished, to Nixon’s thinking, this goal. Identify the characters in the book you feel would disagree with this line of thinking. How was peace with honor accomplished at the end of the book? Compare and contrast Quince Winter’s need to see peace with honor achieved and Sam Chitto’s need to see justice served. Do you think acting outside the system is ever justified?

9.Clifton tackles tough themes in her mystery novels. In Scalp Dance, the first in the series, she examines the long-term effects of rape on women; in The Bonepicker, she examines warfare and its long-term effect on men. Compare and contrast the two. Do you find inclusion of such themes makes for a better mystery novel? Why or why not?

10.Ask the group to discuss their favorite character(s) in the book, both men and women. What did they find particularly appealing about them? Who would they like to see return in subsequent books?

1.Clifton includes elements of Choctaw legends and myths in her Sam Chitto mystery series. This book opens with references to the Bonepicker and the Nameless One. Identify examples of other old stories referenced, including Choctaw and biblical, and how they drove the action? Influenced characters such as

2.The setting for the book is Pushmataha County, located in the remote Kiamichi Wilderness of southeastern Oklahoma. Over time, this area was utilized for different purposes: indigenous people used it for refuge, subsistence hunters for food, railroads to connect remote locations, ranchers to supplement grazing. Currently, it’s appeal is tourism. Describe how Clifton uses the setting to enhance the reader’s understanding of not only the physical geography but also the characters who make use of it, i.e., the sheriffs, past and present; the ranchers, Campbell and Bradshaw; Quince Winters; Crystal Folsom.

3.The elders in the book, Rhody Pitchlyn and Sonny Boy Munro, appear as mystics and spiritual leaders representing the old ways of believing. Chitto and his sidekick, Frank Tubbe, are skeptics. Discuss how Chitto and Tubbe’s attitudes change over the course of the book. What do you see as the role of these two elders in the series?

4.The old mystic, Sonny Boy Munro, wants to cure Frank Tubbe of the shadow in his head. In contemporary terms, that “shadow” would probably be attributed to post-traumatic stress disease. PTSD is an important theme in the book. Four of the characters are identified as veterans; name the four and discuss what, if any, signs of PTSD they exhibit. Discuss how the prologue sets the stage for this theme.

5.Incidents in Vietnam play an important role. The United States Congress never declared war against Vietnam; it was classified a conflict, i.e., an open and armed hostility exemplified by active military operations. Discuss the fine line that distinguishes the terms war and conflict.

6.Clifton also references two military operations: the evacuation of Saigon and the mission to take the town of Lam Son. Coverage of the evacuation of Saigon appeared to focus on the financial losses, i.e., the cost to the government in scrapped equipment. Discuss other losses that resulted from the evacuation, in particularly to the three veterans in the story who served there.

7.Would the long-term effects on those who served in this conflict differ from the effects on those who served in an officially declared war? Discuss.

8.Justice is another prevailing theme in Clifton’s mysteries, and it’s often accomplished outside the official legal system. Discuss how the justice system had been handcuffed in Pushmataha County, preventing justice from being served. Consider Nixon’s goal to achieve “peace with honor.” According to the character, Quince Winters, the peace agreement signed in Paris accomplished, to Nixon’s thinking, this goal. Identify the characters in the book you feel would disagree with this line of thinking. How was peace with honor accomplished at the end of the book? Compare and contrast Quince Winter’s need to see peace with honor achieved and Sam Chitto’s need to see justice served. Do you think acting outside the system is ever justified?

9.Clifton tackles tough themes in her mystery novels. In Scalp Dance, the first in the series, she examines the long-term effects of rape on women; in The Bonepicker, she examines warfare and its long-term effect on men. Compare and contrast the two. Do you find inclusion of such themes makes for a better mystery novel? Why or why not?

10.Ask the group to discuss their favorite character(s) in the book, both men and women. What did they find particularly appealing about them? Who would they like to see return in subsequent books?