hillerman

Tony Hillerman Dead at 83

Every once in a while I will discover an author that intrigues me. Tony Hillerman is one of those people. Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. 18 of his 30+ books were the Navajo series.

It was Mr. Hillerman's books that led me to New Mexico to trace the steps of Leaphorn and Chee. There, I discovered Mr. Hillerman's acute eye for detail. When he wrote of roads leading to or from Window Rock and when he mentioned a particular landmark, you could be sure that it was exactly where he said it was.

The cases of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee have given readers an insight into the cultural milieu of the Indian peoples of the Southwest, particularly the Navajo. Hillerman has always been extremely careful, making no claims for insider knowledge (he is a white man who grew up with Indians in Oklahoma) and maintaining respect and courtesy toward the privacy of the tribes his books focus on.

Hillerman's Indians are wonderfully humanized and individualized, and his knowledge of current Indian issues is always impressive.

The Navajo Mysteries by Tony Hillerman

The Shape Shifters. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Skeleton Man. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.

The Sinister Pig. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.

The Wailing Wind . New York: HarperCollins, 2002.

Hunting Badger. New York: Harper, 1999

The First Eagle . New York: Harper,1998.

The Fallen Man . New York: Harper,1997.

Sacred Clowns. New York: Harper,1993.

Coyote Waits. New York: Harper,1990.

Talking God. New York: Harper,1989.

A Thief of Time. New York: Harper,1988.

Skinwalkers. New York: Harper,1986. Reprinted 1987.Bestseller List, 1986. This book won the Western Writers of America Spur Award in 1986.

The Ghost Way. New York: Harper, 1984. Reprinted 1986.

The Dark Wind. New York: Harper, 1982. Reprinted 1983.

People of the Darkness. New York: Harper, 1980. Reprinted 1982.

Listening Woman,New York: Harper, 1978. Reprinted 1979.

Dance Hall of the Dead. New York: Harper, 1973.Reprinted in 1975. MWA Edgar Allen Poe Award for the Best Mystery Novel of the West, 1973.

The Blessing Way. New York: Harper, 1970. Reprinted in 1978. This book was a finalist for the Best First Novel Edgar Allen Poe Award.