You’re driving down a washboard road in the Four Corners, the dust is kicking up red behind your truck, and the sky is so big it feels like it might actually swallow you whole. That's the feeling of opening a Tony Hillerman book. It isn't just about finding a body in the sagebrush. Honestly, it’s about the soul of the high desert and the people who have lived there for centuries.
Most folks know the Tony Hillerman book series because of the AMC show Dark Winds, but the paperbacks are where the real magic happens. Hillerman didn't just write "police procedurals." He basically invented a new subgenre: the anthropological mystery. He took the "whodunit" and dropped it into a world where the "why" is often more important than the "who."
The Legend of Leaphorn and Chee
When Hillerman first started, he didn't even mean to create a duo. In the 1970 debut The Blessing Way, Joe Leaphorn was a secondary character. The original protagonist was a white anthropologist. But Joe—the "Legendary Lieutenant"—stole the show. He’s the older, cynical one. He’s got a university degree and a deep skepticism of anything he can't explain with logic.
Then came Jim Chee in People of Darkness (1980). Chee is the perfect foil. He’s younger, a bit more impulsive, and most importantly, he’s studying to be a hataalii—a Navajo singer or medicine man.
Why the partnership works
For years, they didn't even work together. Hillerman wrote Leaphorn books and then Chee books. It wasn't until Skinwalkers in 1986 that he finally put them in the same police cruiser. It was a stroke of genius. You’ve got Leaphorn, who views "skinwalkers" (witches) as a convenient excuse for criminals, and Chee, who actually worries about the spiritual implications of a curse.
The tension isn't just about the case; it’s about how to live as a Navajo in a modern world that doesn't always make sense. They represent two different ways of being Diné.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Setting
People talk about the "Navajo reservation" like it’s just a backdrop. It’s not. In the Tony Hillerman book series, the landscape is a character that can kill you if you don't respect it.
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Hillerman was obsessive about accuracy. He’d drive those backroads himself. He’d hang out at trading posts and talk to tribal police officers. He wanted to make sure that if he said a certain mesa was visible from a certain windmill, it actually was.
Some critics, like Larry Emerson, have argued that Hillerman "re-imagined" Navajo life through a white lens. That’s a fair point to consider. Hillerman was an outsider, an Oklahoma-born journalist who moved to New Mexico. He wasn't Navajo. However, the Navajo Nation itself gave him the "Special Friend of the Diné" award in 1987. That’s a huge deal. It’s an honor rarely given to outsiders.
He didn't want to write "Native American stories" for the sake of being "exotic." He wanted to show that these ancient ways are relevant today. He was tired of the Hollywood clichés of "Indians" being stuck in the 1800s. His characters drive Ford pickups, deal with bureaucracy, and use forensic science—while also worrying about whether they need a Blessing Way ceremony to fix their internal harmony.
The Concept of Hózhó
If you want to understand these books, you have to understand Hózhó. It’s usually translated as "harmony" or "beauty," but it’s deeper than that. To the Navajo, crime isn't just a law being broken. It’s a symptom of someone being "out of step" with the world.
When Leaphorn or Chee solves a mystery, they aren't just putting someone in jail. They are trying to restore Hózhó to the community.
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- Leaphorn's Approach: He looks for the pattern. He believes the world is orderly. If there's a murder, there's a logical reason, and finding that reason restores order.
- Chee's Approach: He looks at the spirit. He’s often more concerned with the victim’s family and the rituals needed to cleanse the "chindi" (the ghost or evil left behind) than he is with the paperwork.
The writing style reflects this. It’s patient. It’s quiet. Hillerman doesn't do "fast-paced" in the way a James Patterson novel does. He lets the wind howl. He lets the characters sit in silence. In Navajo culture, it’s often considered rude to interrupt, and Hillerman’s prose honors that.
The Reading Order: Where Do You Start?
You could just go in order of publication, but honestly, that’s not always the best way to fall in love with the series.
- The Blessing Way (1970): It's the first, but it feels a bit different than the rest. Good, but maybe not the strongest "hook."
- Dance Hall of the Dead (1973): This won the Edgar Award. It deals with the Zuni people and is a masterclass in atmosphere.
- Skinwalkers (1986): This is the one. If you only read one, make it this. It’s where Leaphorn and Chee first meet, and the stakes feel incredibly personal.
- A Thief of Time (1988): Often cited as his best work. It deals with "pot hunters" (people who rob ancient graves) and the ethics of archaeology.
The series continued until Hillerman’s death in 2008. His final book was The Shape Shifter (2006). After that, his daughter Anne Hillerman took over the mantle.
She did something interesting, though. She shifted the focus to Bernadette Manuelito, a female officer who had been a minor character in the later Tony Hillerman books. It breathed new life into the series while keeping the original characters around as mentors. It’s a different vibe, but it works.
Why We Still Read Him in 2026
We live in a world that is incredibly loud and constantly "on." Hillerman’s books are the opposite. They are about the long game. They are about the fact that the mountains have been here long before us and will be here long after.
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His work paved the way for other great Indigenous writers. Authors like Angeline Boulley or David Heska Wanbli Weiden are doing incredible things in the mystery genre now, and you can see the DNA of Hillerman’s "anthropological mystery" in their work.
The Tony Hillerman book series isn't just a relic of the 70s and 80s. It’s a reminder that justice isn't always about a courtroom. Sometimes, it’s just about finding a way to walk in beauty again.
What to do next
If you're ready to dive into the Dinétah, here’s how to handle it:
- Grab a copy of Skinwalkers. It’s the definitive "team-up" book and gives you the best sense of both Leaphorn and Chee’s personalities.
- Watch Dark Winds on AMC. It’s a solid adaptation, but keep in mind they change some plot points for TV. The books are much more internal and atmospheric.
- Look up a map of the Navajo Nation. Seeing the sheer scale of the land helps you understand why it takes the characters four hours to drive to a crime scene.
Don't rush through them. These aren't "beach reads." They are "front porch" reads. Grab a coffee, sit somewhere quiet, and let the desert air into your living room. You won't regret it.