Tony Hillerman

Tony Hillerman (1925-2008) was an American author best known for his mystery novels featuring Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, which explored Native American culture and conflicts between tradition and modernity in the Southwest. A World War II combat veteran decorated with the Silver Star and Purple Heart, he worked as a journalist before becoming a professor of journalism at the University of New Mexico, where he began writing fiction. Notable works include The Blessing Way (1970), Dance Hall of the Dead (1973, Edgar Award winner), Skinwalkers (1986), and The Shape Shifter (2006).