Tony Hillerman

Anthony Grove Hillerman (1925–2008) was an American author best known for his mystery novels featuring Navajo Nation Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a journalist and professor at the University of New Mexico, experiences that shaped his detailed crime narratives. His work earned him the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Grandmaster Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and he published 18 novels in his detective series.