Friday, January 20, 2023

Tony Hillerman Navajo Mysteries Goal Completed



One of my goals was to read all of the Tony Hillerman Navajo mysteries featuring Lt. Leaphorn and Sgt Chee.

I just finished People of Darkness - and have now read them all:  

The Blessing Way (1970) 
Dance Hall of the Dead (1973) 
Listening Woman (1978)
People of Darkness (1980) 
The Dark Wind (1982) 
The Ghostway (1984)
Skinwalkers (1986) 
A Thief of Time (1988) 
Talking God (1989) 
Coyote Waits (1990)
Sacred Clowns (1993) 
The Fallen Man (1996) 
The First Eagle (1998)
Hunting Badger (1999) 
The Wailing Wind (2002) 
The Sinister Pig (2003)
Skeleton Man (2004) 
The Shape Shifter (2006)

Hillerman (May 27, 1925 – October 26, 2008) won all sots of honors and recognition for these mysteries, some of which were made into movies, and television series and miniseries. He was a practicing Catholic who showed respect for Navajo culture and great sensitivity to Navajo spirituality

I first discovered him back when I was a Catholic journalist and read an article about him that suggested his faith helped to create that sensitivity. 

I always enjoyed the books; he is my favorite mystery writer. I'm sorry he wrote no more in the series, though his daughter Anne did continue a series of novels with the characters. I'll have to give her books a try at some point.

Pax et bonum

3 comments:

Do Not Be Anxious said...

Spot on in your evaluation of Hillerman's stories. I too read them all. Years ago I found a used book store, and buy, read and return them every month or two. They actually keep track of your purchases on their computer, so you don't re-buy something you may have bought even years ago. But to help my own variety, I started going through the books in alphabetical order of the author's last names --- which is the order they sit on the store' shelves. I am up to books by Annie Solomon, but find I am reading less and spending more time praying or helping others ---- or seeing God at work in this world. And I am finding joy. Even the best of my reads never brought me that.

A Secular Franciscan said...

I've now moved on to Don Quixote, which I've always wanted to read. Also reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis for my personal spiritual reading, and his Screwtape Letters and Chesterton's Everlasting Man with two Catholic reading groups I'm in. I'll eventually read some more mysteries - I've read a few of Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael mysteries, and plan to read more of them.

A Secular Franciscan said...
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