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Anne Hillerman's new novel, Shadow of the Solstice, is her 10th in the best-selling Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series, which she made her own after the death of her father, Tony Hillerman. Below, she names favorite books that feature Indigenous characters.
'The Missing Morningstar and Other Stories' by Stacie Shannon Denetsosie (2023)
This talented Navajo author's debut collection of short stories made me laugh, touched my heart, and left me with ideas to consider. The collection includes gritty, touching, and fanciful tales, and she writes with a poet's heart and a reporter's eye. Buy it here.
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'Shutter' by Ramona Emerson (2022)
Navajo forensic photographer Rita Todacheene records the disturbing evidence of grisly murder scenes for the police. Then spirits of the dead nag her to find the killers. The ghosts in her photos don't relent even when a medicine man gives Rita a healing ceremony. Tautly written with paranormal elements and information from Emerson's Navajo background, Shutter deserves its fine reviews. Buy it here.
'A Thief of Time' by Tony Hillerman (1988)
The eighth in Tony's Navajo Tribal Police series takes the readers on a twisty Southwestern ride, including a whitewater raft trip, as Leaphorn searches for a missing archaeologist. The scene in which Leaphorn discovers a suspected murderer's hide-out contains some of Tony's best writing. Buy it here.
'The American Café' by Sara Sue Hoklotubbe (2011)
Sadie Walela, the new operator of a local restaurant, is blamed for the murder of the former owner. Like most of her customers and the townsfolk, Sadie is Cherokee, but she's an outsider. To solve the crime, she dives into the secrets of her community. Hoklotubbe, a Cherokee herself, writes with heart, grace, and joy. Buy it here.
'The Cold Dish: A Longmire Mystery' by Craig Johnson (2004)
My admiration for Johnson's talent, including his skillful use of Cheyenne and other Native characters, began with this book. Henry Standing Bear and the other reoccurring Natives in Johnson's stories give this debut novel extra breadth and depth. Johnson's depiction of the Wyoming landscape rises to the poetic. Buy it here.
'Never Name the Dead' by D.M. Rowell (2022)
Rich with Kiowa tradition and the unexpected, this engrossing novel features Mae, a California entrepreneur who returns to Oklahoma's Indian Country at the urging of her grandfather. The theft, murder, and corruption she finds leave her struggling for answers. Buy it here.
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