Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Blessing Way | 1970 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 2 | Listening Woman | 1978 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 3 | People of Darkness | 1980 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 4 | A Thief of Time | 1988 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 5 | Talking God | 1989 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 6 | Coyote Waits | 1990 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 7 | The Fallen Man | 1996 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 8 | The First Eagle | 1998 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 9 | Hunting Badger | 1999 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 10 | The Shape Shifter | 2006 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 11 | Spider Woman’s Daughter | 2013 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 12 | Rock with Wings | 2015 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 13 | Song of the Lion | 2017 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 14 | Cave of Bones | 2018 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 15 | The Tale Teller | 2019 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 16 | Stargazer | 2021 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 17 | The Sacred Bridge | 2022 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 18 | The Way of the Bear | 2023 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 19 | Lost Birds | 2024 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 20 | Shadow of the Solstice | 2025 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 21 | Dance Hall of the Dead | 1973 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 22 | The Dark Wind | 1982 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 23 | The Ghostway | 1984 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 24 | Skinwalkers | 1986 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 25 | Sacred Clowns | 1992 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 26 | The Wailing Wind | 2002 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 27 | The Sinister Pig | 2003 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
| 28 | Skeleton Man | 2004 | Anne Hillerman | Buy |
The Leaphorn and Chee series spans more than fifty years of publishing, beginning with Tony Hillerman’s The Blessing Way in 1970. The early books follow Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and, later, Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police as they solve crimes on the vast Navajo reservation in the Four Corners region. Tony Hillerman published eighteen novels in the series before his death in 2008, with highlights including A Thief of Time (1988), Skinwalkers (1986), and Coyote Waits (1990).
Anne Hillerman continued the series in 2013 with Spider Woman’s Daughter, shifting the spotlight to include Bernadette Manuelito alongside the aging Leaphorn and Chee. Her additions have maintained the series’ focus on Navajo culture, landscape, and the challenges of law enforcement across a territory larger than many states. With 28 books total, the series is one of the longest-running and most respected mystery franchises rooted in a specific cultural and geographic setting.