How to Read the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Series
When entering the atmospheric world of the Navajo Nation mysteries, readers are often faced with a choice: do you start from the very beginning with Tony Hillerman's classic novels, or can you jump straight into the modern era established by his daughter, Anne Hillerman? The short answer is that while the books are written to stand on their own as individual mystery cases, the rich progression of character relationships, life milestones, and personal growth makes reading them in sequence highly rewarding.
For the complete experience, we recommend starting with Tony Hillerman's novels to see how the legendary duo of Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee was forged. However, if you want to jump directly into Anne Hillerman’s work, the perfect entry point is Spider Woman's Daughter (2013). This novel marks a major milestone where the series transitions to Anne's voice, shifting the focus to Officer Bernadette Manuelito (Chee's wife) as she takes on a central protagonist role. Starting here allows you to experience the modern era of the series without feeling lost, as Anne masterfully recaps key elements of the characters' histories.
Complete Publication Order of the Leaphorn & Chee Series
The series flows chronologically in order of publication. Because character arcs, marriages, and retirements build upon previous books, reading in publication order is highly recommended to avoid major spoilers. Below is the complete order of the novels, spanning the original runs by Tony Hillerman and the modern continuations by Anne Hillerman.
The Tony Hillerman Era (Books 1–18)
- 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 (1992)
- 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)
The Anne Hillerman Era (Books 19–28)
- Spider Woman's Daughter (2013)
- Rock with Wings (2015)
- Song of the Lion (2017)
- Cave of Bones (2018)
- The Tale Teller (2019)
- Stargazer (2021)
- The Sacred Bridge (2022)
- The Way of the Bear (2023)
- Lost Birds (2024)
- Shadow of the Solstice (2025)
Chronological Order and Character Caveats
In this series, chronological order matches publication order. There are no prequels or time-skipping novels that disrupt the timeline. However, readers should be aware of a few structural details when choosing their path. In the early Tony Hillerman books, Leaphorn and Chee worked completely separate cases. Joe Leaphorn is the sole focus of the first three novels, while Jim Chee is introduced in People of Darkness and leads the subsequent two. The two detectives do not meet or work together until the seventh book, Skinwalkers.
When Anne Hillerman took the reins with Spider Woman's Daughter, she introduced a significant shift in dynamics. While Leaphorn and Chee remain central to the narrative, Officer Bernadette 'Bernie' Manuelito is elevated to the primary viewpoint character. This change brings a fresh, modern perspective to the series, highlighting the challenges of a female Navajo officer navigating tribal traditions, modern police work, and family life. If you read the books out of order, you will witness major spoilers regarding Bernie and Jim Chee's relationship, Leaphorn's health struggles, and changes in police leadership across the Navajo Nation.
A Closer Look at Anne Hillerman's Novels
To help you navigate Anne Hillerman's run, here is a detailed breakdown of each of her ten novels in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito saga:
1. Spider Woman's Daughter (2013): Anne's debut fiction novel starts with a shock: an assassination attempt on retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. With Leaphorn hospitalized, Officer Bernadette Manuelito must work with her husband, Jim Chee, to find the shooter. The investigation leads Bernie into Leaphorn's old files, exposing a web of old grudges and cultural exploitation.
2. Rock with Wings (2015): In this dual-mystery installment, Bernie Manuelito is assigned to a quiet routine patrol in Monument Valley, only to stumble upon a bizarre case involving a solar-powered car and a hidden grave. Meanwhile, Jim Chee deals with a movie crew filming on sacred ground and a series of strange thefts, showing how modern commerce clashes with traditional Navajo beliefs.
3. Song of the Lion (2017): When a bomb detonates at a high school championship football game on the Navajo Reservation, Bernie is first on the scene. The investigation centers around a controversial proposed resort development near the Grand Canyon. Jim Chee and a recovering Joe Leaphorn assist in uncovering the political and personal motives behind the violence.
4. Cave of Bones (2018): When a tribal police volunteer goes missing in the rugged lava fields of El Malpais, Bernie Manuelito is sent to investigate. She discovers the remains of an ancient crime and finds herself fighting for survival against both human threats and the harsh desert terrain.
5. The Tale Teller (2019): Retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is hired to track down a missing, priceless Navajo artifact: a historic woven blanket. Simultaneously, Bernie investigates a string of physical assaults on elderly tribal members, leading to a mystery that spans centuries of Navajo history and modern greed.
6. Stargazer (2021): Bernie's past comes back to haunt her when an old college roommate confesses to a murder that doesn't make sense. As Bernie dig deeper, she uncovers connections to a local observatory, astronomical research, and a complex web of drug trafficking, placing her career and life in jeopardy.
7. The Sacred Bridge (2022): Jim Chee takes a vacation to Lake Powell to perform a traditional Navajo ceremony, but his peaceful retreat is shattered when he discovers a floating body. At the same time, Bernie investigates a cannabis cultivation operation on the reservation that threatens local water supplies and tribal sovereignty.
8. The Way of the Bear (2023): Set in Utah's Bears Ears National Monument, this story finds Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito caught in a blizzard alongside a paleontologist who is murdered. The investigation deals with illegal fossil poaching, sacred tribal sites, and the preservation of Native American heritage.
9. Lost Birds (2024): Bernie Manuelito is hired to solve a decades-old disappearance of a Navajo baby, leading her into the dark history of forced adoptions and boarding schools. Meanwhile, Chee investigates a suspicious fire at a school construction site, uncovering a web of local corruption.
10. Shadow of the Solstice (2025): Tensions flare in Shiprock, New Mexico, during a visit by a U.S. Cabinet Secretary. Bernie is tasked with monitoring a revival group celebrating the summer solstice, while her sister Darleen gets caught up in a fraudulent Medicare scheme targeting vulnerable indigenous elders, linking back to Chee's active investigations.
What to Know Before You Start: Continuity and Tone
Anne Hillerman's novels carry forward the respectful, atmospheric tone of her father's work, but with modern updates. She works closely with Navajo cultural advisors to ensure the depiction of ceremonies, language, and geography remains authentic and respectful. The transition from Tony's era to Anne's also mirrors changes in the real world: smartphones, GPS, environmental debates, and contemporary federal-tribal political dynamics play a significant role in her storytelling.
Additionally, both authors' books served as the foundation for the AMC television adaptation Dark Winds. While the show captures the dark, noir-ish atmosphere of the Southwest, it takes liberties with the timeline and character details, combining elements from multiple books. Reading the novels in order provides a much deeper, more detailed exploration of the characters' internal worlds than what is shown on screen.
Anne Hillerman's Non-Fiction Works
Before writing fiction, Anne was an accomplished journalist and non-fiction writer. Her non-fiction works focus heavily on the landscapes, culture, and culinary arts of the American Southwest. Key titles include Tony Hillerman's Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn (2009), which she co-authored with her husband, photographer Don Strel. She also wrote children's educational books, such as the solar science guide Done in the Sun: Solar Projects for Children, which was originally published in 1983 and reissued in 2012.