 Tony Hillerman was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, in 1925, the youngest of three children. A decorated combat veteran of World War II, Tony served from August 1943 to October 1945 as a mortar-man in the 103rd Infantry Division. He earned the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart. He attended the University of Oklahoma after the war, meeting Marie Unzner, a student in microbiology. Tony and Marie had a daughter, Anne, and five adopted children.
From 1948–62, Tony worked as a journalist, moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1952. In 1966, he moved his family to Albuquerque, where he earned a master's degree from the University of New Mexico. It was during his time as a writer for the Borger News-Herald in Borger, Texas that he became acquainted with the sheriff of Hutchinson County, the man upon whom he would pattern the main character in his Joe Leaphorn novels. He taught journalism from 1966 to 1987 at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and also began writing novels. He lived there with his wife Marie until his death in 2008. At the time of his death, they had been married 60 years and had ten grandchildren.
A consistently bestselling author, Tony wrote more than 30 books, including a memoir and books about the Southwest, its beauty, and its history. His series featuring Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee won Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Nero Awards. Tony was the Guest of Honor for Left Coast Crime 1995 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was awarded the Grand Master Award by Mystery Writers of America in 1991.
Joe Leaphorn & Jim Chee series
The Blessing Way (1970)
Finalist 1971 Edgar Award for Best First Novel
Dance Hall of the Dead (1973)
1974 Edgar Award for Best Mystery
Listening Woman (1978)
Finalist 1979 Edgar Award for Best Mystery
People of Darkness (1980)
The Dark Wind (1982)
The Ghostway (1984)
Skinwalkers (1986)
1988 Anthony Award for Best Mystery
Finalist 1987 Macavity Award for Best Novel
A Thief of Time (1988)
1989 Macavity Award for Best Novel
Finalist 1989 Edgar Award for Best Mystery
Finalist 1989 Anthony Award for Best Mystery
Talking God (1989)
Coyote Waits (1990)
1991 Nero Award
Sacred Clowns (1993)
Finalist 1994 Anthony Award for Best Mystery
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) |
