Navajo Tribal Police - Tony and Anne Hillerman

Tony Hillerman (fair use)

Tony Hillerman, May 27, 1925 – October 26, 2008, was the author of a series of mysteries featuring Navajo tribal police. The first three books feature Joe Leaphorn. The next three feature Jim Chee. After that, both men are included in the books. The crimes are always more mysterious due to the lack of understanding between Navajo, Hopi and white people's ways of thinking. They are set in the American Southwest.

Recurring Characters of note:
Joe Leaphorn, Navajo Tribal Police
Jim Chee, Navajo Tribal Police
Bernadette Manuelito, eventual wife of Jim Chee

#1 The Blessing Way (1970)

#2 Dance Hall of the Dead (1973)

#3 Listening Woman (1978)

#4 People of Darkness (1980)

#5 The Dark Wind (1982)
The book opens with three Hopi men walking back from collecting spruce branches for a sacred ceremony. The find the body of a man, but since he is Navajo, and they do not want to disrupt their own ceremony, they do not report it. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet have been cut off the dead man. By the time the body is found it is badly decomposed.

A small plane with pilot and passenger is night flying in to an arroyo bringing a cargo of cocaine. The experienced pilot crashes. When the plane is found, both men are dead, a third man has a bullet in his back, and the drugs are missing.

This incident occurs on land that has recently been transferred to the Hopi tribe by the government. It used to be Navajo. A well was dug for the Hopi, but the windmill has been severely vandalized three times.

How are these incidents related? Jim Chee is new to this jurisdiction, and he is sent to look into only the windmill damage. But he can't help but find evidence relating to the other issues.

#6 The Ghostway (1984)

#7 Skinwalkers (1986)

#8 A Thief of Time (1988)

#9 Talking God (1989)

#10 Coyote Waits (1990)

#11 Sacred Clowns (1993)

#12 The Fallen Man (1996)

#13 The First Eagle (1998)

#14 Hunting Badger (1999)

#15 The Wailing Wind (2002)
Young and new, Officer Bernadette Manuelito finds a dead man in a pickup truck in one of the many dry arroyos of the area. Seeing no wounds, she assumes he drank himself to death like so many others have done. Her hobby is botany, and while waiting for other authorities to arrive, she collects some seeds for certain Navajo ceremonies and carries them in a cast-off tobacco tin she finds.

But the tin has ties not only to the dead man, but to an old murder, and a long lost gold mine. Chee and Leaphorn manage to get the tobacco tin re-placed at the site without getting Bernadette in trouble.

Denton Wiley had confessed to the old murder, served his time, and is still hunting for his wife who disappeared at about the same time. He engages Joe Leaphorn to try to find her. How are all these events related?

#16 The Sinister Pig (2003)

#17 Skeleton Man (2004)

#18 The Shape Shifter (2006)

After Tony's death, Anne Hillerman wrote the following books:

#19 2013 Spider Woman's Daughter (2103)

#20 2015 Rock With Wings (2015)

#21 2017 Song of the Lion (2017)

#22 2018 Cave of Bones (2018)

#23 2019 The Tale Teller (2019)

#24 2021 Stargazer (2021)

#25 2022 The Sacred Bridge (2022)

#26 2023 The Way of the Bear (2023)

#27 2024 Lost Birds (2024)

Mystery/Thriller Series - Ali Reynolds

J.A. Jance (Creative Commons)

Judith Ann Jance, born 1944, is an author of three different mystery series, all written under her own name. Alison Reynolds is the protagonist in this series. She begins the series as a news reporter for a TV station in the Los Angeles area.

Recurring characters of note:
Alison Reynolds, Ali
Edie, her mother
Bob, her father- her parents run a restaurant in Sedona
Christopher, her adult son.

#1 Edge of Evil (2006)

#2 Web of Evil (2007)
A man is left on railroad tracks in the trunk of a car where he is subsequently killed by the train. Ali passes the emergency vehicles in the middle of the night, having no idea what the commotion is. She is on her way to a meeting of all parties to finalize her divorce proceedings from Paul Grayson. Paul needs the divorce to go through because he's scheduled to marry the next Mrs. Grayson the very next day. That woman, April, is 8 1/2 months pregnant with Paul's child. But Paul does not show up for the meeting.

#3 Hand of Evil (2007)

#4 Cruel Intent (2008)

#5 Trial By Fire (2009)

#6 Fatal Error (2011)

#7 Left for Dead (2012)

#8 Deadly Stakes (2013)

#9 Moving Target (2014)

#10 A Last Goodbye (novella) (2014)

#11 Cold Betrayal (2015)

#12 No Honor Among Thieves (novella) (2015)

#13 Clawback (2016)

#14 Random Acts (novella) (2016)

#15 Man Overboard (2017)

#16 Duel to the Death (2018)

#17 The A List (2019)

#18 Credible Threat (2020)

#19 Unfinished Business (2021)

#20 Collateral Damage (2023)

Mystery Series - Donut Shop Mysteries

Jessica Beck is the author of several cozy mystery series and has been awarded many honors in the mystery field. The Donut Shop Mysteries are cozies in the most modern of terms. They have a female protagonist who owns a small shop- a donut shop, they are set in a small town, the violence and sex are played way down. This series is considered a culinary cozy set. Sprinkled throughout the book are recipes for several kinds of donuts. There is a heavy emphasis on who is dating whom. Most of the plot is dialog.

Recurring characters of note:
Suzanne Hart, owner of the donut shop
Grace, her best friend
Dorothy, Suzanne's mother

Glazed Murder (2010)
Fatally Frosted (2010)
Sinister Sprinkles (2010)
Evil Eclairs (2011)
Tragic Toppings (2011)
Killer Crullers (2012)

Drop Dead Chocolate (2012)
This book opens with everyone in town being angry with the mayor, Cam Hamilton. He has bid on a construction job, and it's clearly a conflict of interest. Dorothy storms into his office to tell him what for and comes out with the determination to collect enough signatures to file and run against the mayor in the upcoming election. But the next day the mayor is dead.

Dorothy is dating the police chief, Suzanne is dating Jake (a police officer), Grace is dating a man named Peter. The book is strongly aimed at readers who want to enjoy the relationships.

Powdered Peril (2012)
Illegally Iced (2012)
Deadly Donuts (2013)
Assault and Batter (2013)
Sweet Suspects (2013)
Deep Fried Homicide (2014)
Custard Crime (2014)
Lemon Larceny (2014)
Bad Bites (2014)
Old Fashioned Crooks (2014)
Dangerous Dough (2015)
Troubled Treats (2015)
Sugar Coated Sins (2015)
Criminal Crumbs (2015)
A Holiday Donut Steal (2015)
Vanilla Vices (2015)
Raspberry Revenge (2016)
Fugitive Filling (2016)
Devil's Food Defense (2016)
Pumpkin Pleas (2016)
Floured Felonies (2016)
Mixed Malice (2016)
Tasty Trials (2017)
Baked Books (2017)
Cranberry Crimes (2017)
Boston Cream Bribery (2017)
Cherry Filled Charges (2017)
Scary Sweets (2017)
Cocoa Crush (2017)
Pastry Penalties (2018)
Apple Stuffed Alibis (2018)
Perjury Proof (2018)
Caramel Canvas (2019)
Dark Drizzles (2019)
Counterfeit Confections (2019)
Measured Mayhem (2019)
Blended Bribes (2019)
Sifted Sentences (2019)
Dusted Discoveries (2020)
Nasty Knead (2020)
Rigged Rising (2020)
Donut Despair (2020)
Whisked Warnings (2020)
Baker's Burden (2020)
Battered Bluff (2020)
The Hole Truth (2021)
Donut Disturb (2021)
Wicked Wedding Donuts (2021)
Donut Hearts Homicide (2022)
Jelly-Filled Justice (2022)
The Last Donut (2023)

Mystery Series - The Secrets of Heathersleigh Hall

Michael Phillips

Michael Phillips has written over 100 books, including Christian fiction and various scholarly works on the Scottish author George MacDonald. The Heathersleigh Hall series is categorized as mystery, but the mystery is rather thin, although the books are well written. They are set in England in the late 1800s and early 1900s, following the Rutherford family for several generations. The mystery is laid out right in the beginning when a set of twins is born in 1829.

However, most of the action in the books cover the lives of the children and grandchildren of those twins. A lot of emphasis is placed on Christian living, although the books are well-written enough that they don't become sermonizing. But the books are more about the interactions of the family members than they are about solving a mystery. The books so accurately reflect attitudes of the era, so much so that Phillips received criticism from some women for various passages in the book. As he points out in introductions, prefaces, etc... his goal was to make the characters true to the time period, a I think he has done so.

Recurring Characters of note
Charles Rutherford, Lord of Heathersleigh Hall
Jocelyn, his wife
George, their sone
Amanda, their daughter
Catharine, their daughter
Gifford Rutherford, Charles' cousin, son of the other twin
Gregory Rutherford, Gifford's son
Bobby McFee, gardner
Maggie McFee, his wife
Timothy Diggersfeld, a pastor

#1 Wild Grows the Heather in Devon (1998)
The book begins with the birth of twins in 1829 and a secret which remains hidden for three generations.

Jumping to the 1890s and early years of Charles and Jocelyn's marriage, he is a member of the House of Commons. Jocie has never come to terms with a large red birthmark on her face. Charles becomes a Christian, and soon Jocie joins the faith. Their son George readily accepts their new lifestyle, but Amanda does not like the changes in her family which she considers to be too restrictive for the life she wants to live.

Cousin Gifford visits, demanding that they find an old Bible, but no one alive has ever seen it

This is all set in the backdrop of the political conditions of Britain and Europe prior to World War I. Amanda rebels from her family and goes to London to join the suffragette movement.

#2 Wayward Winds (1999)
Amanda is taken in by the Pankhurts and becomes embroiled in the suffragette movement. Charles, although he has resigned from Parliament, is still a well-known figure in England, especially as he and George work together to electrify rural England. Charles is recruited by a nebulous movement called the "Fountain of Light." But he resists, sensing that their motives are more subversive than noble.

Meanwhile, Amanda realizes that she is being used because of her name. She leaves the Pankhursts, only to be sucked into one of the secret groups who are also using her, although she is still too rebellious and angry to see it.

She leaves London to travel to Europe and is actually in Austria when WWI breaks out.

#3 Heathersleigh Homecoming (1999)
This is my favorite of the four books, mostly because I prefer intrigue and action to long passages about what the characters are thinking. It's mostly about Amanda

Amanda has become seriously entangled with a group that is plotting against the Allies. She finally realizes this and plans an escape. She makes it as far as Switzerland where she is protected by a group of women who are not attached to a church as a convent would be, but they challenge her to spiritually examine her life in ways she was never before ready to hear.

Charles is called back into service of the Navy, and George is stationed on the same ship.

#4 A New Dawn Over Devon (2001)
Although WWI continues, it is very far away from Heathersleigh Hall. Many changes come to the manor and the village. Telling very much about this book and period of their lives would definitely be a spoiler for the rest of the series.

The secret surrounding the twins' birth, three generations in the past, is brought to light and it has ramifications for them all.

Cousin Gifford, his wife Martha, and son Geoffrey are important characters.

Mystery Series - Fethering (Carole Seddon)

Simon Brett (photo by Nigel Cull)

Simon Brett is a British writer with five series to his credit. The Fethering series is set in the fictional town of Fethering in the south of Sussex, England. They are written in the style of the "Golden Age" mysteries. Anyone who enjoys classic Brit mysteries will enjoy this series. Brett has a strong grasp of the convoluted emotions of his characters. The primary sleuth in this series is Carole Seddon, a somewhat insecure middle-aged woman who is very good at seeing the weaknesses in others, but not so much in herself.

Recurring Characters
Carole Seddon, a middle-aged retired public servant
Jude (presumably Judith), her friend and fellow sleuth, a "healer."

#1 The Body on the Beach (2000)
#1 Death on the Downs (2001)
#3 The Torso in the Town (2002)
#4 Murder in the Museum (2003)
#5 The Hanging in the Hotel (2004)

#6 The Witness at the Wedding (2005)
Carole Seddon's son Stephen is getting married. His fiance is a young woman called Gaby, although her given name is Pascale. Carole immediately likes Gaby, but the girl's family is something else again.

The mother is practically unable to cope with life and faints at anything stressful. Her father is much older, a giant of a man, and deaf besides. Adding extra strain to the usual meetings and planning associated with weddings, Stephen wants to include his father David. Carole is not interested in resuming any sort of relationship with her ex-husband, but she is too formal to admit it.

Adding to this difficult situation is the hint of a thirty-year old murder. Then the current murders begin.

#7 The Stabbing in the Stables (2006)
#8 Death Under the Dryer (2007)
#9 Blood at the Bookies (2008)
#10 The Poisoning at the Pub (2009)
#10 The Shooting in the Shop (2010)
#12 Bones Under the Beach Hut (2011)
#13 Guns in the Gallery (2011)
#14 Corpse on the Court (2012)
#15 The Strangling on the Stage (2013)
#16 The Tomb in Turkey (2014)
#17 The Killing in the Cafe (2015)
#18 The Liar in the Library (2017)
#19 The Killer in the Choir (2019)
#20 Guilt at the Garage (2020)
#21 Death and the Decorator (2022)

Mystery Series - J.P. Beaumont

J.A. Jance (Creative Commons)

Judith Ann Jance, born 1944, is an author of three different mystery series, all written under her own name. The Beaumont series features Jonas Piedmont Beaumont, a police detective from Seattle.

The Beaumont and Joanna Brady series converge in Partner in Crime and in Fire and Ice.
#1 Until Proven Guilty (1985)
#2 Injustice for All (1986)
#3 Trial by Fury (1986)
#4 (nominated for: 1987
#5 Taking the Fifth (1987)
#6 Improbable Cause (1987)
#7 A More Perfect Union (1988)
#8 Dismissed with Prejudice (1989)
#9 Minor in Possession (1990)
#10 Payment in Kind (1991)
#11 Without Due Process (1993)
#12 Failure to Appear (1994)

#13 Lying in Wait (1995)

J.P.'s grandfather, from whom he gets the Piedmont name, has recently died. He is attempting to pay more attention to his grandmother.

A horrific death in a fishing boat fire turns out to be a torture murder, and the widow is a woman J.P. attended school with. Else was a cheerleader when he was a basketball player. Also living at the fishing marina is a man named Alan Torvaldsen, who was also a classmate. The dead man is Guntar Gebhardt, whose father was an S.S. officer in World War II. Guntar quietly honored his father's memory with a secret collection of toy German soldiers.

But when a woman on a nearby island dies in a similar manner, all previous conclusions seem to be wrong.

This is a fast-paced book with twists and turns at ever juncture.

#14 Name Withheld (1997)
#15 Breach of Duty (1999)
#16 Birds of Prey (2002)
#17 Partner in Crime (2003)
#18 Long Time Gone (2005)
#19 Justice Denied (2007)
#20 Fire and Ice (2009)
#21 Betrayal of Trust (2011)
#22 Ring in the Dead (novella, 2013)
#23 Second Watch (2013)
#24 Stand Down (novella, 2015)
#25 Dance of the Bones (2015) (Brandon Walker crossover)
#26 Still Dead (novella, 2017)
#27 Proof of Life (2017)
#28 Sins Of The Fathers (2019)
#29 Nothing to Lose (2022)
#130 Den of Iniquity (2024)

Mystery Series - Anna Pigeon

Nevada Barr (Creative Commons license)

Nevada Barr, born 1952, is best known for her Nevada Barr series of mysteries set in various US National Parks and Historic Sites. The book series grew out of personal knowledge, as Barr worked as a ranger early in her life. With a background in theater, she pulled together the critical elements to write a best-selling series.

Anna Pigeon's character evolves throughout the series, but is always involved in rough-and-tumble, serious situations. The settings make the series. These are definitely not cozies, and in fact, beginning with Burn they really morph into thrillers.

#1 Track of the Cat (1993) set in Guadalupe Mountains National Park
#2 A Superior Death (1994) set in Isle Royale National Park

#3 Ill Wind (1995) set in Mesa Verde National Park
Anna is assigned to law enforcement in the area of the Anasazi Cliff Dwellers' caves. It's a busy tourist season, and due to a housing shortage, she is sharing dorm space with some of the youngest of the staff. Between beer parties and the annoyance of southern belle Jennifer who seems so unfit to be a ranger, and Jamie the interpreter who insists she is Native, but Anna suspects otherwise, Anna is having a difficult summer. There have been an unusual number of medical emergancies, attributed to the high altitude. After one young girl dies from a severe asthma attack, Anna decides to check current records with previous years to compare the frequecy of medical evacuations.

Not only does she confirm a much higher rate in the current season, but she discovers a pattern to the emergencies. Jamie attributes it to the displeased spirits of the Anasazi who have been appearing during the nights.

Then one of Anna's favorite rangers goes missing.

#4 Firestorm (1996) set in Lassen Volcanic National Park
#5 Endangered Species (1997) set in Cumberland Island National Seashore
#6 Blind Descent (1998) set in Carlsbad Caverns National Park
#7 Liberty Falling (1999) set in Statue of Liberty National Monument
#8 Deep South (2000) set in Natchez Trace Parkway
#9 Blood Lure (2001) set in Glacier National Park
#10 Hunting Season (2002) set in Natchez Trace Parkway
#11 Flashback (2003) set in Dry Tortugas National Park
#12 High Country (2004) set in Yosemite National Park
#13 Hard Truth (2005) set in Rocky Mountain National Park
#14 Winter Study (2008) set in Isle Royale National Park
#15 Borderline (2009) set in Big Bend National Park

#16 Burn (2010) set in New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
A house fire is watched by a young mother, and she believes her two daughters have died in the blaze. Then she learns that they are not dead, but she is under suspicion for setting the fire. She goes on a mission to find the girls while remaining on the run.

Anna is on leave after the traumatic events of Borderline which was supposed to be a respite in itself. She's in New Orleans and living in the cottage of a friend. A young punk named Jordan turns out to be one of her neighbors. The boy seems to be involved in voodoo and other strange practices.

#17 The Rope (2012) set in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
#18 Destroyer Angel (2014) set in Superior National Forest
#19 Boar Island (2016) set in Acadia National Park