Anne Hillerman, daughter of Navajo mystery writer Tony Hillerman, had big shoes to fill when she set out to write her first detective novel more than a decade ago.
But to hear her tell it, she also had unfinished business with Leaphorn and Chee, the Navajo Nation police officers who solved crimes, characters that made her father into one of the Southwest’s most treasured authors.
Hillerman will be in Pagosa Springs Sept. 13 and 14, appearing at events benefiting the Mountains of Opportunity building campaign to fund the library’s upgrade and expansion. See below for a list of events.
She recently published her ninth thriller, “Lost Birds: A Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito Novel.”
Before she continued the mystery series her father Tony Hillerman created starting in 1970, Anne Hillerman was a journalist and writer of nonfiction books.
After Tony Hillerman died in 2008, she compiled a photographic tribute to her father’s work (“Tony Hillerman’s Landscape: On the road with an American Legend”). Somewhere along the way she realized that not only were scores of people “grieving over the loss of these beloved characters and stories,” so was she.
“I had grown up with these characters and I hated to see those stories end,” Hillerman said in a recent PBS interview. “And even more than that, I hated to see the series end without there being a strong Navajo woman to be in the spotlight.”
Her first novel, “Spider Woman’s Daughter,” fulfilled that promise and more. The story pulled readers through a web of intrigue and deception and reunited them with Navajo policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. And importantly, it elevated a marginal character from her father’s stories, Bernadette Manuelito, “to be a crime solver with the guys.”
Eight more books followed, combining history, mystery, ancient lore and Southwest landscapes.
Today, Bernadette Manuelito, or Bernie, is America’s most popular Native American female law enforcement officer, according to one reviewer.
“Bernie has just such a tremendous life force,” said Anne Hillerman, who splits her time between Santa Fe, N.M., and Tucson, Ariz., with frequent trips to the Navajo Nation. “She has just kind of pulled me along through this series.”
While Manuelito is the major player in many of Anne Hillerman’s books, her latest novel, “Lost Birds,” published in April, returns the spotlight to a now-retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. He’s tracking down the birth parents of a Navajo woman adopted by non-native parents prior to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. It’s a gripping mystery that explores emotionally complex issues as Leaphorn tries to find the truth.
Places are equally important characters in Anne Hillerman’s books. Bear’s Ears National Monument in winter features prominently in “The Way of the Bear,” her previous novel, which she says is about the resilience of life.
“I like to write books that build on people’s optimism,” she said. “That’s one of the joys for me of writing fiction as opposed to my days as a journalist or writing nonfiction.”
A weekend with Anne Hillerman
Anne Hillerman events benefiting the library expansion:
• Sept. 13: Friends of the Library Movie Night, at Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library, 7 p.m.
Pick up a signed copy of “Lost Birds” and join the author to watch and discuss the first episode of “Dark Winds,” the AMC series based on several Tony Hillerman books. Anne Hillerman is an executive producer for the show. Tickets are $30 advance or $35 at the door and include wine/beer and light snacks. Join the Friends of the Library at Pagosalibrary.org.
• Sept. 14: Writers workshop at the library, 9 to 11 a.m.
Explore the writing craft with Anne Hillerman and husband Dave Tedlock, who has taught writing at Roger Williams University, Iowa State University and the Harvard Business School. The workshop is limited to 20 participants. Tickets are $25; a combo ticket, $65, includes admission to the Fireside Chat.
• Sept. 14: Ruby’s Meet and Greet with Anne Hillerman, 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., at the library.
Meet the best-selling mystery author and purchase a signed book. Anne Hillerman’s thought-provoking mysteries bring to life the terrain, people and lore of the American Southwest and Four Corners region. This event is free.
• Sept. 14: Fireside Chat, Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association Clubhouse, 230 Port Ave., 6 p.m.
Anne Hillerman will sit down with Rick Holter, a former NPR journalist who now lives in Pagosa Springs, for a live interview and conversation. Admission includes craft hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets $50 advance or $55 at the door.
All events benefit the Mountains of Opportunity campaign to upgrade and expand Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library.
Purchase tickets at Pagosalibrary.org or at the Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library (cash or check only).
