Reading order · 18 books · 1970 to 2006 · Set in Window Rock, Arizona
Leaphorn and Chee Books in Order
Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police work cases across the vast Navajo Nation in the American Southwest. Leaphorn is a sceptical, logical veteran; Chee is a young officer studying to become a traditional healer. Rich in the landscape and culture of the Navajo people.
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Series facts
- Books
- 18
- Published
- 1970 to 2006
- First book
- The Blessing Way
- Latest
- The Shape Shifter (2006)
- Setting
- Set in Window Rock, Arizona
The reading order
Every Leaphorn and Chee book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
18 books · Set in Window Rock, Arizona
- 1The Blessing Way1970With Joe LeaphornLieutenant Joe Leaphorn investigates the death of a young Navajo man found in a remote place with sand in his mouth, and rumours of a witch.Buy on Amazon
- 2Dance Hall of the Dead1973With Joe LeaphornA Zuni boy is murdered and his Navajo friend has disappeared, and Leaphorn has to track the missing boy across two peoples’ lands.Buy on Amazon
- 3Listening Woman1978With Joe LeaphornAn old man and a teenage girl are murdered at a remote home, while a blind healer, the Listening Woman, was nearby.Buy on Amazon
- 4People of Darkness1980With Jim CheeA wealthy woman hires Officer Jim Chee to recover a stolen box of keepsakes, and the trail leads to an oil field explosion years before.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Dark Wind1982With Jim CheeOfficer Jim Chee is sent to watch over a vandalised windmill on Hopi land, and becomes caught up in a plane crash, a missing drug shipment and a body in the desert.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Ghostway1984With Jim CheeA Navajo man is shot in a car park in Shiprock, and Chee’s search for a missing girl takes him all the way to Los Angeles.Buy on Amazon
- 7Skinwalkers1986With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeSomeone fires a shotgun into Officer Jim Chee’s trailer, and Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is investigating three murders that seem connected.Buy on Amazon
- 8A Thief of Time1988With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeAn anthropologist disappears near an ancient Anasazi site, and the case takes Leaphorn and Chee into the world of thieves who loot ancient pottery.Buy on Amazon
- 9Talking God1989With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeLeaphorn investigates a body found by railway tracks, and Chee arrests a man who dug up a grave.Buy on Amazon
- 10Coyote Waits1990With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeChee’s friend, a fellow officer, is killed in a burning patrol car, and an old shaman found nearby with a bottle of whisky is arrested.Buy on Amazon
- 11Sacred Clowns1993With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeA ceremonial clown is murdered in front of a crowd during a ceremony at a pueblo, and Chee is also searching for a runaway boy.Buy on Amazon
- 12The Fallen Man1996With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeA skeleton is found on the peak of Ship Rock, the remains of a climber missing for eleven years.Buy on Amazon
- 13The First Eagle1998With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeA Hopi poacher is found standing over the body of a murdered Navajo police officer, and the case is tangled with research into a deadly plague.Buy on Amazon
- 14Hunting Badger1999With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeRobbers raid a casino on Ute land, and Chee and the retired Leaphorn are drawn into the manhunt.Buy on Amazon
- 15The Wailing Wind2002With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeOfficer Bernadette Manuelito finds a dead man in a pickup truck, and the case takes Leaphorn back to an old mystery that has haunted him.Buy on Amazon
- 16The Sinister Pig2003With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeA man is found dead in the gas fields of the Jicarilla Apache reservation, and Bernadette Manuelito, now with the Border Patrol, finds herself in danger.Buy on Amazon
- 17Skeleton Man2004With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeA diamond turns up at a pawn shop, and leads back to a plane crash in the Grand Canyon decades before.Buy on Amazon
- 18The Shape Shifter2006With Joe Leaphorn and Jim CheeThe retired Leaphorn sees a photograph of a rare Navajo blanket that was supposedly destroyed in a fire, and cannot let it go.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Blessing Way. Leaphorn leads the first three books and Chee the next three, and from Skinwalkers onwards they work together.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Joe Leaphorn | Jim Chee | Captain Largo | Louisa Bourebonette | Bernadette Manuelito | Emma Leaphorn | Mary Landon | Frank Sam Nakai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Blessing Way | LLead | ·Minor | ||||||
| 2 Dance Hall of the Dead | LLead | ·Minor | ||||||
| 3 Listening Woman | LLead | ·Minor | ||||||
| 4 People of Darkness | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||||
| 5 The Dark Wind | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 6 The Ghostway | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 7 Skinwalkers | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 8 A Thief of Time | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 9 Talking God | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | |||||
| 10 Coyote Waits | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 11 Sacred Clowns | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 12 The Fallen Man | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 13 The First Eagle | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 14 Hunting Badger | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||
| 15 The Wailing Wind | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||
| 16 The Sinister Pig | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 17 Skeleton Man | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 18 The Shape Shifter | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Leaphorn and Chee books
9 characters from Tony Hillerman’s chart, with the number of Leaphorn and Chee books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Joe LeaphornNavajo Tribal Police lieutenant, later retired | 15 | The Blessing Way 1970 |
| Jim CheeNavajo Tribal Police officer studying to be a healer | 15 | People of Darkness 1980 |
| Captain LargoChee’s commanding officer | 14 | The Dark Wind 1982 |
| Louisa BourebonetteProfessor and Leaphorn’s companion | 7 | Coyote Waits 1990 |
| Bernadette ManuelitoOfficer, later Chee’s wife | 7 | The Fallen Man 1996 |
| Emma LeaphornJoe’s wife | 5 | The Blessing Way 1970 |
| Mary LandonTeacher and Chee’s girlfriend | 4 | People of Darkness 1980 |
| Frank Sam NakaiChee’s uncle, a traditional healer | 4 | People of Darkness 1980 |
| Janet PeteLawyer and Chee’s girlfriend | 4 | Talking God 1989 |