For readers of the 1974 Edgar finalists, the authors took extra care to embed some of the reigning societal and political issues of the time into excellent mysteries and thrillers. While women’s rights were slowly advancing with the passage of Title IX (U.S., 1972) and the Equal Pay Act (Great Britain, 1970), P.D. James poked…
I recently read a quote by author Flannery O’Connor: “The best American fiction has always been regional.” When Tony Hillerman started the eponymous prize, he had no other stipulations for the entrants than that the books must be debut mysteries set in the American Southwest. In that vein, here are a few of my favorite…
Hearts of the Missing is the debut novel from 2017 Tony Hillerman Prize recipient Carol Potenza and marks the first mystery in the Nicky Matthews series. When a young woman linked to a list of missing Fire-Sky tribal members commits suicide, Pueblo Police Sergeant Nicky Matthews is assigned to the case. As the evidence leads her to…
Dark Reservations by John Fortunato is the debut mystery in the Joe Evers series about the Bureau of Indian Affairs special agent (available October 13, 2015). Bureau of Indian Affairs special agent Joe Evers still mourns the death of his wife and, after a bungled investigation, faces a forced early retirement. What he needs is…
At Mystery Fanfare, the Macavity nominees for Best Short Story discuss the importance of first lines. The home of KISS's Gene Simmons is being searched by the LAPD, because something bad may have occurred there while he and his family were away. Jon Jordan has an interview with Linda Fairstein over at Crimespree Magazine. Anne…
A Time of Change by Aimee and David Thurlo is a stand-alone romantic suspense novel (available April 9, 2013). I am a long time fan of the Aimee and David Thurlo Ella Clah mysteries. A Time of Change is a stand-alone, but like the Ella Clah novels, it is set in Navajo country in New…
A wide variety of writers and artists have been drawn to New Mexico. D.H. Lawrence spent the end of his life there, as did Roger Zelazny. Both Cormac McCarthy and George R.R. Martin live near Santa Fe—have fun picturing the two of them getting together for a bowl of green chile stew. N. Scott Momaday,…
In my search for novels featuring Native American characters, I was given the opportunity to read Black Thunder, by Aimee and David Thurlo. While it is the sixteenth novel in the mystery series featuring Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah, it was my first book in the series. I am an avid reader of Native…
