Have you heard of Jim Chee?

Tony Hillerman

You must get to know him!
Navajo Tribal police officer Jim Chee, along with Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, is a fictional character in the breathtaking mystery novels of the great writer Tony Hillerman.

I discovered these two guys the first time I visited New Mexico. I immediately bought most of Hillerman's books available to take home to Milan for my cold winter months. It was a way to keep close to the land I love while working like a maniac 24/7.

Luckily Hillerman wrote many books, enough to keep me hooked for a while. His books taught me a lot about the Navajo culture. They intrigued me so much that I started searching for more. It's an endeavor that never ends, believe me.

What really captured me were his meticulous descriptions of the Southwestern terrain. You can feel his passion for this special area in every line he wrote. It was like looking at a great picture and feeling part of it.

During my summers in the Southwest I traveled a lot. I love going off the beaten tracks. And suddenly I "saw" all the places so well described by Hillerman! The arroyos, the barren land, creeks and dry winds, and what he calls  

 "big country with long views and a wealth of empty spaces".

Wouldn't this be the perfect tagline for a tourism campaign? It's true that in some famous spots, like the Grand Canyon, emptiness is not an option. But still, many are those where one can feel it.

So, I invite all of you to grab a Hillerman book, and then go! Go out in the vast Southwestern space and look for the kind of places he describes so well! Following mysteries and murders you will be taken on a fantastic journey of the Four Corners area, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
But what's even most important, you will learn about the local Native cultures because the big genius Hillerman guides to the solution of any of his intriguing cases by taking the reader by hand through the interpretation of that highly complicated and rich culture. Is there a better way to learn?
To be fare, although one often links the author to the Navajos, he also wrote books about Hopis, Zunis, and Pueblos tribes. Therefore, depending on where you travel, pick the book that is right for the place you visit.

Adam Beach

Last night I finally watched one of the few movies based on one of Hillerman's books: Skinwalkers. Thank you Robert Redford for producing it! What a trip! Here you see the land, the medicine men, sandpaintings in the makings, and of course my beloved Jim Chee, played by Adam Beach.

A scene from Skinwalkers with Wes Study (Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn)
and Adam Beach (Navajo detective Jim Chee)

There is a Tony Hillerman Library in Albuquerque, N.M. This is the Facebook page for some updates on events that remember the fascinating writer: http://www.facebook.com/HillermanLibrary?ref=ts