Leaphorn and Chee Books in Order
There are 28 Leaphorn and Chee books, published between 1970 and 2025. The first book is The Blessing Way (1970) and the newest is Shadow of the Solstice (2025). One more title is announced: Bloodline: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.
Also searched as Leaphorn & Chee.
- Books
- 28 + 1 announced
- Published
- 1970–2025
- Confirmed
- 29 of 29 titles
- Pages on record
- 7,076 in 22 of 29 books
- Reading time
- 118–177 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 7,076 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 22 of 29 titles with a page count on record.
Leaphorn and Chee is a police procedural series about two Navajo officers, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, working reservation cases. The Blessing Way (1970) opens a run of 29 catalogued books that reaches Shadow of the Solstice, with Bloodline: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel dated 2027. Tony Hillerman is the author of record, and Anne Hillerman is credited on 11 titles. Navajo life, murder and Indian reservation police fill the subject tags.
How many Leaphorn and Chee books are there?
Leaphorn and Chee has 28 published books, released between 1970 and 2025. One more, Bloodline: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel (2027), is announced.
Leaphorn and Chee Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 29 Leaphorn and Chee books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119703044/4
- 219732724/4
- 319782894/4
- 419803364/4
- 519823044/4
- 619842904/4
- 719863034/4
- 819883524/4
- 919894164/4
- 1019903524/4
- 1119923204/4
- 1219963024/4
- 1319983194/4
- 1419993344/4
- 152002–4/4
- 162003–4/4
- 1720043364/4
- 1820062764/4
- 192013–3/4
- 2020153843/4
- 2120172913/4
- 2220183203/4
- 2320193203/4
- 2420213363/4
- 2520223203/4
- 262023–3/4
- 272024–3/4
- 282025–3/4
- 292027–3/4
Do you have to read Leaphorn and Chee books in order?
You should read the Leaphorn and Chee books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Leaphorn and Chee book also stands alone.
Where to start with Leaphorn and Chee
Start with The Blessing Way (1970), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Leaphorn and Chee book?
Shadow of the Solstice (2025) is the newest Leaphorn and Chee book released so far.
Is there a new Leaphorn and Chee book coming?
Yes. Bloodline: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel (2027) is the next Leaphorn and Chee book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.
Awards Leaphorn and Chee has won
Wikidata records 4 awards for Leaphorn and Chee. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Nero Award1991Wonfor Coyote Waits
- Macavity Awards1989Wonfor A Thief of Time
- Anthony Award for Best Novel1988Wonfor Skinwalkers
- Edgar Awards1974Wonfor Dance Hall of the Dead
Leaphorn and Chee at a glance
- Still running
- Leaphorn and Chee is still running. Bloodline: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel is announced for 2027.
- Release pace
- Leaphorn and Chee books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 7,076 pages across the 22 of 29 books with a recorded length, a median of 320 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Leaphorn and Chee books, 6 of 29, were published in the 1980s.
- Corroboration
- 18 of the 29 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
- Attribution
- Of the 29 titles, 18 are credited to Tony Hillerman and 11 to Anne Hillerman.
What the Leaphorn and Chee books are about
26 of the 29 Leaphorn and Chee books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: navajo indians is tagged on 21 of 26. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Navajo Indians 21 of 26 books
- Jim Chee (Fictitious character) 19 of 26 books
- Police 19 of 26 books
- Lt. Leaphorn, Joe (Fictitious character) 16 of 26 books
- Indian reservation police 15 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective 14 of 26 books
- Chee, jim (fictitious character) 8 of 26 books
- Indians of North America 6 of 26 books
- Leaphorn, joe, lt. (fictitious character) 5 of 26 books
- Mystery & detective, police procedural 4 of 26 books
- Navajo Indians in fiction 3 of 26 books