Tony Hillerman is a prolific writer of mysteries. What separates him from the thousands of other mystery writers is that his novels take place in the Navajo Nation of today. He tells of the everyday, 20th century lives of the Native Americans living in this region. Hillerman continues to portray the Native American as a peaceful people, trying to make their way in the world while still harassed by outsiders. There is much to be learned in Hillermans books. There are spots of history entwined in the plot and descriptions of the landscape are lovely. With his insight, it's also evident he is a student of human nature.

In this story, a lady anthropologist disappears and soon after, grisly murders start happening. Two of Hillerman's recurrent characters, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, who are tribal policemen, become involved in solving the crimes. Chee was ready to retire after the death of his wife but decides that his wife would have wanted him to find the missing woman. One thing that Leaphorn and Chee enjoy about their job is to think of solving a crime like solving a puzzle. They approach situations differently, but they are better together than apart. They reminisce over some of their old crimes as they try to solve this one.

Native Americans call archaeologists, thieves of time, because they come to the area seeking old artifacts and parts of the Navajo history, at the same time desecrating their sacred land. They are callous thieves as they rob graves and steal old worth thousands of dollars that should be used to benefit the Native Americans. It is for this reason that the title of this book is A Thief of Time. Many fans say it is one of Hillerman's best.

The Fallen Man is a popular mystery novel that was written by the author Tony Hillerman. Like some of Hillerman’s other novels, this one has a Southwestern Navajo theme to it. Some of the characters in this book such as Lieutenant Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn are characters from other Navajo themed books that Hillerman has written in the past.

In The Fallen Man, a skeleton is found seventeen hundred feet off of the desert floor on a rock known as Shiprock. The skeleton was discovered on Halloween and the rock that it was found on is considered to be one of the holiest places of Navajo religion. Joe Leaphorn, who is an ex-policeman, suspects that the skeleton is of a missing person whose case he investigated eleven years ago. The missing person's name was Harold Breedlove, and he came up missing while on his honeymoon. Foul play is suspected when the last person to see Breedlove alive is shot. The timing of these incidents is also a clue, because Breedlove stood to inherit a mining fortune on his thirtieth birthday.

Ex-cop Joe Leaphorn joins his former colleague Lieutenant Jim Chee to help solve this case. At the time, Chee is serving on the Navajo Tribal police department while working on a cattle rustling case. Leaphorn and Chee work together and dig up other clues that point them in the direction of a conspiracy. During this investigation, another man is killed and Lieutenant Chee comes close to death himself.

Robert Crais was the creator of the fictional character Elvis Cole. He was the main character in many of the Robert Crais detective novels. Elvis claims to be the world’s greatest detective. Elvis was a U.S. Army Ranger, he served in the Vietnam and was also a security guard. He knows martial arts, Tae Kwon Do, and Tai Chi and also a little bit of Yoga.

Joe Pike is Elvis partner and they work together to solve crimes and do investigations. Joe was also in the Vietnam War. He was previously a LAPD officer and gun shop owner. Robert Crais is featured in many novels. He was in The Monkeys Raincoat, Stalking the Angel, Lullaby Town, Free Fall and 8 other classic detective novels by Robert Crais.

Elvis Cole is a fan of Disney characters. He tells his partner that he wants to be Peter Pan. His office is decorated with Disney characters. He has Mickey Mouse, Spider man, and many other statues on his desk. It’s strange to think that this detective who loves Disney so much, carries a gun on his side and is a detective in Hollywood.

Many people read Robert Crais books because they have fallen for the character Elvis Cole. Readers love to hear about his cases, his love life, his partner, and more. The books are very intense and keep you on your toes. There is love, mystery, and suspense that will just make you want to keep reading.

Robert Crais has written many novels. His first release in 1987 was The Monkey’s Raincoat. It was the first book in a series about private investigator Elvis Cole. In 1988, the book won an Anthony Award for Best First Novel and the Mystery Readers International Macavity Award for Best Paperback Original. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association has named this novel one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century. As such, is a must-read for any detective fan.

Robert’s second book in 1989 was titled Stalking the Angel. The Wall Street Journal, and The San Diego Union both gave great reviews to this novel. The San Diego Union stated that Robert Crais is one of the rising young stars of the private eye genre.

It took Robert three years to release his next book, Lullaby Town. Free Fall also came out a year later, and Voodoo River two years after that. The years 1996 and 1997 saw the releases of Sunset Express and Indigo Slam.

In 1999, L.A. Requiem was release by Crais. The Los Angeles Times claimed that Robert has created a series entry that threatens to break through the barrier. This novel is about love, friendship, power, justice, and honor. L.A. Requiem is a favorite among many of Crais' fans.

The Last Detective, The Forgotten Man, The Watchman, and Chasing Darkness have all been released in two-year increments. Crais shows no signs of stopping his string of wonderful mystery novels, so he is sure to continue with his success well into the future.

Well-known for his Navajo based police mysteries, Tony Hillerman wrote many successful novels. He was born in Oklahoma in 1925 and raised with the Pottwatomie and Seminole Indians. Tony joined the Army when he was he was just 18-years-old. While he was in the Army in World War II, he won the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Silver Star as well as the Purple Heart after he was wounded. When he got out of the Army he went to college at the University of Oklahoma where he worked as a journalist.

Tony went to the University of New Mexico and joined the journalism team there in 1966. Tony went on to write novels. The novels he wrote were written in hopes to get his readers to show respect for the Indian culture. His first novel was "The Blessings Way." This focused on the Indians and the reservations.

His second book was published in 1971 called, "The Fly on The Wall." It was about big city corruption and a political reporter. Hillerman's heart was with the Indian writings he did and the lands. The four corners and the Indian cultures was what he wanted his novels to portray. Tony was a best selling mystery writer, who brought Navajo culture into Americas reading.

Some of his best selling novels are "Sacred Clowns," "Coyote Waits" and "A Thief of Time." Tony Hillerman wrote novels about Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. The area Leaphorn and Chee were suppose to patrol was in Northern Arizona. It was called the famous hole in the ground.