Anthony "Tony" Grove Hillerman was born May 27, 1925 in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma. He just recently passed away in October of 2008, at the age of 83, from pulmonary failure. Mr. Hillerman was a decorated veteran of World War II, winning the silver and bronze stars and a purple heart. He was discharged in 1945 and graduated with a BA from the University of Oklahoma in 1948. From 1948 to 1962 he worked as a journalist in many different jobs. While working, he obtained his Masters Degree in English from the University of New Mexico in 1966. He taught there until 1987, chairing the English department from 1976-1981.

Mr. Hillerman also wrote mystery fiction. His books centered around two Navajo tribal policeman, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, and are set in the Four Corners area of New Mexico and Arizona. His books show a great respect for the Native American people and their ways. His books often highlights the struggles and clashes between the lifestyle and religion of Native Americans and the white man. In the novels the two investigators take different views of the Native American Culture. Jim Chee is a believer, while Joe Leaphorn is the skeptical one.

Mr. Hillerman always acknowledged the fact that the idea for his series of novels came from an Australian writer, Arthur W. Upfield. Mr. Upfield, a British-born Australian, set his novels in the Australian Outback, featuring the Aboriginal tribes that populate that region. His hero was a half-Aboriginal Australian named Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte. His novels were written in the late 1920's and early 1930's.