Kevin's Watch

Lucrative New Mexico mystery author Tony Hillerman died in an Albuquerque hospital of heart problems at 83 Sunday. The popular writer with close to 30 books in print set in Navajo and/or Hopi lands was also a former reporter, editor and prof. of Journalism at UNM. Two of his books: Coyote Waits and A Thief of Time were made into movies for PBS by Robert Redford--his famous character was Lt. Jim Chee. Skinwalkers was my favorite...

Sad, huh? I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I really liked Hillerman's stuff. He was *so* good at showing that Native Americans are real people. I read in an obituary this morning that the award he won from the Navajo Nation meant more to him than all the writing awards he'd ever won....

RIP, Mr. Hillerman.