Anaya, Rudolfo (1937- 2020)
The Sony Baca mystery series is set in Albuquerque.
Ault, Sandi
Ault's Wild mystery series is set in New Mexico and features Bureau of Land Management agent Jamaica Wild.
Doss, James D. (1939-2012)
Doss was an engineer at Los Alamos National Lab. He wrote the Charlie Moon mystery series which features a Ute detective/rancher protagonist. Doss lived in Los Alamos and Taos.
Havill, Steven F.
Havill lives in New Mexico. He is the author of the Posadas County mysteries. Some resources split the novels into the Bill Gastner series and the Posada County mysteries; the publisher currently lists them under the series name Posadas County mystery.
Hillerman, Tony (1925-2008)
Hillerman is an award-winning author best-known for his Navajo mystery series featuring Navajo detectives Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. The books are characterized by cultural sensitivity and accuracy regarding Navajo traditions and culture. Hillerman was born in Oklahoma, and attended a boarding school for Native American girls; he was one of the few boys at the school. This experience fostered an cultural understanding of Native American traditions and life. Hillerman was a decorated combat veteran in World War II; in 1952, he moved to Santa Fe and was a journalist at the New Mexican. He credited Santa Fe, with its rich artistic tradition, of inspiring him to become serious about writing fiction. Hillerman received a master's in creative writing at the University of New Mexico and joined the UNM faculty. Hillerman's papers are at the Center for Southwest Research at UNM. The UNM University Libraries also publishes e-Hillerman: The Tony Hillerman Portal, which includes curricular materials. His daughter, Annie Hillerman, is continuing the series.
McGarrity, Michael
McGarrity is a former Santa Fe County deputy sheriff. He is the author of the Kevin Kerney series, whose protagonist is a law enforcement officer. The series often features different ares of New Mexico.
Morrell, David (1948- )
Morrell is best known for the action thriller series, Rambo.The first book in the series is First Blood (1972). Morrell moved to Santa Fe in 1986, and has published several novels set in New Mexico. Last Reveille (1977) is based on Pancho Villa's raid in Columbus, New Mexico. Extreme Denial (1996) is a spy thriller set in Santa Fe. Author's website
Page, Jake (1936-2016)
Page was an editor and writer for Smithsonian Magazine, who also wrote many popular books on the natural sciences and anthropology. In the 1980's, he became interested in Native history and culture. Page wrote an article on the theft of sacred artifacts from the Hopi. When the article was rejected by several publishers, he turned the article into a mystery novel, The Stolen Gods (1993), which became a series featuring blind sculptor Mo Bowdre and his half-Hopi girlfriend, Connie Barnes. Page lived in Corrales from the late 1980's-2004.
Satterthwait, Walter (1946- )
Satterwait is the author of the Joshua Croft mystery series, featuring a Santa Fe private detective.
Taichert, Pari Noskin
Taichert lives in New Mexico and is the author of the Sasha Solomon series, which features a public relations consultant in Albuqeruque. The series begins with the Belen Hitch.
Tepper, Sheri S. (1929- )
Tepper reportedly operates a guest ranch near Santa Fe. She has written more 30 novels in different genres, but is best known for her science-fiction/fantasy works such as The Gate to Women's Country. She has written horror under the pseudonym E.E. Horlak, and mysteries as A.J. Orde and B.J. Oliphant.
Thurlo, Aimee and David
The husband and wife team of Aimee and David Thurlo wrote more 75 novels before Aimee's death. Mystery series set in New Mexico include the Ella Clah series (features a Navajo FBI agent), the Sister Agatha series, and the Lee Nez vampire series. David continues to write and his current series is the Charlie Henry series, starting with the Pawnbroker.
Van Gieson, Judith (1941- )
Van Gieson has published two mystery series. The Claire Reynier series features an archivist at the University of New Mexico; the Land of Burning Heat is a favorite of mine. The Neil Hamel series features an Albuquerque lawyer, and two of the titles in the series, Ditch Rider and The Wolf Path, are on the list of 100 Best New Mexico Books.
Charnas, Suzy McKee (1939- )
Charnas lives in New Mexico and is a Hugo and Nebula award winning author of science-fiction and fantasy. Her classic work The Vampire Tapestry is partially set in Albuquerque and the Santa Fe Opera.
Jones, Darynda
Jones is a New Mexico native and is the author of the paranormal Charley Davidson series set in Albuquerque.
Lindskold, Jane (1962- )
Linkskold lives in Albuquerque. She has published more than 15 books of speculative fiction, and is perhaps best known for the Firekeeper Saga, also known as the 'Through Wolves Eyes' series (the title of the first book in the series).
Martin, George R.R. (1948- )
Martin is of course best-known for his Song of Ice and Fire series, the basis for HBO's megahit Game of Thrones television series. Martin lives in Santa Fe, and is active in the community. He owns the Jean Cocteau Cinema, and is a supporter of Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and Meow Wolf.
Tepper, Sheri S. (1929- )
Tepper reportedly operates a guest ranch near Santa Fe. She has written more 30 novels in different genres, but is best known for her science-fiction/fantasy works such as The Gate to Women's Country. She has written horror under the pseudonym E.E. Horlak, and mysteries as A.J. Orde and B.J. Oliphant.
Morrell, David (1948- )
Morrell is best known for the Rambo action thriller series.The first book in the series is First Blood (1972). Morrell moved to Santa Fe in 1986, and has published several novels set in New Mexico. Last Reveille (1977) is based on Pancho Villa's raid in Columbus, New Mexico. Extreme Denial (1996) is a spy thriller set in Santa Fe. Author's website
Preston, Douglas
Preston is known for his techno-thriller and bio-thriller novels, many of which have been co-authored with Lincoln Child. The Preston-Child writing team is best known for the Pendergast series, which starts with Relic. Mount Dragon (1996), written with Child, is set in New Mexico, as is. Preston's solo novel Tyrannosaurus Canyon. Preston's solo nonfiction includes works set in the southwest: Cities of Gold: A Journey Across the American Southwest in Pursuit of Coronado (1992), Talking to the Ground: One Family's Journey on Horseback Across the Sacred Land of the Navajo (1996), and The Royal Road: El Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe (1998). Author's website
Crook, Elizabeth (1959- )
Crook's 2007 novel of historical fiction, The Night Journal is set in Las Vegas, New Mexico and the Pecos pueblo. The Night Journal won a Willa award and a Spur award.
Evans, Max (1924- )
Evans, a former cowboy, is a painter and author who grew up in Lea County and lives in Albuquerque. He writes novels and nonfiction about the West, often set in northeastern New Mexico. His novels The Rounders and the Hi-Lo Country have been made into films. Evans' had two novels on 2012's 100 Best Books in NM: The Rounders and Bluefeather Fellini.
