21. Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn figure prominently in several mysteries set on Navajo lands in Arizona. Who is the author of such novels as "The Blessing Way", "Dance Hall of the Dead", and "Coyote Waits"?
From Quiz My Favorite Mystery Solvers
Answer:
Tony Hillerman
Winner of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart in World War II, Hillerman wrote 18 novels featuring Chee and Leaphorn among a total of over 30 works of fiction, non-fiction, anthologies, and memoirs. His writing has gained him more than a dozen awards from mystery writing (Edgar Awards, Agatha Award, Spur Award, Macavity Award) to the 2008 Owen Wister Award for "Outstanding Contributions to the American West." Albuquerque has a library and middle school named for him. He passed away in 2008.