Good News and Sad News

The Western Writers of America announced yesterday they are giving Tony Hillerman their Owen Wister Award for lifetime contribution to Western literature.  President Cotton Smith said "Tony Hillerman is truly a national treasure, bringing all of us wonderful stories of the modern West while giving us memorable glimpses of the distinctive ways of the Navajo Nation."

Hillerman's novels are set in the Four Corners area of New Mexico and Arizona with Navajo tribal police Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee as protagonists. Leaphorn was introduced in Hillerman's first novel, The Blessing Way, in 1970 and his second book in the series, Dance Hall of othe Dead, was awarded the 1974 Edgar Award for Best Novel.  He's since written 18 Leaphorn/Chee novels, the latest being Shape Shifter in 2006.

Now for the sad news, another milestone of passing. Australia's ABC News issued a press release mourning the death of investigative reporter Sandra Harvey who died of cancer at the age of 49.  Harvey was a senior investigative reporter who worked as a producer and researcher on the show "Four Corners" and authored or co-authored five books about crime and criminal investigation. She was awarded the Australian Crime Writers Association's Ned Kelly Award last year for her body of work.