Aimee Thurlo Books in Order
Explore Aimee Thurlo books in order, from Ella Clah to Copper Canyon, with short summaries, series background, and tips on where to start.
Last updated: July 4, 2026
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Publication Order
72 books
Fires Within
by Aimee Thurlo
1984
An early romance about buried hurt, strong attraction, and the emotional heat that rises when two guarded people are pushed together. The conflict is intimate, but the stakes feel high from the start.
Ariel's Desire
by Aimee Thurlo
1987
Career-focused Ariel Yarrow only expects to train a dog for Major Simon Trent's explosives unit. Working side by side with the wary officer turns into a much riskier emotional mission.
The Right Combination
by Aimee Thurlo
1988
A contemporary romance with a suspense edge, this story builds on the tension between two people who seem wrong for each other at first glance. Under pressure, they may prove to be exactly the right match.
Expiration Date
by Aimee Thurlo
1989
A ticking clock hangs over this early suspense romance. With time running short and motives hard to read, the central pair must untangle the truth before the deadline turns deadly.
Black Mesa
by Aimee Thurlo
1990
On sacred Tewa land, Navajo FBI agent Justin Makai searches for his missing friend John Romero while Kelly Ferguson comes under suspicion and attack. Ritual, rumor, and very human betrayal drive the danger.
Second Shadow
by Aimee Thurlo
1990
An early mystery from Aimee and David Thurlo, this novel follows a case where hidden motives keep throwing a second, darker shadow over the first crime. Each answer only makes the danger more personal.
Suitable For Framing
by Aimee Thurlo
1990
Being framed, or possibly framing someone else, sits at the heart of this quick suspense setup. Lies stack up fast, and the people in the middle have very little time to sort innocence from appearance.
Night Wind
by Aimee Thurlo
1991
Atmospheric and tense, this early romantic suspense uses isolation and uncertainty to keep the pressure high. The danger around the leads grows stronger as the truth starts to move.
Strangers Who Linger
by Aimee Thurlo
1991
A threat that should have stayed in the past forces two wary people into close company. Memory, suspicion, and an unresolved mystery give this early suspense romance its steady tension.
Breach of Faith
by Aimee Thurlo
1992
Trust breaks down quickly in this suspenseful romance, where betrayal matters as much as physical danger. The central couple must decide what they believe before someone else decides for them.
Shadow of the Wolf
by Aimee Thurlo
1993
A darker early suspense romance, this story blends attraction, danger, and the pull of the Southwest into a tense chase. The closer the leads get to the truth, the harder it becomes to stay emotionally guarded.
Spirit Warrior
by Aimee Thurlo
1993
This early romantic suspense leans into courage, heritage, and the fierce pull between two people under pressure. Danger from outside keeps forcing them to trust faster than either wants to.
Bearing Gifts
by Aimee Thurlo
1994
What looks like a welcome offering turns into trouble in this tightly paced suspense romance. Trust, hidden agendas, and a gift with consequences drive the danger forward.
Timewalker
by Aimee Thurlo
1994
Navajo medicine man Benjamin Two Eagles has been trapped in time for more than a century until FBI agent Julia Stevens sets him free. Their alliance becomes a race for justice across two very different worlds.
Blackening Song
by Aimee Thurlo
1995
Ella Clah returns home to investigate the murder of her father, a minister, and quickly finds her own brother under suspicion. Her search for the killer opens a wider struggle between traditionalist and modernist forces on the reservation.
Fatal Charm
by Aimee Thurlo
1995
An early romantic suspense about dangerous attraction and motives that are harder to read than they first appear. The closer the leads come to each other, the more lethal the hidden threat becomes.
Cisco's Woman
by Aimee Thurlo
1996
Laurel Brewster wants nothing to do with renegade detective Cisco Watchman, until he may be the key to finding her missing brother. Being thrown together with him is dangerous in more ways than one.
Death Walker
by Aimee Thurlo
1996
Ella Clah's second major case begins with the murders of revered cultural elders, a blow that shakes the reservation to its core. To stop the killer, she has to work between police procedure and sacred tradition.
Bad Medicine
by Aimee Thurlo
1997
Fear of Navajo witchcraft shadows Ella Clah's latest case, blurring the line between superstition and real danger. She has to follow evidence into some very old, very personal territory.
Her Destiny
by Aimee Thurlo
1997
Passing through Four Winds, Lanie Matthews is saved from a fire by Sheriff Gabriel Blackhorse and then pulled into fresh danger by a mysterious gift. Escaping the town may prove easier than escaping what it awakens in her.
Enemy Way
by Aimee Thurlo
1998
Violence on the reservation draws Ella Clah into a tense investigation where old grudges and present danger feed each other. Solving the crime means understanding how quickly neighbors can be turned into enemies.
Her Hero
by Aimee Thurlo
1998
Navajo healer Joshua Blackhorse is accused of a terrible crime, and Nydia Jim may be the only person willing to stand beside him. Together they have to save a life and prove his innocence before suspicion hardens into ruin.
Her Shadow
by Aimee Thurlo
1998
Doctor Lucas Blackhorse thinks he knows everyone else's secrets, but Marlee Smith arrives carrying wounds he cannot read. When illness and suspicion sweep through Four Winds, both her past and his heart are put on the line.
Redhawk's Heart
by Aimee Thurlo
1999
One of the Redhawk brothers is forced into close quarters with a woman whose trouble quickly becomes his own. Family duty, danger, and old emotions drive this short, tense romantic suspense.
Redhawk's Return
by Aimee Thurlo
1999
Travis Redhawk's mission is simple, protect Katrina Johnson at any cost. But the woman he once knew is no longer easy to guard from a distance, especially as her past begins to unravel.
Christmas Witness
by Aimee Thurlo
2000
A holiday setting does not make the danger any gentler in this compact romantic suspense. A key witness needs protection, and the person assigned to help may become the one risk neither of them expected.
Shooting Chant
by Aimee Thurlo
2000
Ella Clah walks a dangerous line between police work and sacred tradition in a case where cultural knowledge matters as much as evidence. The closer she gets to the truth, the more volatile the situation becomes.
Black Raven's Pride
by Aimee Thurlo
2001
Eden Maes returns to a Native pueblo to clear her family's name and protect her baby boy. Tribal cop Nick Black Raven has every reason to help her, especially once he realizes just how deeply their lives are joined.
Red Mesa
by Aimee Thurlo
2001
Ella Clah becomes the prime suspect in her own cousin's murder, a nightmare that turns her private life into public suspicion. Clearing her name means finding a killer while nearly everyone watches her every move.
Bad Faith
by Aimee Thurlo
2002
Former journalist Mary Naughton, now Sister Agatha, serves as the outside link for a struggling monastery in New Mexico. When a priest is poisoned during Mass, she has to solve the murder before scandal tears the place apart.
Changing Woman
by Aimee Thurlo
2002
Ella Clah faces a case that forces her to reckon with change in both her work and her personal life. Tradition, family, and a dangerous investigation collide in a story rooted deeply in reservation life.
Navajo Justice
by Aimee Thurlo
2002
A high-stakes Four Corners case pushes one of Thurlo's protectors into the middle of danger, divided loyalties, and a woman who needs both answers and safety. Justice here comes with a very personal cost.
Second Sunrise
by Aimee Thurlo
2002
Lee Nez is a Navajo nightwalker and a state police officer carrying a deadly secret from World War II. When skinwalkers and an old vampire enemy close in, Lee and FBI agent Diane Lopez are pulled into a brutal supernatural manhunt.
When Lightning Strikes
by Aimee Thurlo
2002
Gray Wolf agent Daniel Eagle is sent to find Hannah Jones, an apparent amnesia victim linked to missing money. As threats close in, he becomes convinced she is not the thief everyone assumes she is.
Plant Them Deep
by Aimee Thurlo
2003
Rose Destea, Ella Clah's mother, becomes the heart of this stand-alone mystery. Her traditional knowledge and careful observation prove just as important as any badge when danger comes close to home.
Tracking Bear
by Aimee Thurlo
2003
Plans for a uranium mine split the reservation, then opponents of the project begin turning up dead. Ella Clah has to find out who benefits from the killings before the fight over land becomes even bloodier.
Blood Retribution
by Aimee Thurlo
2004
Lee Nez and FBI agent Diane Lopez go after smugglers bringing jewels and silver across the border, only to find skinwalkers behind the violence. Stopping them means fighting monsters without revealing that Lee is one of a different kind.
The Spirit Line
by Aimee Thurlo
2004
This young adult novel blends Southwestern atmosphere, hidden history, and a mystery with real emotional stakes. The story follows a younger point of view into a truth the adults around them have failed to face.
Thief in Retreat
by Aimee Thurlo
2004
A theft and killing tied to a retreat setting pull Sister Agatha well beyond the monastery gates. Her reporter's instincts and stubborn patience are both needed as the case turns personal and increasingly dangerous.
Wind Spirit
by Aimee Thurlo
2004
A new investigation pulls Ella Clah into a case shaped by fear, rumor, and competing loyalties on the reservation. What begins as one mystery keeps shifting, pushing her toward a truth someone badly wants hidden.
Pale Death
by Aimee Thurlo
2005
A string of grisly deaths convinces FBI agent Diane Lopez that a vampire may be loose in the Shiprock area. Lee Nez knows the threat is real, but stopping it could expose exactly what he is.
White Thunder
by Aimee Thurlo
2005
When an FBI agent disappears after interrupting a Navajo ritual, Ella Clah is asked to find him before time runs out. The trail leads through fraud, sacred fears, and the uneasy line between outside law and reservation life.
Mourning Dove
by Aimee Thurlo
2006
What looks like a carjacking gone wrong leaves a young Navajo National Guard veteran dead. Ella Clah's search for answers turns into a painful investigation shaped by war, loyalty, and the damage people bring home with them.
Prey for a Miracle
by Aimee Thurlo
2006
After Jessica Tannen is run off the road, her daughter Natalie disappears into the night carrying a strange reputation for seeing angels. Sister Agatha hides the girl at the monastery while trying to find out who is hunting her and why.
Surrogate Evil
by Aimee Thurlo
2006
Lee Nez and Diane Lopez are pulled into a case that mixes politics, manipulation, and supernatural danger. To solve it, Lee has to protect his secrets while staying one step ahead of enemies who do not play fair.
Council of Fire
by Aimee Thurlo
2007
A member of the Brotherhood is pulled into a deadly investigation where tribal loyalties and personal feelings collide. The closer he gets to the truth, the harder it becomes to protect both his people and the woman beside him.
False Witness
by Aimee Thurlo
2007
Sister Agatha is drawn into a case where appearances mislead and key testimony may hide more than it reveals. To protect both the innocent and the monastery, she has to separate fear, faith, and fact.
Restless Wind
by Aimee Thurlo
2007
Ranger Blueeyes is sworn to protect the Navajo people, and teacher Dana Seles may hold the key to exposing a traitor. Saving her means facing danger inside the tribe as well as the growing attraction between them.
Turquoise Girl
by Aimee Thurlo
2007
A serial killer is targeting young Navajo men and women, and the pattern reaches back toward Ella Clah's own past. With her family possibly in the killer's sights, this case becomes more personal by the hour.
Coyote's Wife
by Aimee Thurlo
2008
A plan to bring satellite phone service to the reservation turns deadly when attacks begin and Navajo witchcraft seems to hover at the edges of the case. Ella Clah has to sort politics, fear, and violence before more people die.
Stargazer's Woman
by Aimee Thurlo
2008
Max Natoni is famed for his gift of finding the lost, but Kris Reynolds is a puzzle he cannot read so easily. Together they hunt a killer while desire and duty keep pulling them into deeper water.
The Prodigal Nun
by Aimee Thurlo
2008
A novice nun's arrival at Our Lady of Hope seems like a blessing until threatening messages begin to follow her. Sister Agatha has to decide whether the danger is aimed at the newcomer, the monastery, or herself.
Bad Samaritan
by Aimee Thurlo
2009
When Sheriff Tom Green is framed for murder, Sister Agatha refuses to believe the evidence at face value. To clear him, she has to untangle a careful setup and figure out who the real target was.
Earthway
by Aimee Thurlo
2009
A bomb in a university classroom nearly kills one of Ella Clah's fellow officers and seems meant for Reverend Bilford Tome. The trail leads into activism, sabotage, and a bitter fight over a proposed nuclear power plant.
Navajo Courage
by Aimee Thurlo
2009
Tribal officer Luca Nakai joins forces with detective Valerie Jonas to stop a deadly skinwalker before another victim falls. As the investigation turns stranger and more dangerous, attraction becomes another risk they cannot ignore.
The Shadow
by Aimee Thurlo
2009
Jonas Slowman has no room for emotion when he returns to the Brotherhood for a dangerous mission. Then the assignment becomes personal, forcing him to protect the woman he never truly left behind.
Alpha Warrior
by Aimee Thurlo
2010
Former warrior and small-town cop Nick Blacksheep is used to standing apart from everyone around him. When librarian Drew Simmons lands in the sights of contract killers, he becomes her protector and finds himself risking far more than duty.
Neverending Snake
by Aimee Thurlo
2010
A Navajo war hero is gunned down just as a high-stakes alternative fuel project stirs fierce debate on the reservation. Ella Clah has to solve the murder while protecting her family and deciding whether to leave home for a new job.
Black Thunder
by Aimee Thurlo
2011
A baffling death on the Navajo Nation draws Ella Clah into a case full of fear, hidden agendas, and shifting motives. The deeper she digs, the less clear it becomes whether she is hunting one killer or something more tangled.
Twilight Warrior
by Aimee Thurlo
2011
Detective Travis Blacksheep has spent years trying to outrun the past until Laura Perry returns to Three Rivers chasing a serial killer. Protecting her is dangerous enough. Facing what they once meant to each other is worse.
Winter Hawk's Legend
by Aimee Thurlo
2011
Holly Gates hides out in a snowbound cabin with Navajo security expert Daniel Hawk while a killer keeps closing in. The isolation keeps her alive, but it also makes resisting Daniel harder by the day.
Power of the Raven
by Aimee Thurlo
2012
Gene Redhouse believes in signs, but nothing prepares him for Lori Baker crashing into his life while fleeing a stalker. Keeping her alive is hard enough. Trusting the fierce pull between them may be even harder.
Secrets of the Lynx
by Aimee Thurlo
2012
Private investigator Paul Grayhorse is forced to reopen the case that destroyed his marshal career and killed his partner. Deputy marshal Kendra Armstrong needs his help, but working together puts them both directly in the crosshairs.
A Time of Change
by Aimee Thurlo
2013
Josephine Buck is shocked when the owner of the trading post she loves dies and leaves the business to her. As murder suspicion grows and Tom Stuart's son returns home, Jo learns just how many secrets The Outpost has been holding.
Falcon's Run
by Aimee Thurlo
2013
Abby Langdon refuses to abandon the ranch she built for disabled children, even after a near-fatal attack. Detective Preston Bowman is determined to keep her safe, but the more they uncover, the closer the threat comes.
Ghost Medicine
by Aimee Thurlo
2013
When former officer Harry Ute is found murdered in skinwalker country, Ella Clah takes the case personally. What begins as one killing opens into government theft, smuggled artifacts, and danger spreading across the reservation.
Homespun Christmas
by Aimee Thurlo
2013
Set in a struggling New Mexico town, this holiday story mixes community worries with a gentle romance. It leans into handmade traditions, second chances, and the small acts of hope that can change a Christmas season.
Eagle's Last Stand
by Aimee Thurlo
2014
Former FBI agent Rick Cloud comes home for a break and walks straight into an explosion. With Kim Nelson's help, he must decode a hidden message in Copper Canyon before someone kills to keep it buried.
The Pawnbroker
by Aimee Thurlo
2014
Charlie Henry and Gordon Sweeney think running an Albuquerque pawnshop will give them a quieter life. Instead, the former owner is murdered, their friend is wounded, and the new business opens onto illegal weapons, kidnapping, and deeper trouble.
Undercover Warrior
by Aimee Thurlo
2014
Erin Barrett survives a brutal attack on her company, but survival only makes her more valuable to the men behind it. Undercover agent Kyle Goodluck steps in to protect her, while trying to decide how much she really knows.
Grave Consequences
by Aimee Thurlo
2015
A silver and turquoise necklace brought into Charlie Henry's pawnshop leads to murder and grave robbery. Charlie and his friends have to find the frightened middlewoman before the people behind the theft silence her too.
Looking Through Darkness
by Aimee Thurlo
2017
Widow Leigh Ann Vance is trying to rebuild her life at Jo Buck's trading post when her late husband's partners accuse her of helping hide embezzled money. Blind sculptor Melvin Littlewater may be her best ally as old secrets turn dangerous.
Where should I start?
If you want Navajo police procedurals: Blackening Song → Death Walker → Bad Medicine
If you prefer a cozy mystery: Bad Faith → Thief in Retreat → The Prodigal Nun
If you want paranormal suspense: Second Sunrise → Blood Retribution → Pale Death
If you want romantic suspense: Winter Hawk's Legend → Falcon's Run → Undercover Warrior
If you want a modern mystery outside the Rez: The Pawnbroker → Grave Consequences
Author bio
Aimee Thurlo was born on June 1, 1951, in Havana, Cuba. She later made her life in the American Southwest, and that landscape stayed at the center of her fiction. New Mexico was not just a backdrop in her work. It was the place where her stories found their weather, their pressure, and their sense of everyday reality.
She is best known for the long writing partnership she shared with her husband, David Thurlo. Together they wrote mysteries, paranormal suspense, and romantic suspense for years, building a body of work that moved easily from police procedurals to cozier mysteries to shorter Intrigue novels. David had grown up on the Navajo Reservation and later taught school there, and that experience helped give many of their books a strong sense of place.
That partnership became the heart of her career.
A lot of readers start with Blackening Song, the first Ella Clah novel. Ella is a former FBI agent who returns to the Navajo Nation and becomes a tribal police investigator, and the series let the Thurlos explore crimes shaped by family, faith, politics, and the pull between older traditions and modern law enforcement. The books are mysteries, but they are also deeply interested in community and belonging.
The Thurlos were just as comfortable shifting tone. In the Sister Agatha novels, beginning with Bad Faith, they created a former investigative journalist turned extern nun at a struggling monastery in rural New Mexico. In the Lee Nez books, starting with Second Sunrise, they went in a very different direction, mixing police work, Navajo belief, and paranormal suspense through the story of a Navajo nightwalker who serves as a state police officer.
What ties the books together is not just plot, but outlook.
Again and again, Thurlo returned to people living between worlds. Her characters are often cops, healers, veterans, nuns, widows, or outsiders trying to decide where home really is. Even the later Trading Post novels, such as A Time of Change and Looking Through Darkness, keep that interest in healing, secrecy, and the way a whole town can be pulled into one person's trouble.
She also wrote plenty of shorter romantic suspense, including books in the Copper Canyon, Brotherhood of Warriors, and Four Winds lines. Even at category length, she liked to give readers more than a central romance. There is usually a real community around the couple, plus a sense that the land itself matters.
Aimee Thurlo died on February 28, 2014, after a brief struggle with cancer. She was 62. By then she and David had been married for forty-three years, and their books had reached readers far beyond New Mexico through translations and long-running series.
Her work is still easy to enter from several directions. Start with Ella Clah if you want grounded police mysteries, Sister Agatha if you like a quieter but sharp-edged amateur sleuth, or Lee Nez if you want something stranger. However you begin, you can see the same steady strengths, clear storytelling, strong settings, and a real interest in how people hold on to one another under pressure.
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