The Four Corners states are part of a region of spectacular beauty, solitude, and a rich diversity of landforms, ecosystems, and cultures. This is also a region of increasing population whose demands on resources, particularly water, are rapidly overtaking the land's carrying capacity—indeed, some would assert that the population has already far surpassed what is reasonably sustainable.
Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico represent this diversity of both landscape and culture. Decendents of the region's original inhabitants are represented by the various American Indian Nations, and their interactions the descendents of more recent arrivals from Europe have provided fodder for stories for generations.
Recent years have seen numerous mystery writers taking on the Indian cultures—Tony Hillerman and James Doss are perhaps the best well-known—and some, such as Rudolfo Anaya, exploring Hispanic culture.
My Four Corners Mysteries tend to focus more on the landscape and how my characters, in the process of teasing apart the puzzles they are presented with, interact with it. Mountains, deserts, canyons, all play strong roles in these novels.
Although they are meant to stand alone, so there is no particular reason to start at the beginning, the relationship of the main characters does progress through the series. The first three books together form a “mystery-thriller” trilogy and introduce the main characters; the second three are more in the category of traditional detective fiction (some people have called them police procedurals; others have called them non-traditional cozies), and they are narrated by the detective. The seventh, a "different" Four Corners Mystery, includes the two main characters from the other six in cameo roles, as does the new e-book below. More about the books and how to find them can be found here.
