Top 4 Books & Series for Your New Mexico Summer Reading List

Goodreads lists over 260 books that are set in the beautiful and mysterious state of New Mexico. Today, we’re going to look at 4 top rated novels and series that you should add to your New Mexico summer reading list.

1 The Mike McBride Novels by Dorothy May Mercer

The Mike McBride Series by Dorothy May Mercer is a series of five action romance novels about the adventures of a heroic detective, Lieutenant Mike McBride. The stories take place on the borders between New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. They confront the issues that are relevant to current events, including immigration, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and corruption. The Mike McBride Series novels are praised as page turners with suspense, excitement, mystery, romance, and surprises around every corner. Dorothy May Mercer is a bestselling author on Amazon, and this is her bestselling series. The titles and reading order in the series include:

1. Car 006 Responding
2. The Cocaine Chase
3. The Immigrant and the Golden Coin
4. The Cartel Wars
5. The Gang Bust

2 The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols

The Milagro Beanfiled War by John Nichols is a funny, dramatic, and intriguing novel about a hustler named Joe Mondragon. Joe starts the Milagor Beanfield War by illegally tapping into the main irrigation channel in Milagro, New Mexico. Soon the sheepmen and small farmers join him, with the beanfield becoming a symbol of the land and rights that they’ve lost. It is only the first book in the New Mexico Trilogy, followed by The Magic Journey and The Nirvana Blues. The Milagro Beanfield War is the most famous of the three and is powerful enough to stand alone.  The movie, based on the book, was filmed in Truchas, New Mexico, and directed by Robert Redford.

3 The Leaphorn & Chee Series by Tony Hillerman

The Leaphorn & Chee Series by Tony Hillerman is a collection of 18 tales about Navajo tribal police officers in New Mexico and the Southwest. Published between 1970 and 2006, these books are environmental mysteries which engage all of the senses, allowing the reader to truly experience the hot desert setting.  The environment is as essential to the tale as the characters. With so many novels, this series should keep you busy all summer long. The books and reading order of the Leaphorn & Chee Series include:

1. The Blessing Way
2. Dance Hall of the Dead
3. Listening Woman
4. People of Darkness
5. The Dark Wind
6. The Ghostway
7. Skinwalkers
8. A Thief of Time
9. Talking God
10. Coyote Waits
11. Sacred Clowns
12. The Fallen Man
13. The First Eagle
14. Hunting Badger
15. The Wailing Wind
16. The Sinister Pig
17. Skeleton Man
18. The Shape Shifter

4 The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey

The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey is about an ex-Green Beret Vietnam veteran named George Hayduke. After the war, Hayduke returns to New Mexico and discovers that commercial enterprise and industrial development are threatening the beautiful wilderness he loves. He ends up working with three other comical characters to wage war against the injustice threatening the natural ecosystem that they all love and are willing to fight for. If The Monkey Wrench Gang leaves you wondering about what happened next, grab the follow up book, Hayduke Lives!

Share Your Favorite New Mexico Novels for Our Summer Reading List

What is your favorite New Mexico novel? Share the books and series that you’d recommend for a good New Mexico summer reading list in the comments below.