Books set in Mississippi
Every state has its hallmark writers. Mississippi has William Faulkner and his incomparable (fictional) Yoknapatawpha County and Missouri can lay claim to Mark Twain. The state of Maine is gifted with Pulitzer winner Richard Russo and horror icon Stephen King. Rural Pennsylvania is the playground of the much-heralded (and occasionally maligned) John Updike, and when many bibliophiles think of New Jersey, they also think of Richard Ford's series of novels featuring recurring Everyman character Frank Bascombe. Illinois can lay claim to William Maxwell, Sandra Cisneros, and Adam Langer, among numerous others. And what reader can think of Washington State without contending with the sparkle-vampire yarns of Stephanie Meyer?
What makes authors like these inextricably associated with a particular state is not simply the matter of their having been born there or choosing to live there. The connection, from a writerly standpoint, is deeper than that—their work, nearly all of it, is set in "their" state.
Of course, there are certainly exceptions. Whether a writer sets a tale in the town where they went to college or spent part of their childhood—like Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" and its New England arts school setting and the almost-factual small town of Jo Ann Beard's "In Zanesville," respectively—or crafts a story that follows a social or political theme to a location they know little about but lay narrative claim to anyway, the world is rife with books known, loved, and respected that also capture the essence of place—books where setting itself is one of the strongest characters.
Stacker compiled a list of books set in Mississippi from Goodreads. Whether you're looking for a good read set in the state you call home, or you're looking to expand your curiosity with a writer you're already familiar with, we've got you covered.
You may also like: Least educated counties in Mississippi
The Help
- Author: Kathryn Stockett
- Published: February 10, 2009
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Adult
- Read more on Goodreads
The Sound and the Fury
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: October 7, 1929
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literature, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
A Time to Kill (Jake Brigance, #1)
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: January 1, 1989
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
- Read more on Goodreads
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #4)
- Author: Mildred D. Taylor
- Published: October 1, 1976
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Classics
- Read more on Goodreads
Club Dead (Sookie Stackhouse, #3)
- Author: Charlaine Harris
- Published: April 29, 2003
- Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: Best school districts in Mississippi
Light in August
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: March 12, 1932
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
Pale
- Author: Edward A. Farmer
- Published: May 19, 2020
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Race, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Author: Tennessee Williams
- Published: January 1, 1955
- Genres: Plays, Classics, Drama, Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
As I Lay Dying
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: January 1, 1930
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literature, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
- Author: Tom Franklin
- Published: October 5, 2010
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: Mississippi is the #4 state with the most people living near toxic release facilities
The Chamber
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: May 1, 1994
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Legal Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads
The Runaway Jury
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: January 1, 1996
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime
- Read more on Goodreads
The Quiet Game (Penn Cage #1)
- Author: Greg Iles
- Published: August 30, 1999
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
- Author: Fannie Flagg
- Published: January 1, 1981
- Genres: Fiction, Humor, Southern, Chick Lit
- Read more on Goodreads
Deep South (Anna Pigeon, #8)
- Author: Nevada Barr
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: Countries Mississippi imports the most goods from
The Client
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: March 1, 1993
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime
- Read more on Goodreads
Sing, Unburied, Sing
- Author: Jesmyn Ward
- Published: September 5, 2017
- Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
The Devil's Punchbowl (Penn Cage #3)
- Author: Greg Iles
- Published: June 19, 2009
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
- Read more on Goodreads
Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of a Young Black Girl in the Rural South
- Author: Anne Moody
- Published: January 1, 1968
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads
Natchez Burning (Penn Cage, #4)
- Author: Greg Iles
- Published: March 13, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: Highest-rated things to do in Mississippi, according to Tripadvisor
Losing Battles
- Author: Eudora Welty
- Published: January 1, 1970
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literary Fiction, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads
Absalom, Absalom!
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: May 1, 1936
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literature, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
The Street Lawyer
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: February 16, 1998
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Legal Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads
Freedom Summer: The Savage Season of 1964 That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy
- Author: Bruce Watson
- Published: May 26, 2010
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Race
- Read more on Goodreads
My Dog Skip
- Author: Willie Morris
- Published: January 1, 1995
- Genres: Animals, Memoir, Dogs, Nonfiction
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: Ecosystem imbalance in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area: How climate change has affected Mississippi
The Little Friend
- Author: Donna Tartt
- Published: October 22, 2002
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
The Appeal
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: January 29, 2008
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Legal Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads
Jewel
- Author: Bret Lott
- Published: January 1, 1991
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Family
- Read more on Goodreads
The Hamlet
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: January 1, 1940
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
Fay
- Author: Larry Brown
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Fiction, Southern, Southern Gothic, Gothic
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: See how Mississippi will be affected if Roe v. Wade is overturned
Many Bloody Returns
- Author: Charlaine Harris
- Published: September 4, 2007
- Genres: Vampires, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal
- Read more on Goodreads
The Most Southern Place on Earth: The Mississippi Delta and the Roots of Regional Identity
- Author: James C. Cobb
- Published: October 29, 1992
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, African American
- Read more on Goodreads
Mother of Pearl
- Author: Melinda Haynes
- Published: June 2, 1999
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads
Intruder in the Dust
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: January 1, 1948
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, American
- Read more on Goodreads
The Testament
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: February 2, 1999
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Legal Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: Best places to raise a family in Mississippi
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
- Author: John M. Barry
- Published: April 9, 1997
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Politics
- Read more on Goodreads
The Free State of Jones: Mississippi's Longest Civil War
- Author: Victoria E. Bynum
- Published: September 10, 2001
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, Civil War, American History
- Read more on Goodreads
The Collected Stories
- Author: Eudora Welty
- Published: January 1, 1980
- Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads
Sanctuary
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: January 1, 1931
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, American
- Read more on Goodreads
The Blood of Emmett Till
- Author: Timothy B. Tyson
- Published: January 31, 2017
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Race
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: What to know about workers' compensation in Mississippi
One Writer's Beginnings
- Author: Eudora Welty
- Published: January 1, 1983
- Genres: Memoir, Writing, Nonfiction, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads
Tishomingo Blues
- Author: Elmore Leonard
- Published: January 1, 2002
- Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads
The Girls in the Stilt House
- Author: Kelly Mustian
- Published: April 6, 2021
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook
- Read more on Goodreads
Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America
- Author: Mamie Till-Mobley
- Published: January 1, 2003
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Memoir
- Read more on Goodreads
The Optimist's Daughter
- Author: Eudora Welty
- Published: January 1, 1972
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Southern, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
You may also like: Highest-rated football recruits from Mississippi over the last 20 years
Joe
- Author: Larry Brown
- Published: January 1, 1980
- Genres: Fiction, Southern Gothic, Southern, Noir
- Read more on Goodreads
Dixie Divas (Dixie Divas #1)
- Author: Virginia Brown
- Published: June 1, 2009
- Genres: Mystery, Chick Lit, Fiction, Humor
- Read more on Goodreads
Mortal Fear
- Author: Greg Iles
- Published: February 1, 1997
- Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense
- Read more on Goodreads
Carnal Innocence
- Author: Nora Roberts
- Published: December 1, 1991
- Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Contemporary Romance
- Read more on Goodreads