Books set in Nevada
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 Nevada 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.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- Author: Hunter S. Thompson
- Published: July 7, 1971
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Humor, Journalism
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The Goldfinch
- Author: Donna Tartt
- Published: September 23, 2013
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Audiobook
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Leaving Las Vegas
- Author: John O'Brien
- Published: January 1, 1990
- Genres: Fiction, Novels, Romance, Literary Fiction
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The Desert Rose
- Author: Larry McMurtry
- Published: January 1, 1983
- Genres: Fiction, Westerns, Contemporary, Humor
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The Distant Dead
- Author: Heather Young
- Published: June 9, 2020
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller
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To the Nines (Stephanie Plum, #9)
- Author: Janet Evanovich
- Published: July 15, 2003
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Chick Lit
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The Stand
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1978
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction
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The Ox-Bow Incident
- Author: Walter Van Tilburg Clark
- Published: January 1, 1940
- Genres: Fiction, Westerns, Classics, Historical Fiction
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Diamonds are Forever (James Bond, #4)
- Author: Ian Fleming
- Published: March 26, 1956
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Mystery
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Burned (Burned, #1)
- Author: Ellen Hopkins
- Published: March 28, 2006
- Genres: Young Adult, Poetry, Fiction, Contemporary
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Jake (The Seven Brothers of Elko, #1)
- Author: Raeann Blake
- Published: October 5, 2012
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Westerns, Suspense
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Harley in the Sky
- Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman
- Published: March 10, 2020
- Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Mental Health
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Lords of St. Thomas
- Author: Jackson Ellis
- Published: April 10, 2018
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
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Desperation
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1996
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy
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96 Miles
- Author: J.L. Esplin
- Published: February 11, 2020
- Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Survival, Realistic Fiction
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All the Beautiful Girls
- Author: Elizabeth J. Church
- Published: March 6, 2018
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance
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Retribution (Dark-Hunter, #19)
- Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
- Published: August 2, 2011
- Genres: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy
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Diva Las Vegas (Raven McShane #1)
- Author: Caroline Dries
- Published: November 21, 2011
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Romance
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Girlchild
- Author: Tupelo Hassman
- Published: February 14, 2012
- Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Adult, Coming Of Age
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Where We Live: Las Vegas Shooting Benefit Anthology
- Author: Mike Allred
- Published: May 1, 2018
- Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction, Anthologies
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So B. It (So B. It, #1)
- Author: Sarah Weeks
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade
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Elvis in Vegas: How the King Reinvented the Las Vegas Show
- Author: Richard Zoglin
- Published: July 23, 2019
- Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction, Biography
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Curious Minds (Knight and Moon, #1)
- Author: Janet Evanovich
- Published: August 16, 2016
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Audiobook
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Wrecked (IQ #3)
- Author: Joe Ide
- Published: October 9, 2018
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller
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Paradise, Nevada
- Author: Dario Diofebi
- Published: April 1, 2021
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Contemporary
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Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base
- Author: Annie Jacobsen
- Published: May 17, 2011
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Military Fiction
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X-Factor, Vol. 11: Happenings in Vegas
- Author: Peter David
- Published: February 23, 2011
- Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men
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Nevada
- Author: Steve Gerber
- Published: March 26, 1999
- Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comic Book
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Travis & Freddy's Adventures in Vegas
- Author: Henry Johnson
- Published: April 6, 2006
- Genres: Adventure, Juvenile
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Weird Las Vegas and Nevada: Your Alternative Travel Guide to Sin City and the Silver State
- Author: Joe Oesterle
- Published: October 1, 2007
- Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History
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As You Wish
- Author: Chelsea Sedoti
- Published: January 2, 2018
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary, Magical Realism
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Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford #1)
- Author: Kelley Armstrong
- Published: June 26, 2007
- Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Crime
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Ruby Tuesday
- Author: Jennifer Anne Kogler
- Published: April 1, 2005
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Humor, Adventure
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Camo Girl
- Author: Kekla Magoon
- Published: January 4, 2011
- Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mental Illness
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Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld, #12)
- Author: Kelley Armstrong
- Published: January 1, 2011
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Witches
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Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #17)
- Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
- Published: June 2, 2009
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Fantasy
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Overdrive
- Author: Dawn Ius
- Published: September 13, 2016
- Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Thriller
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No Place Like Home
- Author: Dee Romito
- Published: September 19, 2017
- Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
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12th of Never (Women's Murder Club, #12)
- Author: James Patterson
- Published: April 29, 2013
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller
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Still Life Las Vegas
- Author: James Sie
- Published: August 11, 2015
- Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novels, LGBT, Young Adult
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Mountain City
- Author: Gregory Martin
- Published: June 2, 2000
- Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, History
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Grind
- Author: Mark Maynard
- Published: January 1, 2012
- Genres: Short Stories, Fiction
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Wanna Get Lucky? (Lucky O'Toole, #1)
- Author: Deborah Coonts
- Published: May 1, 2010
- Genres: Mystery, Romance, Cozy Mystery, Fiction
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Happy Birthday to Me (Birthday Trilogy, #1)
- Author: Brian Rowe
- Published: April 5, 2011
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
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Neon Prey (Lucas Davenport, #29)
- Author: John Sandford
- Published: April 23, 2019
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime
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Void Moon
- Author: Michael Connelly
- Published: December 7, 1999
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller
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Nightwalker (Harrison Investigation, #8)
- Author: Heather Graham
- Published: March 31, 2009
- Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense
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The Wild One (Phantom Stallion, #1)
- Author: Terri Farley
- Published: January 1, 2002
- Genres: Horses, Animals, Childrens, Young Adult
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We Are Called to Rise
- Author: Laura McBride
- Published: June 3, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Book Club
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The Chapel Wars
- Author: Lindsey Leavitt
- Published: May 6, 2014
- Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction
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