Books set in Montana

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September 27, 2022
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Books set in Montana

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鈥攖heir 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鈥攍ike 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鈥攐r 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鈥攂ooks where setting itself is one of the strongest characters.

compiled a list of books set in Montana from . 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.

Hattie Big Sky (Hattie, #1)

- Rating: 4.00 (17,830 ratings)
- Author: Kirby Larson
- Published: September 26, 2006
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical
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The Only Good Indians

- Rating: 3.72 (51,804 ratings)
- Author: Stephen Graham Jones
- Published: July 14, 2020
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook
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Cloudmaker

- Rating: 3.96 (197 ratings)
- Author: Malcolm Brooks
- Published: March 9, 2021
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction
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The Horse Whisperer

- Rating: 3.83 (55,478 ratings)
- Author: Nicholas Evans
- Published: September 11, 1995
- Genres: Fiction, Romance, Animals, Horses
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Montana 1948

- Rating: 3.86 (13,301 ratings)
- Author: Larry Watson
- Published: January 1, 1993
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Westerns, Coming Of Age
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Loose Screw (Dusty Deals Mystery, #1)

- Rating: 3.65 (2,859 ratings)
- Author: Rae Davies
- Published: March 20, 2011
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Romance
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The Moonglow Cafe (Paige MacKenzie Mystery, #2)

- Rating: 4.01 (5,049 ratings)
- Author: Deborah Garner
- Published: April 21, 2014
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Romance
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The Highway (Highway Quartet #2)

- Rating: 3.89 (14,558 ratings)
- Author: C.J. Box
- Published: July 30, 2013
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime
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A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

- Rating: 4.18 (24,845 ratings)
- Author: Norman Maclean
- Published: January 1, 1976
- Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, Literature
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When the Circus Came to Town

- Rating: 3.78 (126 ratings)
- Author: Laurence Yep
- Published: December 1, 2001
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Juvenile
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The Cloud Chamber

- Rating: 3.78 (339 ratings)
- Author: Joyce Maynard
- Published: May 31, 2005
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age
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Wildlife

- Rating: 3.71 (3,460 ratings)
- Author: Richard Ford
- Published: January 1, 1990
- Genres: Fiction, Novels, Literary Fiction, American
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Cold Fear (Tom Reed and Walt Sydowski, #2)

- Rating: 4.08 (8,765 ratings)
- Author: Rick Mofina
- Published: July 1, 2001
- Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense
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The Kidnapped Christmas Bride (Taming of the Sheenans #3; A Marietta Christmas #5))

- Rating: 4.17 (1,393 ratings)
- Author: Jane Porter
- Published: November 25, 2014
- Genres: Romance, Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary
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A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

- Rating: 3.87 (17,564 ratings)
- Author: Michael Dorris
- Published: January 1, 1987
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
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The Last Crossing

- Rating: 3.86 (3,372 ratings)
- Author: Guy Vanderhaeghe
- Published: January 1, 2002
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Westerns, Canada
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Sweet Montana Sky (Sweet Montana, #1)

- Rating: 4.12 (842 ratings)
- Author: Lisa Mondello
- Published: June 19, 2017
- Genres: Romance, Amazon, Contemporary, Novella
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Bij zonsondergang

- Rating: 4.12 (34,548 ratings)
- Author: Nora Roberts
- Published: May 30, 2017
- Genres: Romance, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Fiction
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Christmas at Copper Mountain (Taming of the Sheenans #1, Copper Mountain Christmas #4)

- Rating: 3.93 (2,756 ratings)
- Author: Jane Porter
- Published: November 29, 2013
- Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary
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Faithful (Faithful, #1)

- Rating: 3.56 (1,042 ratings)
- Author: Janet Fox
- Published: May 1, 2010
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Romance
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The Miseducation of Cameron Post

- Rating: 4.06 (49,406 ratings)
- Author: Emily M. Danforth
- Published: February 7, 2012
- Genres: LGBT, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary
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Carry Me Home

- Rating: 4.38 (360 ratings)
- Author: Janet Fox
- Published: August 24, 2021
- Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Childrens
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Montana Gothic

- Rating: 4.09 (32 ratings)
- Author: Dirck Van Sickle
- Published: January 1, 1979
- Genres: Horror, Westerns, Fiction, Weird Fiction
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Montana Cherries (The Wildes of Birch Bay, #1)

- Rating: 4.18 (4,608 ratings)
- Author: Kim Law
- Published: July 28, 2015
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit
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A Copper Mountain Christmas (Copper Mountain Christmas #1,2,4)

- Rating: 4.17 (92 ratings)
- Author: Jane Porter
- Published: December 4, 2013
- Genres: Christmas, Romance, Contemporary, Westerns
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Fourth of July Creek

- Rating: 3.82 (14,626 ratings)
- Author: Smith Henderson
- Published: May 27, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook
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Cloud Chamber

- Rating: 3.67 (624 ratings)
- Author: Michael Dorris
- Published: January 1, 1997
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Family, Novels
-

Missing Okalee

- Rating: 4.03 (177 ratings)
- Author: Laura Ojeda Melchor
- Published: September 7, 2021
- Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult
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Helltracks

- Rating: 3.58 (12 ratings)
- Author: William F. Nolan
- Published: November 1, 1991
- Genres: Horror, Fiction
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Montana Darling (Big Sky Mavericks, #3)

- Rating: 4.23 (949 ratings)
- Author: Debra Salonen
- Published: January 7, 2015
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Amazon
-

The Last Exit to Normal

- Rating: 3.84 (1,151 ratings)
- Author: Michael Harmon
- Published: January 1, 2008
- Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Realistic Fiction, Teen
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The Home Place

- Rating: 3.54 (1,910 ratings)
- Author: Carrie La Seur
- Published: July 29, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Family, Westerns
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English Creek

- Rating: 4.11 (5,193 ratings)
- Author: Ivan Doig
- Published: January 1, 1984
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Westerns, Historical
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Ledfeather

- Rating: 4.05 (394 ratings)
- Author: Stephen Graham Jones
- Published: August 10, 2008
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Westerns
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Book of the Little Axe

- Rating: 3.89 (2,144 ratings)
- Author: Lauren Francis-Sharma
- Published: May 12, 2020
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Feminism
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Letters from Yellowstone

- Rating: 3.73 (1,349 ratings)
- Author: Diane Smith
- Published: June 1, 1999
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Nature, Historical
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Home to Montana

- Rating: 3.96 (73 ratings)
- Author: Charlotte Carter
- Published: January 1, 2013
- Genres: Love Inspired, Romance, Christian, Harlequin
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On the Night Plain

- Rating: 3.56 (135 ratings)
- Author: J. Robert Lennon
- Published: January 1, 2001
- Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction
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Montana Mustangs

- Rating: 4.08 (77 ratings)
- Author: Danica Winters
- Published: May 6, 2013
- Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Mythology
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Buddy Is a Stupid Name for a Girl

- Rating: 3.83 (212 ratings)
- Author: Willo Davis Roberts
- Published: March 1, 2001
- Genres: Realistic Fiction, Juvenile, Young Adult, Mystery
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Rock Springs

- Rating: 4.07 (5,184 ratings)
- Author: Richard Ford
- Published: January 1, 1987
- Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literature, Literary Fiction
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Montana Sky

- Rating: 4.09 (46,484 ratings)
- Author: Nora Roberts
- Published: March 12, 1996
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romantic Suspense
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Max the Mighty (Freak The Mighty #2)

- Rating: 3.94 (2,931 ratings)
- Author: Rodman Philbrick
- Published: April 1, 1998
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Adventure
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No One Needs to Know (Made in Montana, #5)

- Rating: 3.69 (121 ratings)
- Author: Debbi Rawlins
- Published: March 19, 2013
- Genres: Romance, Harlequin Blaze, Contemporary Romance, Fiction
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I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 (I Survived, #17)

- Rating: 4.22 (2,298 ratings)
- Author: Lauren Tarshis
- Published: September 25, 2018
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Fiction, Childrens
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On a Snowy Christmas Night (Made in Montana, #3)

- Rating: 3.90 (157 ratings)
- Author: Debbi Rawlins
- Published: November 13, 2012
- Genres: Romance, Christmas, Harlequin Blaze, Contemporary Romance
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Legends of the Fall

- Rating: 4.06 (10,644 ratings)
- Author: Jim Harrison
- Published: January 1, 1979
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Westerns, Short Stories
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When the Sergeant Came Marching Home

- Rating: 3.75 (117 ratings)
- Author: Don Lemna
- Published: January 1, 2008
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Historical
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Anywhere with You (Made in Montana #10)

- Rating: 3.70 (50 ratings)
- Author: Debbi Rawlins
- Published: February 10, 2015
- Genres: Harlequin, Romance
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