It might take me 5 10? years to complete this challenge but I do like the idea of meandering my way virtually around the USA. Besides it might help me to find some new (to me) American male authors to follow, something I noticed has been lacking from my reading diet. To that end my personal twist for this challenge will be to read all new (to me) authors (though not necessarily male) who have written books set in each of the 50 states (plus one for the District of Columbia).
If you’ve a recommendation for books I should read feel free to leave a comment. If you want to participate in the challenge yourself head over to the sign-up page.
Starting in January 2014 my progress is
- Alabama – BREAKHEART HILL by Thomas H. Cook (read February 2018)
- Alaska – A COLD DAY FOR MURDER by Dana Stabenow (read January 2016)
- California – MILDRED PIERCE by James M. Cain (read December 2015)
- Colorado – A STORY TO KILL by Lynn Cahoon (read December 2017)
- Connecticut – BETTER LATE THAN NEVER by Jenn McKinlay (read December 2017)
- Georgia – ICED CHIFFON by Duffy Brown (read January 2014)
- Hawaii – THE MUSUBI MURDER by Frankie Bow (read November 2015)
- Indiana – FLIPPED FOR MURDER by Maddie Day (read October 2017)
- Louisiana – PLANTATION SHUDDERS by Ellen Byron (read September 2017)
- Massachusetts – WHAT STRANGE CREATURES by Emily Arsenault (read October 2016)
- Minnesota THE LIFE WE BURY by Allen Eskens (read April 2016)
- Mississippi – THE SECRET OF MAGIC by Deborah Johnson (read July 2016)
- Missouri – WINTER’S BONE by Daniel Woodrell (read October 2015)
- Nevada – TAHOE DEATH FALL by Todd Borg (September 2016)
- New York – VISITATION STREET by Ivy Pochoda (read January 2014)
- North Carolina – THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN by Charlie Donlea (read January 2018)
- North Dakota – SEE ALSO MURDER by Larry D. Sweazy (read October 2016)
- Oklahoma – THE LONG AND FARAWAY GONE by Lou Berney (read June 2016)
- Oregon – SCENE OF THE CLIMB by Kate Dyer-Seeley (read January 2017)
- Pennsylvania – SAVE YOURSELF by Kelly Braffet (read April 2014)
- Texas – TOO LATE TO DIE by Bill Crider (read January 2017)
- Utah – THE BISHOP’S WIFE by Mette Ivie Harrison (read June 2015)
- Vermont – THE SILENT GIRLS by Eric Rickstad (read January 2015)
Reactions to Reading 
You should try Duffy Brown’s Cycle Path mysteries for your Michigan book. The setting is
Mackinac Island. It is really good.
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For my challenge each state has to have a book by a new (to me) author so I can’t use Duffy Brown again but I will definitely be tracking down one of that series thanks Jeannie – sounds great
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For Minnesota: http://alleneskens.com/life-we-bury.php Highly recommend this one. Kept me guessing on a couple of things.
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Thanks, I haven’t found a book for Minnesota yet so I will put this one on the list
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What? No V.I. Warshawski in Chicago books on the list? Not all of them are op-ed pieces; some are fun, light mysteries. I thought you’d read some of these books in the last few years.
For Mississippi, have you read any books by John Grisham? Sycamore Row is excellent.
Then there are Attica Locke’s books set in Texas, legal mysteries. Pleasantville is good.
I’ll have to check my lists of past reading.
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Unfortunately Kathy all of those authors are ones I have read before and I’m trying to use this challenge to find new American authors to follow as I realised I don’t have many American writers, especially male writers, on my ‘must read’ list.
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I’ll look through my past years of reading to see if I find any new authors.
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OK> Here are a few ideas: The Secret of Magic by Deborah Johnson (1946, Mississippi, deals with racism)
The Long and Faraway Gone – investigation of long-ago murders in Oklahoma, contemporary
Pretty Is – several states, two women were kidnapped when children, and they’re thinking about it and piecing it together in their own minds, and some of the time period is the past. It’s not gruesome.
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Great, thanks Kathy – I’ve put the first two on hold at the library and will do so with the last one when my hold list drops a bit – I hate it when all the books come at once which invariably happens when I put too many on there 🙂
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From The Secret of Magic you’ll see the terrible racism in the South, even toward GIs.
I’ll look through my old lists of books read and perhaps my TBR lists (:sigh, will never get to them.)
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There are the Blanche White books by Barbara Neely, set in North Carolina. The main character is a domestic worker who investigates murder, but has a lot of depth, powers of observation and wit.
These books were published in the 90s, I think.
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Thanks Kathy – she’s gone on the list 🙂
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One more idea: Daniel Woodrell’s book “The Maid’s Version,” set in Missouri, a short book, I believe. Got good reviews by readers.
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