Chris Offutt Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Chris Offutt is a published author of fiction known for writing mystery stories and nonfiction.

The author started his life on August 24, 1958, in Lexington, Kentucky. He has since developed a successful career writing fiction as well as nonfiction. Chris first began his career with the release of his collection Kentucky Straight in 1992. He would follow that up with his nonfiction book The Same River Twice in 1993, eventually writing more fiction and publishing No Heroes in 2003 and then My Father, The Pornographer in 2016, a memoir that was named the best book of the year by Publishers Weekly. His father was also a writer of science fiction.

The New York Times has deemed Chris to be a ‘fierce’ writer and their Book Review has positively appraised his work as being ‘brilliant’. Chris has been compared to other writers such as Raymond Carver and Ernest Hemingway by reviewers. He has also received awards and accolades for his work. Chris won the Whiting Writers Award in the category of ‘fiction/nonfiction’ and has also received the Fiction Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He first published a fictional novel of full length with the release of his book The Good Brother in 1997, which was released to much acclaim.

In addition to writing his own books, Offutt has worked on major television shows as a writer for various episodes. He has written episodes for True Blood, for the show Treme, for Weeds, and shorts such as 2015’s “Repeater” and “The Trapper” in 2011. Chris also wrote the television movie Tough Trade, which was released in 2010.

The Good Brother is the debut fictional novel meticulously crafted and put together by author Chris Offutt. Pick up a copy of this book and experience it for yourself!

Main character Virgil Caudill has never actively sought out trouble in his life, but sometimes you get put into situations that you never thought that you would be in. That is what Virgil is dealing with when he finds out that his rough and tumble brother Boyd is dead. Not only that, but someone murdered him. Boyd was always known for raising hell, but now Virgil is the only one left to do anything at all.

The good news is that the identity of the killer isn’t a mystery. Everyone around seems to know the person that actually did it, and so Virgil has a choice laid out in front of him. He can walk away, or he can pursue justice the good old fashioned way. Kentucky’s hills are full of people that have old school values and a murder like this would rarely go without being avenged.

Virgil is caught between a rock and a hard place and still reeling from the sudden loss of Boyd. If he chooses to let the killer go free, he’s liable to be branded a coward that won’t do the right thing by his blood. If he goes after the person that did it, he’ll potentially lose so much more. Can Virgil discover who he is and make a choice? Find out in this uniquely American work of fiction!

Country Dark is a fictional novel from Chris Offutt. Dramatic and rife with tension, this story is set in Kentucky in the rural areas stretching from the time span of the Korean War up until 1970.

Tucker is a veteran and a young man returning back from the war. He’s managed to find some work and get some cash coming in working for a bootlegger. When he falls for a young woman, he’s madly in love and they start their own family. While they may not have tons of wealth, they do have each other and their love for their family and their home.

Tucker finds himself in a unique situation when someone threatens his family, and a violent act could up end everything. Desperate to try and make it in the world of Kentucky, trying to make a living off of the land and through their ingenuity, this is a place where laborers and moonshine runners live and the social code is old and complex.

Take in all of the nuance of this one of a kind novel and check out the fresh and singularly creative literary voice of the author Chris Offutt for yourself!

The Killing Hills is an “Appalachian noir” novel by Chris Offutt featuring the main character of Mick Hardin, a vet that is on leave. He’s decided to go home so that he can spend some more quality time with his wife.

Main character Mick is an Army CID agent and a veteran of combat. He’s taken leave so that he can support his spouse, who’s pregnant and will have a baby soon. The only thing about it is that the two are not really getting along as well as he would like. Meanwhile, his sister has been promoted to sheriff. Now she’s handling her first ever investigation.

The case is murder, but the politicians locally are yammering for a new person to be assigned it. Perhaps they’re concerned that the new sheriff is too inexperienced, or perhaps it’s something else. Mick is willing to help his sister out by lending his expertise. He knows the area well and has enough experience to be more than familiar. As such, he is uniquely suited to help on the case.

He’ll let his sister look into things while quietly not raising any attention. But he’s also looking into the case more closely as it develops, as Mick can’t help but be intrigued by this case in his own hometown. He needs to speak to his wife, but with so much going on all around them and a murderer on the loose, can he trust that his family will be safe here?

Mick doesn’t know what he is supposed to do anymore. Can his sister catch a killer? Will he ever call his commanding officer back, or will Mick get sucked into this local mystery? Read this darkly compelling investigative novel to find out!

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