Normally thought of as a fly-over state, my home state of Iowa has been a wonderful place to grow up and then raise our three children. I love it so much that all of my novels are set here and include a mix of real and fictionalized Iowa locales. In celebration of my home state, here are 5 of my favorite Iowa-based books that include a shocking crime.
The Crime: Two young sisters disappear from their Iowa farm in the middle of the night.
Set in post-World War II, Bottomland follows the Hess family as they battle anti-German sentiment and wrangle the harsh Iowa landscape to keep their farm up and running. Their world is shattered when daughters Esther and Myrtle disappear. Have the girls run away? Have they been kidnapped? What comes next is a desperate search for the girls.
Hoover’s writing has been compared to Willa Cather (my favorite author) and I understand why. Hoover’s vivid descriptions of the stark Iowa countryside and the challenges of being an immigrant amidst suspicious neighbors is an immersive experience.
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
The Crime: There are several – I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say the revelations of the crimes are jaw-dropping.
I fell in love with Jane Smiley and her writing as a young adult. A THOUSAND ACRES was the first contemporary novel I read that featured Iowa as a setting and the first book I read that mentioned the town where I grew up – Mason City, Iowa.
A THOUSAND ACRES is a modern day reimagining of King Lear. Well-to-do farmer, Larry Clark decides to divvy up his land among his three daughters, creating a series of events that sends the once close-knit family reeling. Narrated by eldest daughter, Ginny, family secrets are uncovered, jealousies and dark intentions come to light. Set against the beauty of Iowa’s rich farmland, this book has haunted me for thirty years and is one of my go-to rereads.
ALICE’S TULIPS by Sandra Dallas
The Crime: Set in Iowa during the Civil War, newlywed Alice Bullock is accused of murder.
In ALICE’S TULIPS, Sandra Dallas brings together four of my loves: Iowa, a great mystery, historical fiction and novels written in epistolary form. Newly married, Alice Bullock finds herself on her Union Army soldier husband’s Iowa farm with only her strict and somber mother-in-law for company.
Homesick and lonely, Alice spends her time quilting and writing letters to her sister. What gradually emerges is a tale of hardship, poverty and questionable choices by a young and naïve Alice. When the body of a man is found near the farm, Alice finds herself accused of murder and finds allies in the most unexpected of places.
ELEVEN DAYS by Donald Harstad
The Crime: A series of ritualistic murders rock a small Iowa town.
ELEVEN DAYS by Donald Harstad, a sheriff’s deputy turned writer, was literally written in eleven days. Harstad used time off from work and real-life events to create Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman and a crime the likes of which the small town of Maitland, Iowa has never seen.
I had the pleasure of meeting Donald Harstad early in my writing career and listening to him speak is like jumping into one of his novels. He’s an amazing storyteller. #1 New York Times bestselling author, Michael Connelly, calls ELEVEN DAYS “a hell of a first novel.”
THE MONSTERS WE MAKE by Kali White
The Crime: A Des Moines, Iowa, boy disappears in the early morning hours while delivering newspapers.
I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek into this breathtaking novel that comes out on June 9, 2020 (you can preorder your copy now). Set in 1984, and based on the real-life paperboy kidnappings of the early 80s, White deftly conveys the terror that gripped a community, a city, a state and a nation when several paper carriers were snatched from their routes.
A product of the face on the milk carton generation, I was immediately swept back in time and into a maelstrom off fear, uncertainty and suspicion as I flew through the pages. With a shivery premise and richly-drawn characters, White takes a child’s greatest fear and a parent’s worst nightmare and delivers an addictive novel that must be read with the lights on.
Heather Gudenkauf is the critically acclaimed author of several novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Weight of Silence. She lives in Iowa with her family. THIS IS HOW I LIED is available now.
