Friends Helping Friends (2025) Patrick Hoffman "Friends Helping Friends brings compassion and understanding to the lives of naive and desperate young people we see every day and ignore. Written with insight into the legal system and the underground economy, Hoffman has written his best book yet. I read it straight through and you will, too."
Holy City (2024) Henry Wise "Henry Wise is a talented storyteller who brings a poet's ear to the southern landscape he knows so well. The dialogue crackles with authenticity and the characters are drawn with great compassion."
Cruz (2022) Nicolás Ferraro "Written with a relentless pace, Cruz explores the ferocity of family loyalty and treachery. This is a window into a world most people don't know and no one will forget."
The Devil Takes You Home (2022) Gabino Iglesias "With a noir voice reminiscent of Jim Thompson, this book charges into rage and despair, sparing no one, least of all the reader. Strap yourself in."
Oleander City (2022) Matt Bondurant "Set against the sweeping backdrop of dramatic action...this book will keep you reading into the night."
The Brightest Place in the World (2020) David Philip Mullins "Every few years a writer comes along to tell us a new story about a place we thought we knew. David Philip Mullins is that writer. Las Vegas is his world. Gone are the glitter and the glamour; revealed are the jarring effects of an industrial disaster in a massive, ever-changing city. Through four compelling characters, Mullins examines the universal themes of family, loss, sex, and the yearning to communicate. Carefully written in beautiful prose, The Brightest Place in the World is a moving and stunning novel from a natural writer."
Valentine (2020) Elizabeth Wetmore "Elizabeth Wetmore shows us the vivid and complex culture of Odessa, Texas. The women in this book move through their difficult lives with strength and surprising grace. The landscape and characters are rendered with precise and lyric prose. Valentine is a beautiful book written with compassion, understanding, and deep honesty. A remarkable debut."
Call Your Daughter Home (2019) Deb Spera "Call Your Daughter Home is a stunning and welcome addition to Southern Literature. Set in South Carolina during the 20s, it tells a powerful story of women, family, class, and race."
Sugar Run (2019) Mesha Maren "Gorgeous sentences . . . Maren is a writer to watch."
The City Where We Once Lived (2018) Eric Barnes "Written in a gorgeously spare language that perfectly reflects the dystopic future this novel depicts, The City Where We Once Lived kept me enthralled throughout. At its core is a deep and admirable compassion for humanity."
Southern Sin (2014) Beth Ann Fennelly and Lee Gutkind "There’s nobody I’d rather have on my side than a sultry, sinning, Southern woman. Read this book and you’ll understand why."
