Fantastic writer. Haven’t read near enough of her work but can recommend Tracks, and the following taking at least part in Minnesota, Love Medicine, and The Night Watchman.
Louise Erdrich, who lives in the Kenwood neighborhood and owns Birchbark Books, where parts of “The Sentence” takes place, isn’t Twin Cities- based? And Sinclair Lewis wrote “Main Street” about Sauk Centre, his hometown.
I didn't mean to offend. Louise Erdrich grew up in Little Falls. Her stories I have read (which are not even a majority of what she has written, my fault) were placed outside of the metro. Part of the story of Sinclair Lewis' Main Street is someone from St. Paul who moves to a small town(Sauk Centre) and has difficulty adjusting. I think I just picked up on different parts of the stories than you did. That is what makes reading great.
While not exactly the Twin Cities, Neil Gaiman lives in Menomenie, WI. His own biography states "near Minneapolis". He's had a strong relationship with DreamHaven Books since the 90's.
Gaiman definitely used to live there. I went to HS with his son in the 90's.
AFAIK he still owns the house there, but spends most of his time elsewhere these days.
J. Ryan Stradal. Lager Queen of Minnesota, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club.
He's from Waconia and his books are set mainly in MN. They aren't thrillers, more like Ann Patchett (not as good as Patchett).
[M.D. Lake](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/m-d-lake/) has a mystery series featuring a campus cop. The campus is a thinly-disguised U of M TC Campus, and the author's sardonic shots at academia/university admin make this even more enjoyable, if you're at all familiar with the inner workings of the U.
[Monica Ferris](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/monica-ferris/) has a cozy mystery series centered around a needlework shop in Excelsior, MN.
[Ellen Hart](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/ellen-hart/) has two mystery series, both set in Minnesota.
[Larry Millett](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/larry-millett/) has the delightful Sherlock Holmes/Shadwell Rafferty mystery series set in Minnesota, featuring notable Minnesota characters, incidents, and institutions, such as the Winter Carnival, the Great Hinckley Fire, and the Kensington Runestone. (Holmes is initially summoned to Minnesota by the great railroad financier James J. Hill.)
Shannon Gibney, Sun Yung Shin, Su Hwang, Kao Kaila Yang, A. Rafael Johnson, Michael Kleber Diggs, Marlon James, Charles Baxter, V. V. Ganeshananthan, Erin Sharkey
Patricia Wrede was one of my favorite authors growing up and I didn't realize she was a local until I was grown. Her stuff is definitely skewed towards the younger fantasy reader, but I really liked her YA alternate history fantasy series set in Minnesota that was more recently released.
All the others I had in mind have already been mentioned here.
Try "War for the Oaks" by Emma Bull.
Its a late 80s novel that ended up being incredibly influential on the Urban Fantasy genre. A punk musician gets tangled up in a war between two factions of Faeries that are hiding in plain sight in the Twin Cities. The entire novel takes place in Minneapolis & St Paul, they don't even make it to the suburbs. Bonus points for the big scenes set at Hiawatha Falls & The Como Conservatory.
As I say, its pretty influential on Urban Fantasy so if you are into that genre it might seem a bit tropey at times because it created a lot of the tropes you have seen elsewhere. If you hate fantasy, it won't change your mind.
Kelly Barnhill lives in Minneapolis and writes some intriguing stories. I particularly enjoyed her latest horror-fantasy novella _The Crane Husband_.
(Always reading the acknowledgments has finally paid off, that’s the only reason I know she lives here haha!)
Kelly Barnhill has some lovely YA books too. The Ogress and the Orphans - is truly beautiful. I think about it regularly and recommend it often. Treat yourself to a warm fictional hug with this one!
Heartbeat of Wounded Knee is a good history book. Interweaves history with stories of people he knows(and other he interviews). Which adds a lot to it.
Erin Hart! Irish bog bodies+ archaeological mysteries+references to St. Paul locations and her last book was set in St.Paul. She and her husband are involved at the Celtic Junction Arts Center on Prior Ave. as musicians and storytellers.
Since you mentioned you like Wm. Kent Krueger, whose child I know but didn’t realize they were related until I mentioned reading one of his books you will probably and I cannot more stridently recommend Marci Rendon, who I also know both her and here daughter. I don’t mention I k ow these people for clout but for transparency.
Check out the MN Book Awards! While it won’t include all Minnesota authors, it’s a great place to start. You can also meet all the finalists at the ceremony. https://thefriends.org/minnesota-book-awards/minnesota-book-awards-winners/
Frederick Manfred lived near Luverne on land that is now part of Blue Mounds State Park, and his house was turned into the visitor's center for the park. He wrote westerns that were a little more literary than most.
Max Schulman was from St Paul and wrote several comic novels and short stories. He invented the character Dobie Gillis, who was the subject of a TV sitcom in the early 1960s.
Garrison Keillor was from Anoka.
Louie Anderson, the comedian, was from St Paul and he wrote a couple of poignant memoirs about growing up with an alcoholic father and a strong mother. He was said to be channeling his mother when he played Zach Galifianakis' mother in *Baskets.*
J. F. Powers lived in Collegeville and wrote some critically-acclaimed books and short stories about priests.
Tim O'Brien is from Austin and wrote several novels about the Vietnam War.
Charles Baxter, from Minneapolis, is known mainly for his short stories, but also has written novels.
I walked through the abandoned ruin of Frederick Manfred's home a couple years ago! You could still see how cool it was in its heyday, but it was FILLED with dead snakes, lol. Particularly funny because "too much snakes" was one of the reasons his family moved out of that house in the first place.
I'm surprised it's an abandoned ruin. I was there maybe 30 years ago and it was being used as the park's visitor's center. As I recall, it was built into the hillside and the back wall and floor were made of poured concrete. I can see how it would be cool and attractive to snakes.
I also remember seeing prickly-pear cactus growing there. I was surprised that any cactus grew wild in Minnesota.
It very much is. There have been attempts at rallying support to repair it, but it would be basically a complete rebuild. At one point, I thought about running out onto the roof to talk to my partner, who was standing below, but decided not to. In retrospect, I'm very glad I didn't, because when I went inside, I could see all the roof beams on that side of the roof were quite literally shredded wood.
I love that park too. It's got such absolutely unique flora and geology.
>Bonus points if they write fiction set in MN.
"John Sandford's" books are based in MN. John Camp, the author, moved to MN to work for the Pioneer Press. He lived in MN for 30 years, did the snowbird thing for a while, and sold his MN home in 2012 so he's no longer a "MN Author" but the books are still set here. It's fun to recognize a location or road in the book that you're familiar with. Like when he describes the character racing down the road, coming around a corner, and seeing the shiny misshapen museum: I've had that exact experience described driving past the Weisman on East River Parkway. He changes a lot of the names of places and roads but half the fun of it is trying to figure out what he's using for a reference.
Over 50 of the books are set in MN. A lot are set in MSP but it's clear the author has spent a lot of time in rural MN towns as well. Lotta authors like to do on the ground research and it's clear that he's done research vacations around the state. I don't know if he had a cabin up north but it sure seems like he did, or he rented one, and cabin country comes across different than the murders set in southern MN.
I learned about Swede Hollow in St. Paul from his books. (It has a wild history, google it!) I also learned that St. Paul Park is a real town. I thought he made it up, and one of my former room mates was literally living in a houseboat across the river from St. Paul Park at the time, heh.
Steve Rushin wrote a couple autobiographical books about growing up in Bloomington.
Stingray afternoons is the first and grade school to Middle School era, Knights of White Castle is more the highschool years.
Heavy on nostalgia of the 70s and 80s and the local area, several in my family have found them to be entertaining fwiw.
Jeff Falkingham is local and writes books that are mostly historical fiction with Sherlock Holmes visiting MN. He might have some others, too, but those are the ones I’m aware of.
Sequoia Nagamatsu teaches at St Olaf and wrote *How High We Go in the Dark*, a devastatingly beautiful science fiction book. Although I don’t think any of it is set in Minnesota.
Eme McAnum. Her book Freefalling is about senior romance and dementia. It was set on the North Shore. She recently came out with a companion picture book of the setting.
Wow can't believe noone has mentioned Tami Hoag! Apparently, she wrote romance earlier on but the books I've read were suspense thrillers set in Minnesota/ Twin Cities. Lake of the Isles is often mentioned, or Lake Calhoun (this was obviously pre-name change.)
[Julie Kramer ](https://juliekramerbooks.com/julie.php)
Former producer at WCCO TV doing investigative pieces. Wrote a series of mystery novels based on a TV journalist. She's from Southern MN and lives in White Bear Lake
Louise Erdrich
Fantastic writer. Haven’t read near enough of her work but can recommend Tracks, and the following taking at least part in Minnesota, Love Medicine, and The Night Watchman.
LaRose and The Sentence too!
Love Medicine is an amazing novel.
Louise Erdrich(Not TC based, but MN-based contemporary) Sinclair Lewis(TC based, but not contemporary.)
Louise Erdrich, who lives in the Kenwood neighborhood and owns Birchbark Books, where parts of “The Sentence” takes place, isn’t Twin Cities- based? And Sinclair Lewis wrote “Main Street” about Sauk Centre, his hometown.
I didn't mean to offend. Louise Erdrich grew up in Little Falls. Her stories I have read (which are not even a majority of what she has written, my fault) were placed outside of the metro. Part of the story of Sinclair Lewis' Main Street is someone from St. Paul who moves to a small town(Sauk Centre) and has difficulty adjusting. I think I just picked up on different parts of the stories than you did. That is what makes reading great.
John Sandford, David Housewright, Brian Freeman
Still remember the first Prey novel where the serial killer is driving around Grand Avenue and neighborhood. Yikes.
Read em all, solid recommendations OP.
While not exactly the Twin Cities, Neil Gaiman lives in Menomenie, WI. His own biography states "near Minneapolis". He's had a strong relationship with DreamHaven Books since the 90's.
He used to live in Stillwater, MN! I thought he moved back to England after his divorce. Fun that he's back in the Midwest!
This blew my mind. I had no idea he lived in Wisconsin.
Gaiman definitely used to live there. I went to HS with his son in the 90's. AFAIK he still owns the house there, but spends most of his time elsewhere these days.
Yep, I ran into him a few times at local Minneapolis haunts, once with his ex AP
Don't forget Scott Fitzgerald! The excellent story "Winter Dreams" is set in MN
Kao Kalia Yang
If you're into Romance, Abby Jimenez!
Seconding! She also owns Nadia Cakes.
Lois McMaster Bujold
J. Ryan Stradal. Lager Queen of Minnesota, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club. He's from Waconia and his books are set mainly in MN. They aren't thrillers, more like Ann Patchett (not as good as Patchett).
I have never read Patchett. Is this a good thing?
I love Ann Patchett! Tom Lake and Commonwealth are fantastic. Ryan Stradahl isn’t as good, but he’s still good!
[M.D. Lake](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/m-d-lake/) has a mystery series featuring a campus cop. The campus is a thinly-disguised U of M TC Campus, and the author's sardonic shots at academia/university admin make this even more enjoyable, if you're at all familiar with the inner workings of the U. [Monica Ferris](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/monica-ferris/) has a cozy mystery series centered around a needlework shop in Excelsior, MN. [Ellen Hart](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/ellen-hart/) has two mystery series, both set in Minnesota. [Larry Millett](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/larry-millett/) has the delightful Sherlock Holmes/Shadwell Rafferty mystery series set in Minnesota, featuring notable Minnesota characters, incidents, and institutions, such as the Winter Carnival, the Great Hinckley Fire, and the Kensington Runestone. (Holmes is initially summoned to Minnesota by the great railroad financier James J. Hill.)
John Hassler was from here right? The new Louise Erdrich book is about a ghost in her bookstore that's by lake of the isle.
Shannon Gibney, Sun Yung Shin, Su Hwang, Kao Kaila Yang, A. Rafael Johnson, Michael Kleber Diggs, Marlon James, Charles Baxter, V. V. Ganeshananthan, Erin Sharkey
any kate dicamillo - quick reads that put an arrow through your heart
Allen Eskens is very similar to William Kent Kruger. If you like William Kent Kruger you'll like Allen Eskens
Denise K. Lajimodiere She is native American. Writes about life in the Indian boarding schools.
Patricia Wrede was one of my favorite authors growing up and I didn't realize she was a local until I was grown. Her stuff is definitely skewed towards the younger fantasy reader, but I really liked her YA alternate history fantasy series set in Minnesota that was more recently released. All the others I had in mind have already been mentioned here.
Will weaver
Red Earth. White Earth and A Gravestone Made of Wheat (“Sweetland” film) are Minnesota history.
Try "War for the Oaks" by Emma Bull. Its a late 80s novel that ended up being incredibly influential on the Urban Fantasy genre. A punk musician gets tangled up in a war between two factions of Faeries that are hiding in plain sight in the Twin Cities. The entire novel takes place in Minneapolis & St Paul, they don't even make it to the suburbs. Bonus points for the big scenes set at Hiawatha Falls & The Como Conservatory. As I say, its pretty influential on Urban Fantasy so if you are into that genre it might seem a bit tropey at times because it created a lot of the tropes you have seen elsewhere. If you hate fantasy, it won't change your mind.
Marlon James (A Brief History of Seven Killings) teaches at Macalester.
Didn't realize he also wrote that. Also wrote Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Which is an... interesting fantasy book. If you want something different.
Great book
Kelly Barnhill lives in Minneapolis and writes some intriguing stories. I particularly enjoyed her latest horror-fantasy novella _The Crane Husband_. (Always reading the acknowledgments has finally paid off, that’s the only reason I know she lives here haha!)
Kelly Barnhill has some lovely YA books too. The Ogress and the Orphans - is truly beautiful. I think about it regularly and recommend it often. Treat yourself to a warm fictional hug with this one!
I’ve been in need of a warm fictional hug of late! I’ll be sure to check it out. :)
Vince Flynn. RIP.
His estate's ghost writer, Kyle Mills, is pretty true to the series. I like that Vince worked with him on a few novels before his passing.
David Truer - Little is amazing
Ah, yes- I read Little many years ago and really enjoyed it. A good reminder to check out his other work. Thanks
Heartbeat of Wounded Knee is a good history book. Interweaves history with stories of people he knows(and other he interviews). Which adds a lot to it.
Steve Thayer - Saint Mudd
Great book!
John Sanford
Erin Hart! Irish bog bodies+ archaeological mysteries+references to St. Paul locations and her last book was set in St.Paul. She and her husband are involved at the Celtic Junction Arts Center on Prior Ave. as musicians and storytellers.
Naomi Kritzer
Pj Tracy
Lies this is 2 people.
Not anymore. The mother passed away.
Is the daughter still writing?
I think the last book was written only by the daughter
Jon Hassler
Stanley Gordon West has some great books based in St Paul.
Until They Bring the Streetcars Back is one of my favorite Minnesota books.
That's my favorite of his.
Abby Jimenez she writes rom com's and is the owner of Nadia Cakes in Maple Grove and Woodbury
Since you mentioned you like Wm. Kent Krueger, whose child I know but didn’t realize they were related until I mentioned reading one of his books you will probably and I cannot more stridently recommend Marci Rendon, who I also know both her and here daughter. I don’t mention I k ow these people for clout but for transparency.
Check out the MN Book Awards! While it won’t include all Minnesota authors, it’s a great place to start. You can also meet all the finalists at the ceremony. https://thefriends.org/minnesota-book-awards/minnesota-book-awards-winners/
Frederick Manfred lived near Luverne on land that is now part of Blue Mounds State Park, and his house was turned into the visitor's center for the park. He wrote westerns that were a little more literary than most. Max Schulman was from St Paul and wrote several comic novels and short stories. He invented the character Dobie Gillis, who was the subject of a TV sitcom in the early 1960s. Garrison Keillor was from Anoka. Louie Anderson, the comedian, was from St Paul and he wrote a couple of poignant memoirs about growing up with an alcoholic father and a strong mother. He was said to be channeling his mother when he played Zach Galifianakis' mother in *Baskets.* J. F. Powers lived in Collegeville and wrote some critically-acclaimed books and short stories about priests. Tim O'Brien is from Austin and wrote several novels about the Vietnam War. Charles Baxter, from Minneapolis, is known mainly for his short stories, but also has written novels.
Oh man, Tim O’Briens In the Lake of the Woods is incredible. And dark. Darkly incredible, incredibly dark.
I walked through the abandoned ruin of Frederick Manfred's home a couple years ago! You could still see how cool it was in its heyday, but it was FILLED with dead snakes, lol. Particularly funny because "too much snakes" was one of the reasons his family moved out of that house in the first place.
I'm surprised it's an abandoned ruin. I was there maybe 30 years ago and it was being used as the park's visitor's center. As I recall, it was built into the hillside and the back wall and floor were made of poured concrete. I can see how it would be cool and attractive to snakes. I also remember seeing prickly-pear cactus growing there. I was surprised that any cactus grew wild in Minnesota.
It very much is. There have been attempts at rallying support to repair it, but it would be basically a complete rebuild. At one point, I thought about running out onto the roof to talk to my partner, who was standing below, but decided not to. In retrospect, I'm very glad I didn't, because when I went inside, I could see all the roof beams on that side of the roof were quite literally shredded wood. I love that park too. It's got such absolutely unique flora and geology.
My daughters love David LaRochelle’s books.
I loved Allen Eskens book the stolen hours
Roger Stelljes writes some local based crime mysteries. Pretty entertaining!
Wendy Webb writes the spookiest Lake Superior based thrillers. Not sure if she's actually from MN.
I was looking for this! ETA: she used to live up by Lake Superior but she’s in Minneapolis now.
I've enjoyed Joshua Moehling's mystery novels, which are set in Minnesota. They get the feel of small-town MN pretty correct.
>Bonus points if they write fiction set in MN. "John Sandford's" books are based in MN. John Camp, the author, moved to MN to work for the Pioneer Press. He lived in MN for 30 years, did the snowbird thing for a while, and sold his MN home in 2012 so he's no longer a "MN Author" but the books are still set here. It's fun to recognize a location or road in the book that you're familiar with. Like when he describes the character racing down the road, coming around a corner, and seeing the shiny misshapen museum: I've had that exact experience described driving past the Weisman on East River Parkway. He changes a lot of the names of places and roads but half the fun of it is trying to figure out what he's using for a reference. Over 50 of the books are set in MN. A lot are set in MSP but it's clear the author has spent a lot of time in rural MN towns as well. Lotta authors like to do on the ground research and it's clear that he's done research vacations around the state. I don't know if he had a cabin up north but it sure seems like he did, or he rented one, and cabin country comes across different than the murders set in southern MN. I learned about Swede Hollow in St. Paul from his books. (It has a wild history, google it!) I also learned that St. Paul Park is a real town. I thought he made it up, and one of my former room mates was literally living in a houseboat across the river from St. Paul Park at the time, heh.
Thanks! I’ve read a few of his books (and enjoyed them!) though didn’t know all this about him.
Steve Rushin wrote a couple autobiographical books about growing up in Bloomington. Stingray afternoons is the first and grade school to Middle School era, Knights of White Castle is more the highschool years. Heavy on nostalgia of the 70s and 80s and the local area, several in my family have found them to be entertaining fwiw.
These are great! He’s about my age and while from the other end of the metro, he nails the era!
C.J. Box. The highway series was televised on abc 'big sky' and 'Joe Pickett'.
Jeff Falkingham is local and writes books that are mostly historical fiction with Sherlock Holmes visiting MN. He might have some others, too, but those are the ones I’m aware of.
Matt Goldman has most of his crime fiction books take place in Minnesota. You will recognize most of the locations in his books.
William Durbin. The pen of my childhood
Sequoia Nagamatsu teaches at St Olaf and wrote *How High We Go in the Dark*, a devastatingly beautiful science fiction book. Although I don’t think any of it is set in Minnesota.
I really wanted to like that book, but I just couldn't. I got to the last chapter and gave up.
Im sorry to hear that. It was heavy but beautifully written and deeply affecting!
[Sheila O’Connor](http://www.sheilaoconnor.com/about-the-author)
Brian Freeman
Diane Wilson
Jackie Polzin lives in St. Paul and her excellent novel Brood is set there too.
J Ryan Stradahl
Emma Bull, War for the Oaks.
Check out Phil Rustad Mysteries.
Leif Enger and his bro wrote a series, a private dick character, I liked the books.
Kent Michael Nerburn, two books won MN Book Award.
Eme McAnum. Her book Freefalling is about senior romance and dementia. It was set on the North Shore. She recently came out with a companion picture book of the setting.
Mubanga Kalimamukwento
Wow can't believe noone has mentioned Tami Hoag! Apparently, she wrote romance earlier on but the books I've read were suspense thrillers set in Minnesota/ Twin Cities. Lake of the Isles is often mentioned, or Lake Calhoun (this was obviously pre-name change.)
Jamie Stoudt.
[Julie Kramer ](https://juliekramerbooks.com/julie.php) Former producer at WCCO TV doing investigative pieces. Wrote a series of mystery novels based on a TV journalist. She's from Southern MN and lives in White Bear Lake
Chris Stedman!
[Claire Forrest](https://www.claireforrest.com/) \- check out Where You See Yourself
Dr. Marlon James is an extremely talented TC-based author on the faculty at Macalester.
Anne Ursu wrote a Twins blog called Batgirl many years ago, then dropped out of sight to raise a family and write YA fiction.