Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Our Mothers’ Spirits: Great Writers on the Death of Mothers and the Grief of Men |
1997 |
Buy |
| ESPN Quick Pitches: A Star-Studded Lineup of Original Sports Fiction |
2011 |
Buy |
| The Best American Short Stories 2012 |
2012 |
Buy |
| McSweeney’s #49 |
2017 |
Buy |
Camden Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Citizen Vince |
2005 |
Buy |
| The Zero |
2006 |
Buy |
Caroline Mabry Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Over Tumbled Graves |
2001 |
Buy |
| Thin Space |
2001 |
N/A |
| Land of the Blind |
2003 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Every Knee Shall Bow |
1995 |
Buy |
| Ruby Ridge |
1995 |
Buy |
| In Contempt |
1996 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Town and Country |
2020 |
N/A |
| The Angel of Rome |
2022 |
Buy |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| We Live in Water |
2013 |
Buy |
| The Angel of Rome: And Other Stories |
2022 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Financial Lives of the Poets |
2009 |
Buy |
| Beautiful Ruins |
2012 |
Buy |
| The Cold Millions |
2020 |
Buy |
| So Far Gone |
2025 |
Buy |
The One Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Parable |
2019 |
Buy |
| Lila |
2019 |
Buy |
| A Wedding Thing |
2019 |
Buy |
| Yes, And |
2019 |
Buy |
| Speed Grieving |
2019 |
Buy |
| Before Her |
2019 |
Buy |
| The Visitor |
2019 |
Buy |
Warmer Collection Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Way the World Ends |
2018 |
Buy |
| There’s No Place Like Home |
2018 |
Buy |
| Falls the Shadow |
2018 |
Buy |
| At the Bottom of New Lake |
2018 |
Buy |
| Boca Raton |
2018 |
Buy |
| Controller |
2018 |
Buy |
| The Hillside |
2018 |
Buy |
Jess Walter has written across genres for three decades, moving from crime fiction to literary novels to short stories with apparent ease. He started out covering the Ruby Ridge standoff as a journalist before turning to fiction with the Caroline Mabry mysteries in the early 2000s.
His breakthrough came with Citizen Vince (2005), which won the Edgar Award. Beautiful Ruins (2012) pushed him into bestseller territory with its story of missed connections between Italy and Hollywood. Walter’s more recent novels The Cold Millions and So Far Gone continue his interest in American history and the people who get caught up in larger forces.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Jess Walter written?
Jess Walter has written 34 books across nine series.
What was Jess Walter's first book?
Jess Walter’s first book is Every Knee Shall Bow, published in 1995.
What is Jess Walter's most popular book?
Beautiful Ruins (2012) is his biggest commercial success. The novel spans decades and continents, connecting 1960s Italy with modern-day Hollywood, and it became a New York Times bestseller.