Rural Noir

Rural noir is dark and gritty, involving crime or violence about characters in rural settings and desperate circumstances. The storyline always moves downward from bad to worse and the protagonist moves expeditiously towards disaster. The characters are typically working-class or impoverished and the storylines and pacing can range from fast-paced and suspenseful or more deliberate with a great deal of description.  In contrast to its harshness in tone and plot many novels have beautiful and lyrical text and many of these novels are considered literary fiction. Below are some noteworthy titles in the genre.


Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill
The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
American Salvage and Once Upon A River by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Winter's Bone, Tomato Red, Death of Sweet Mister by Daniel Woodrell
Father and Son by Larry Brown
Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
The Adjustment, Cottonwood, The Walkaway by Scott Phillips
Ranchero  Beluga by Rick Gavin
Rain Gods by James Lee Burke
Serena by Ron Rash