Recommended for you
How many times can we talk about our love for Yellowstone and 1923 before you think we've move beyond obsession? If you ask us, we're sure you'll be convinced once you scroll through the western books we've added to our must-read piles. Like historical fiction, reading about cowboys, outlaws, and frontier life feels endearing. Now that we think about it, we think it's because these tales are embedded in America's fabric.
Try as we might, we can't resist tales that remind us of the Clint Eastwood movies our grandparents loved watching or summarizing. But now we're in charge of the conversation and know which westerns are worth reading.
The best western books that are full of adventure, crime, revenge, and more!
Amazon
Outlawed by Anna North
Ada never meant to become an "outlaw," but life's funny that way. Prior to earning her new title, she was a new bride who actually loved her husband and journey to become a midwife. However, fear entered her heart as she realized being considered childless would look terrible in the eyes of other townspeople.
After weighing her slim options, Ada leaves her life behind and runs into the Hole in the Wall Gang. With the Kid as their leader, they seek to provide refuge for wrongly ostracized women in a time where fear-mongering led the laws of the land. But one colossal plan may derail the gang's efforts and cost them their lives. It's the very thing that inspires and frightens Ada.
Though Outlawed is set during the late 1800s, it's relevant because women are still treated inferior based on their fertility status. Plus, the conversation around reproductive health continues to be looked at through a limited "childbearing" lens instead of encompassing conditions such as PCOS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, uterine cancer, and more.
In our eyes, Outlawed reads like a beacon of hope.
Shop Now
Amazon
Lone Women by Victor Lavalle
Adelaide is physically carrying a "secret" that could upend the new future she's seeking because it's deadly. For reasons readers will discover, this "secret" is responsible for the death of Adelaide's parents and it caused her to leave everything she's known behind.
In search of a new life, Adelaide and her "secret" make the way to Montana in hopes to get free land that's up for grabs. The catch is that people who do so aren't supposed to have anyone with them so Adelaide surely can't let anyone discover what's locked in her truck. But Montana isn't easy to navigate and the one thing Adelaide's been afraid of may be the very thing that helps save her life.
Lone Women is as much of a mystery as it is a western which is perfect for those who love both genres!
Shop Now
Amazon
The Bullet Swallowerby Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Antonio Sonoro's never been a good guy, but that's never mattered to him because he's aware of his heritage. Like those who came before him, he's a skilled gunman who's known for getting into sticky situations others would stay away from. But things have been been tough in Dorado, Mexico and Antonio's grown desperate for a solution that'll help sustain his family.
After learning about a lucrative opportunity, he drags his brother Hugo along for the risky adventure that costs the latter his life. Consumed by rage, Antonio sets off on a path that has dire consequences for his bloodline. It's precisely why his ancestor Jaime Sonoro's life is altered when he discovers the true history of his family. If that weren't bad enough, someone from Antonio's past comes to collect the debt the Sonoros have evaded throughout the years and they're ready to hunt Jaime down unless he can learn about who his grandfather, The Bullet Swallower, really was.
The Bullet Swallower invites readers to learn how "the sins of the father" can affect those born after them and how it's up to us to break generational curses.
Shop Now
Amazon
Whiskey When We're Dry by John Larison
The late 1800s is a tough time to be a young girl, but Jessilyn Harney finds a way to thrive despite challenges that arise. She goes from being alone to discovering that she'll have to hide her girlish figures if she wants people to think twice about trying anything illicit. Not only does this work, but it gives her a spot among the Governor's militia. But they're hunting the only person Jessilyn has left in life — her brother Noah.
Whiskey When We're Dry is a tale that shows two things can be true at the same time and how we often have to make decisions that contradict what we initially thought we wanted.
Shop Now
Amazon
Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope
There's love to be found in the west if you're willing to be open to it and that's what Cecilia "CeCe" Ashby learns in Holding the Reins.
Nursing a broken heart, she travels back home to Laurel Creek, Kentucky to bide her time on the equestrian ranch she grew up on. It's there she comes across the former annoying Nash Carter. Having grown up together, she remembers the many times he and her brothers sought to make her life a living hell. But those days are long gone.
Now CeCe and Nash are all grown up with an unmistakable yearning brewing between them.
Shop Now
Amazon
Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens
Bridget's new in Dodge City and has no idea what to expect until she gains employment at a brothel called the Buffalo Queen. It's not what she had in mind, but she goes from barely surviving to having food, money, and shelter. On top of that, she develops genuine friendships with the women there. But their peace is disrupted when outlaws threaten Dodge City with their presence.
Once again, Bridget has to decide if she's going to run away or defend Buffalo Queen with everything she's got.
Shop Now
Amazon
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
Esther's on the run for two reasons: she wants revenge for the brutal murder of her best friend and she wants nothing to do with marrying the man her best friend was formerly promised to. In her mind, there's no better way to right wrongs than by hiding out in the back of a Librarian's book wagon so she help dismantle those who seek to accept one written form of truth.
If we didn't know any better, we'd say that Upright Women Wanted sounds oddly similar to the fight against banned books.
Shop Now
Amazon
Inland by Téa Obreht
Inland converges the path of two unsuspecting individuals — Nora and Lurie — as they grapple with life in the West. Though it initially seems like their lives are different, something magical happens when they align.
Beginning with Nora, readers will watch her story unfold as she faces the uncertainty of the men she loves dearly — her husband and their sons. Between facing a drought and the idea that something invisible could be hunting them, Nora tries her hardest to get through each day.
Then there's Lurie and his spiritual gift of seeing spirits. They keep holding their hands out, expecting him to give them something and it all but drives him mad. The only thing that seems to distract Lurie is the promise of something beautiful with someone he's grown fond of.
Somehow, Lurie's new love draws him close to Nora and they find themselves on a journey that'll leave them forever changed.
Shop Now
Amazon
The Sisters Brothersby Patrick DeWitt
Eli and Charlie Sisters are the skilled hired hands for the strong-willed Commodore, but one of them is wondering why they continue to kill. Ironically, going after Hermann Kermit Warm is what inspired Eli Sisters to question their jobs because he knows this isn't going to be a simple task. But will he continue to follow Charlie into fire or will he decide he's finally had enough of the bloodbath that surrounds them each time the Commodore commands it?
Shop Now
Amazon
The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin
Ming Tsu grew up preparing for a life in a criminal group, but falling in love with Ada tears him away from that. As the daughter of a railroad magnate, it's clear these two are from different worlds but they refuse to let that get in their way. However, their actions have dire consequences as orchestrated by Ada's father. Not only is Ada kidnapped, but Ming is thrust into servitude for the Central Pacific Railroad. At the end of his ropes, Ming decides to strike up an alliance with someone called the prophet in order to save Ada.
It's a western book that blends magic, revenge, and the supernatural for a fascinating twist that leaves readers wanting more.
Shop NowSubscribe to our newsletter for more spring and summer reading inspo!
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
