South Dakota Fiction

Deadwood, Dakota Territories, 1876: Legendary gunman Wild Bill Hickcock and his friend Charlie Utter have come to the Black Hills town of Deadwood fresh from Cheyenne, fleeing an ungrateful populace. Bill, aging and sick but still able to best any man in a fair gunfight, just wants to be left alone to drink and play cards. But in this town of played-out miners, bounty hunters, upstairs girls, Chinese immigrants, and various other entrepreneurs and miscreants, he finds himself pursued by a vicious sheriff, a perverse whore man bent on revenge, and a besotted Calamity Jane.

What happens when a giant man rides a vintage motorcycle across America? Sunny Kinnion is about to find out. He’s 6’ 10” and 350 pounds, and he’s leaving his home in Oregon for a journey of self-discovery. His destination: the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he hopes to connect with his heritage and the legends of the Wild West. But along the way, he gets caught up in a shocking incident that changes his life forever. ‘Welcome to South Dakota’ is an action-packed adventure that follows Sunny as he tries to survive and find his true identity. Author Nicholas Thorp creates a ...

I suppose some of us have to get really dirty before we can become truly clean. I was allegedly South Dakota's most famous Old Lady. Sixteen years ago, I had survived my Old Man's murder. Never again. Never again will I surrender my heart. Never again will I sacrifice to the Club. But that all changed in one night. I came home and crashed into him, and my past and present blew up in my face.

In May 1971, Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller were two seventeen-year-olds driving to an end-of-the-school-year party in a rundown Studebaker Lark, when they seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Police back then didn't do enough to try and find them. Investigators thirty years later did too much. Two families endure decades of pain as they await answers of what happened to their girls. When a third family is pulled into the mystery, they quickly learn their nightmare is just beginning.

A River Runs Through It is a universal story of family love and a lyrical masterpiece, as beautiful as the great trout rivers of western Montana upon which it is set. Its beauty is especially evident through the "near-perfect match" of reader Ivan Doig and author Norman MacLean.

The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie’s once-lucrative car business is going under—but Dickie is spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife, Imelda, is selling off her jewelry on eBay and half-heartedly dodging the attention of fast-talking cattle farmer Big Mike, while their teenage daughter, Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge drink her way through her final exams. As for twelve-year-old PJ, he’s on the brink of running away.

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now. For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined.

“We don’t complain about things, Kristi. We fix them.” Taking her father’s words to heart, South Dakota's first woman governor Kristi Noem shares heartfelt—and heartbreaking—lessons on making things right in the world, from her childhood on a farm in the vastness of rural America, to the marbled halls of Congress, to the national spotlight amid a global pandemic.

“Sunny Kinnion has escaped his past and found a new home in the Black Hills of South Dakota. But his peaceful life is shattered when he visits a horse sanctuary and meets two Native girls who are later assaulted by a ruthless tycoon. Sunny vows to protect them and seek justice, even if it means risking his own life. ‘Welcome to Pine Ridge’ is a thrilling adventure that exposes the darkest side of power and wealth. Author Nicholas Thorp creates a captivating story with unique characters and a surprising plot that will keep you hooked until the last page. If you love books that blend ...

Visit the Mount Rushmore State! Learn about South Dakota's history, geography, weather, people, and more in this book that's all about our 40th state.

'An expertly crafted masterpiece! An edgy and unpredictable rollercoaster of a ride.' Byddi Lee (Rejuvenation trilogy) 'Beautifully written.' Sarah Stewart Taylor (Maggie D'arcy mysteries) 'A compelling and brilliant read.' Sharon Dempsey (Lainey and Stowe mysteries) More than a literary thriller. Powerful men can get away with murder...for only so long. After a life of hardship, Mary Jane McCord's life in Rapid City, South Dakota, finally hits a sweet spot. She finds happiness and her singing career takes off. Everything is looking up until she uncovers the dark and secret obsessions of ...

Jenna is a single mom and a kick butt lawyer completely focused on inheriting her father’s firm—until the charming cowboy walks into her office. Okay, so Denver’s not a real cowboy. He only plays one on TV, which makes Jenna even more skeptical. How can she trust someone who acts for a living? Especially when she’s been burned so badly in the past.

Jennie Arnsby wants nothing more than to turn around and go home. Her family is on their way to Deadwood, South Dakota, when Aiden finds his way to their small wagon train. His teasing and banter leave her wanting to toss him out the back and in the dust. When they are separated outside the city, she is left wondering if she'll ever see him again. Aiden Bradly wants to find his gold and return home. Nothing more. He can't afford to get tangled with a woman. He's doing just that until he meets the feisty Jennie.

Gertrude thinks she's got a knack for proving that ghosts don't exist, but this time she's taking on a celebrity phantom: Seth Bullock. She and Calvin pack the cats into the camper and head to Deadwood, where she will attempt to prove herself right once again. But shortly after she gets there, a movie star drops dead, and she finds herself with two cases to solve. Maybe the two cases are even connected?

Kash has lived his entire life at a breakneck speed. When he finds out he has a daughter, that comes to a screeching halt. He is the only adult this little girl has, so he has to figure out how to be a grownup—right now. He’s going to need some help. Can he find someone willing to babysit on his brother’s remote ranch-turned-goat-rescue? This is the weirdest job offer ever.

Hattie Arnsby’s been a slave to men and whiskey for the last year. She’s drowned herself in drink to avoid her life at the Red Garter Saloon in Keystone, SD. When a handsome deputy finds her after a year of searching, she finally sees a sliver of hope. Hugh Bradley is deputized to find Hattie and bring her home, but her captors aren’t ready to set her free. He must help her be rid of the drink and the binds of the brothel. But when Hattie’s handed temptation, will she run back to her past or embrace the love growing between them?

Frances Arnsby has only three weeks to learn about romance. That’s all the time she has before the stagecoach whisks her back to Deadwood. Excited about a glowing future as a romance dime novelist, her hopes are dashed when her manuscript fails to connect. She hasn’t lived enough. Her dream will be over before it even starts if she doesn’t add life, love…passion.

At the Spearfish Normal School, Lula Arnsby is ready to begin a whole new chapter. Her life seems over when the one man she couldn't wait to be rid of strides into her class as the new teacher’s assistant. She wants nothing to do with the handsome prankster, but his aim isn’t to torment her anymore. Barton Oleson got what he deserved after tormenting Lula one too many times. He wants to be noticed by the pixie-haired beauty Lula. Without his normal tricks.

After being thrown in the clink for private investigating without a license, she's fled the state to go where her talents will be more appreciated: South Dakota. She has big plans to set up shop, but an injury halts her journey shortly after crossing The Sunshine State's state line. She and Calvin are forced to hole up in a struggling campground, and when Gertrude finds the body of the campground owner, she is certain the man has been murdered.

Forbidden love, forgotten horror, murder, deceit, a prohibited alliance spurs a young couple's intense desire to escape the upland coteau, which masks the 1920's sinister veil of the Klan's Invisible Empire. Based upon actual events, the story begins with the murder of Fr. Arthur Belknap, a young priest serving in the South Dakota Black Hills, then sears across the state to the Prairie Coteau, considered the birthplace of the South Dakota Klan, at a blazing cross cut deep upon the earth that teared the eye of God. The ominous cross of terror still survives to this day, untouched by a ...