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Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF – Famous Indiana Authors

Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF - Famous Authors

Big collection of free novels set in Indiana pdf, many by famous Indiana authors. Subject collection and recommended titles with descriptions.

Collection of Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Indiana Fiction Collection – Famous Indiana Authors

Free online modern books by major publishers was found in a search for ‘Indiana Fiction’ in the Internet Archive book collection. Some authors are: Karen Kingsbury, Jean Shepherd, Gail Giles, Gene Stratton-Porter, Shirley Jump, Jeanne M. Dams, Kate Collins, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Sara Hoskinson Frommer, Franklin Dixon, Jason Robert Brown, Michael Martone, M. E. Rabb, Wanda E. Brunstetter, Susan Lewis, Juanita Coulson, Philip Gulley, Maris Soule, Joe L. Hensley, Joshua Elder, Jo Ann Ferguson, Edward Kelsey Moore.

Suggested Novels that Take Place in Indiana

Teen Idol – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Cabot, Meg
Macmillan Children’s 2005

“High school junior Jenny Greenley is so good at keeping secrets that she’s the school newspaper’s anonymous advice columnist. She’s so good at it that, when hotter-than-hot Hollywood star Luke Striker comes to her small town to research a role, Jenny is the one in charge of keeping his identity under wraps. But Luke doesn’t make it easy, and soon everyone — the town, the paparazzi, and the tabloids alike — know his secret … and Jenny is caught right in the middle of all the chaos.”

When Lightning Strikes – Famous Indiana Authors

Cabot, Meg
Simon Pulse 2007

When lightning strikes there can only be trouble – as Jessica Mastriani finds out when she and best friend Ruth get caught in a thunderstorm. This is trouble with a capital T – this trouble is serious. Because somehow on that long walk home in the thunderstorm, Jess acquired a new found talent. An amazing power that can be used for good. . . or for evil.

See the Menu at the top of every page for Directories of Free Online Fiction and NonFiction Books, Magazines, and more, on 400 pages like this at Century Past

One Shot: Jack Reacher

Childs, Lee
Dell 2012

Ex-military investigator Jack Reacher is called in by James Barr, a man accused of a lethal sniper attack that leaves five people dead, and teams up with a young defense attorney to find an unseen enemy who is manipulating events.

Lost Souls – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Collins, Michael
Viking 2004

“On Halloween night in a dead-end town in Indiana, local cop Lawrence discovers the body of a three-year-old girl, dressed as an angel, who appears to be the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Called into a private meeting with the mayor, Lawrence is told to steer the investigation away from a Star athlete, who is set to quarterback a championship game. But as the investigation spirals out of control, the body count mounts, and Lawrence discovers an astounding level of hypocrisy at work among the town’s most prominent citizens.” Booklist.

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Let Me Count the Ways

De Vries, Peter
Little 1965

“A story of a Polish-American family in the midwest. The first narrator is the father, a furniture mover, married to a religious fanatic. He endures a 12-year hangover when he thinks he has disgraced the family. The second narrator is the son, whose story revolves around a split personality caused by a religious mother and an anti-religious father. Mr. De Vries is actually writing a serious commentary on the foibles of man.” – Library J

When This Cruel War is Over – Famous Indiana Authors

Fleming, Thomas
Forge 2001

“In the last year of the Civil War, headstrong southern belle Janet Todd secretly works to rally support for the Sons Of Liberty, a revolutionary conspiracy aiming to turn the northwest Union states into a second Confederacy. Her chief recruiting prospect is the dashing Major Paul Stapleton, a battle-scarred Union officer who is disillusioned by the grisly tactics of his army.” Booklist

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Fowler, Karen Joy
Penguin 2013

This novel won the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize. Karen Joy Fowler weaves her most accomplished work to date—a tale of loving but fallible people whose well-intentioned actions lead to heartbreaking consequences.

The Fault in Our Stars

Green, John
Dutton 2012

“Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.”

Running Out of Time

Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Simon & Schuster 1995

When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it’s up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.

We have hundreds of Free Novels set in different places in the U.S.

Notawkah, Friend of the Miamis – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

a story of the Wabash country, now within the bounds of the sovereign state of Indiana, when it was on the fringe of the trans-Allegheny frontier, 1761-1762

Hays, Arthur Homer
Caxton 1932

This story depicts events at a critical period in the history of the Northwest. The British had recently won the region from the French in the French and Indian War, and Native Americans there had to decide whether their trade and diplomatic relations with the British would be friendly or hostile. Meanwhile, American frontiersmen were looking hungrily at these new lands.

Hoosier Tales: Stories from Contemporary Indiana Authors

Henson, Charles W., ed.
Henson 1995

The volume contains 30 short stories within four chapters, entitled: ‘Home and Hearth’, ‘Small Town Folks’, ‘Mystery and Adventure’, and ‘Town Limits’.

Cold Cold Heart

Hoag, Tami
Orion 2015

Dana Nolan was a promising young TV reporter until a notorious serial killer tried to add her to his list of victims. Nearly a year has passed since she survived her ordeal, but the physical, emotional, and psychological scars run deep. Struggling with the torment of post-traumatic stress syndrome, plagued by flashbacks and nightmares, Dana returns to her hometown in an attempt to begin to put her life back together.

The Beef Princess of Practical County – Famous Indiana Authors

Houts, Michelle
Random House Children’s 2010

After years of waiting, it is finally Libby Ryan’s turn to shine at the Practical County Fair. Libby is filled with excitement as she and her granddad pick out two calves for her to raise on her family’s cattle farm, in hopes of winning the annual steer competition. After a few months of preparing for the Practical County Fair, Libby finds that she is growing closer to her steers with each passing day, and the pressure to win Grand Champion is mounting.

Something Rising (light and swift)

Kimmel, Haven
Free Press 2004

This tale is set in a “small town in Indiana. Cassie Claiborne, the most grounded person in her family, longs for her feckless father to return home but in the meantime, she grows into a young woman and shoulders the burden herself. On one of his increasingly rare visits, her father takes her to a pool hall. and she watches him play. When she takes her turn with the Cue, it becomes clear that Cassie has an innate talent for the game. She starts playing for money and routinely beats arrogant men who think they can easily best a young girl. Her skill ultimately leads her to a match with her father, but even pool playing can’t make up for his abandonment of her, or the fact that Cassie’s destiny might lie beyond Roseville.” Booklist .

Last Words – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Koryta, Michael
Little, Brown & Co. 2015

An investigator for a Florida-based Death Row defense firm, Novak’s life derailed when his wife, Lauren, was killed in the midst of a case the two were working together. Two years later, her murderer is still at large, and Novak’s attempts to learn the truth about her death through less-than-legal means and jailhouse bargaining have put his job on the line. Now he’s been all but banished, sent to Garrison, Indiana to assess a cold case that he’s certain his boss has no intention of taking.”

South of the Big Four

Kurtz, Don
Chronicle 1995

South of the Big Four is a gracefully told, arresting look at an America in which the center no longer holds, where a new kind of forgiveness and understanding must be found. In the tradition of A Thousand Acres and A Map of the World, the novel’s sudden truths and lasting images transcend the daily lives of its Midwestern characters to create a penetrating, resonant story, made all the more remarkable because it is the author’s debut.

Raintree County

which had no boundaries in time and space, where lurked musical and strange names and mythical and lost peoples, and which was itself only a name musical and strange

Lockridge, Ross Jr.
Houghton 1948

Story of Raintree County, Indiana from 1844 to 1892, showing current events as the hero saw them on his visits back to his home county.

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat – Famous Indiana Authors

Moore, Edward Kelsey
Knopf 2013

Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat diner in Plainview, Indiana is home away from home for Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean. Dubbed “The Supremes” by high school pals in the tumultuous 1960s, they’ve weathered life’s storms for over four decades and counseled one another through marriage and children, happiness and the blues. Now, however, they’re about to face their most challenging year yet.

In Orbit – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Morris, Wright
New American Library 1967

“In the space of one day, Jubal E. Gainer, high school dropout and draft dodger, manages to rack up an impressive array of crimes, moral and felonious. He steals a friend’s motorcycle, rapes a simple-minded spinster, mugs a pixyish professor, and stabs an obese visionary who runs a surplus store. He then waits out an Indiana twister and goes on his way, leaving as much wreckage in his path as the twister itself.” Library J

All the Bright Places

Niven, Jennifer
Prentice Hall 2002

The New York Times bestselling love story about two teens who find each other while standing on the edge. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school—six stories above the ground— it’s unclear who saves whom. Soon it’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. . . .

Adversary in the House

Stone, Irving
Doubleday 1947

Based on the life of “Eugene V. Debs, famous for his fanatic devotion to the cause of the working man. It’s the tragic story of a man who married a woman who became his staunch adversary. She opposed him in his work until the end of his days, while the woman he lost remained unswervingly loyal to him.” – Literary Guild

A Daughter of the Land

Stratton-Porter, Gene
Toronto: 1918

Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924) was an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer. She was also one of the earliest women to form a movie studio and production company. She wrote popular columns in national magazines as well as best-selling novels that were read by millions. Born and raised in Indiana, she and her husband lived near Geneva, IN. Two of her most popular novels were set in the swamp near their home.
– Wikipedia entry for Stratton-Porter

Mrs. Porter’s new novel is a story of two or more generations ago. Kate Bates is the youngest daughter of a rich Indiana farmer, known as the “land king.” Each of her numerous brothers, on reaching his majority, has been presented with a two-hundred acre farm, the deed to which remains in the father’s possession. Kate, when she learns that she is to be denied even the brief term of schooling that has been her sister’s portion rebels against her father’s authority. She has helped earn so many two-hundred acre farms for her brothers that her one ideal comes to be the possession of that number of acres for herself. The story follows her through many years of struggle and disappointment to final achievement.
– Book Review Digest. Novels set in Indiana.

See also: Books about 19th Century American Women Authors

Freckles – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Stratton-Porter, Gene
NY: Grosset & Dunlap 1904

See our collection of Short Stories PDF Free

Alice Adams – Famous Indiana Authors

Tarkington, Booth
Doubleday 1921

Awarded the 1922 Pulitzer Prize. “Alice Adams is a ‘small town’ girl of the Middle West. She has charm and ambition, but handicapped as she is by lack of money, background and ideals, her imagination can compass no higher career than struggling to keep with her childhood friends whose fortunes have grown with the town. Alice is a pathetic figure, at once amusing, appealing and irritating, as are her self-sacrificing but one ideaed mother and her simple-minded, goaded father. A lightly handled albeit penetrating study.” – Cleveland

The Gentleman from Indiana – Famous Indiana Authors

Tarkington, Booth
NY: Doubleday 1899

Newton Booth Tarkington (1869-1946) was born in Indianapolis to a judge, and was named after his mother’s uncle, a California governor. Booth attended Phillips Exeter Academy and began college studies at Purdue. After two years he transferred to Princeton, but did not graduate. He then tried to be an illustrator and a writer, but earned nearly nothing from either occupation until he published “The Gentleman from Indiana” in 1899. This was an immediate bestseller, and he quickly followed up with more. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature twice, for “The Magnificent Ambersons” and “Alice Adams”.

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The Turmoil, a Novel – Famous Indiana Authors

Tarkington, Booth
NY: Harper & Brothers 1915

The city that is the scene of this story might be Chicago, but it probably is not: it might be any one of the industrial cities of the middle west, but it probably is no one of them. It is any city, every city, that makes Bigness its god. Chief among the worshippers of Bigness in this city was Sheridan of the Sheridan trust company, and this is the story of Sheridan and his family; particularly it is the story of the youngest of them. Bibbs, a dreamy, imaginative youth, sick in mind and body. Such is the Bibbs first introduced to us. The Bibbs we see the last of has become the servitor of business with the rest of them: rising to the occasion when his father needs him and proving himself a man after his father’s own heart. And yet one hopes that he will prove to be something more than a servitor, that he will learn to make Bigness itself the servant; and Mary Vertrees, the very fine girl who had learned to love Bibbs in failure and in success, lends color to the hope.
– Book Review Digest

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The Salt and the Savor – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

Troyer, Howard W.
Wyn 1950

Chronicles the development of Indiana from pioneer days to the Civil War; development of the Grange movement, daily life and customs.

See our Suspense Stories in English

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

Vonnegut, Kurt
Dial 2006

“Eliot Rosewater—drunk, volunteer fireman, and President of the fabulously rich Rosewater Foundation—is about to attempt a noble experiment with human nature . . . with a little help from writer Kilgore Trout. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is Kurt Vonnegut’s funniest satire, an etched-in-acid portrayal of the greed, hypocrisy, and follies of the flesh we are all heir to.”

The Sirens of Titan

Vonnegut, Kurt
Random House 1959

Malachi Constant is a feckless but ultimately good-hearted millionaire who, in this incondensable interplanetary Candide (lacking perhaps Voltaire’s utter bitterness), searches the solar system for the ultimate meaning of existence. This came a close second in 1959 competition for the Hugo award.

Except for Thee and Me – Famous Indiana Authors

West, Jessamyn
Harcourt 1969

Earlier episodes in the courtship and marriage of the Birdwells of “Friendly Persuasion”, as they settle a farm on the Indiana frontier, cooperate with the Underground Railroad, and raise their family in good Quaker tradition.

The Friendly Persuasion – Free Novels Set in Indiana PDF

West, Jessamyn
Harcourt 1945

Episodes in the life of a Quaker family in Indiana, including a minor Civil War encounter. Books set in Indiana.

The Massacre at Fall Creek – Famous Indiana Authors

West, Jessamyn
Harcourt Brace 1975

“In 1824 an explosive event on the American frontier threatened massive and bloody Indian reprisals. The little-known and long-forgotten record tells of the brutal murder of innocent, peaceful Indians, including women and children, by five white men. From this scant evidence of history Jessamyn West has fashioned an exciting and richly plotted novel of haunting meaning”. -Publisher

The Witch Diggers

West, Jessamyn
Harcourt 1951

Picture of life on a farm in Southern Indiana in 1899. Novels set in Indiana.

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