So, you’ve got a Dutton family-sized hole in your heart, too? Instead of going to Paramount+ to re-binge the last four seasons while waiting for the Yellowstone finale, try cracking open one of these western books packed with family dynamics, territory battles, and other Dutton-like drama. Nothing will ever replace the pure adrenaline rush that is watching Beth post up for a bar fight, but this might help.
The Son by Philipp Meyer
Brutality, survival, and family strain abound in Philipp Meyer’s 2013 novel. The second in Meyer’s thematic trilogy, following American Rust, tells the harrowing story of three generations of the McCullough family as they struggle to combat the legacy that precedes them while navigating a coexistence with Mexican and Native neighbors. Set in a newly formed Texas, The Son is a novel with all the hallmarks of a good western epic — action, history, secrets, and a whole lot of family drama.
Shadow Country Trilogy by Peter Matthiessen
Peter Matthiessen’s Shadow Country, subtitled A New Rendering of the Watson Legend, is a semi-fictional account of the infamous Scottish-American outlaw Edgar “Bloody” Watson. Through firsthand accounts and creative retellings, Matthiessen unravels the tale of the outlaw that inhabited the Ten Thousand Islands region of southwest Florida and the neighbors and family members who got caught in his vast web of collateral damage.
The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy
The third trilogy to grace this list, famed American author Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy is one of the most celebrated pieces of western literature. While the trilogy’s first book, All the Pretty Horses, has situated itself firmly in the western canon, the trilogy’s two remaining novels, The Crossing and Cities of the Plain, are riveting tales in their own right. With his signature grit and apocalyptic scale, McCarthy tells the coming-of-age story of two young cowboys, John and Billy, as they travel across the American Southwest and Mexico in search of themselves.
The Lonesome Gods by Louis L’Amour
A love letter to the Old West, The Lonesome Gods is often hailed as one of Louis L’Amour’s most important historical novels. The epic follows Johannes Verne, a young man left to die by his own grandfather, as he forges his way through the vast California frontier. Rescued by outlaws and raised by Native Americans, Verne makes his way through the treacheries and joys of the Wild West, finding love, and opportunity in the Palm Springs desert.
Ranch Wife by Jo Jeffers
This one’s for the Yellowstone fans who miss the fiery female energy of Beth Dutton. Author and rancher Jo Jeffers’ autobiography, Ranch Wife, pulls back the curtain on life as the wife of a rancher. A young city girl settled in northeastern Arizona, Jeffers reveals the routines of ranch life, from dust storms to plagues and beyond. This firsthand account will make you thank your ranch wives with a gratitude you didn’t have before.
All Things Left Wild by James Wade
All it takes is a horse theft gone terribly wrong to launch protagonists Caleb Bentley and Randall Dawson into the chase of the century. As the wealthy yet ill-equipped Randall Dawson seeks revenge on the young Caleb and his older brothers, a coming-of-age clashes with a midlife crisis. James Wade’s All Things Left Wild is an atmospheric and fast-paced journey across the American Southwest at the turn of the twentieth century, juxtaposing the violence and corruption of an industrialized country with the beautiful and lyricism of the American West.
The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch by Julia Brewer Daily
A tooth-and-nail fight for the ranch, Julia Brewer Daily’s The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch follows Emma Rosales as she travels to The Thorn — one of the largest ranches in Texas that she just happens to be the heiress of now — only to find people squatting on her property. As Emma fights for control of what is rightfully hers, the ancient secrets of The Thorn begin to unravel in this Texas-sized family drama.
The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry McMurtry
While many of the books in McMurtry’s vast collection are more than worth the read, The Last Kind Words Saloon reveals a different side of the Lonesome Dove author. Using a subversive retelling of legendary Western figures Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, McMurtry details the gradual disappearance of the American frontier that we all know and love. As the outlaw friends live out the last days of a waning cowboy lifestyle, the novel contrasts the myths of the Old West with the ever-modernizing new frontier. Surprisingly funny and sentimental, this Western book celebrates the remnants of a Wild West come and gone.
