10 Books Set In North Carolina

I took the girls out for a little shopping trip this weekend. First stop: TJ Maxx, where we browsed notebooks and journals. Then, we made our way to Barnes & Noble, losing ourselves among the bookshelves.

As we wandered, I confessed to the girls that when it comes to writing about North Carolina art, I always seem to hit a wall. Every other section of the blog is overflowing with ideas, but this one? Stuck.

Belle looked at me like I had three heads.

“Have you covered any books?”

Lord, help me. That girl is as sharp as she is sassy. And she had a point. In four years, I’ve never written about North Carolina literature? How did that even happen?

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again—I’m a voracious reader. I devour 20 to 40 books a year, not counting all the research I do. And true to my brand, many of my favorites are set right here in the Old North State.

That little stroll through the bookstore got my creative wheels turning, which brings me to today’s post:

Where the Crawdads Sing

Deep in the untamed marshes of North Carolina, Kya Clark—known as the “Marsh Girl”—raises herself after being abandoned by her family. She learns the rhythms of nature, dodges truant officers, and finds fleeting connections. But when a local golden boy turns up dead, suspicion lands squarely on her. Part murder mystery, part coming-of-age tale, this novel hooks you like a catfish on a trotline.

Cold Mountain

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, this sweeping epic follows Inman, a Confederate soldier who deserts his post to make the perilous journey home to his love, Ada, in WNC. Meanwhile, Ada—once a refined city girl—struggles to keep her late father’s farm running until a tough, no-nonsense drifter, Ruby, helps her find her footing. It’s a raw and lyrical story of love, survival, and the brutal cost of war.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

A firsthand account of slavery’s horrors, Harriet Jacobs (writing as Linda Brent) recounts her life in bondage in North Carolina. With unflinching honesty, she reveals how she endured relentless pursuit by her predatory master, Dr. Flint, and hid for seven years in a cramped attic crawlspace—watching her children grow up through the cracks in the boards—before finally escaping. It’s a fierce, heart-shredding story of a woman outsmarting the chains that bind her, scribbled down to show the world what slavery really costs a soul. It’s a punch to the gut you won’t shake.

Look Homeward, Angel

Up in the mountains of Altamont—Thomas Wolfe’s stand-in for Asheville, North Carolina—Eugene Gant’s coming of age in a big, messy family that’s as wild as the hills. His daddy’s a stonecutter with a temper and a bottle, his mama’s running a boardinghouse with a tight fist on the purse strings, and his siblings are a loud, sprawling crew. Eugene’s a dreamer, hungry for books and something bigger than this small-town life, but he’s tangled in the chaos of home—love, fights, and all. It’s a sprawling, poetic ride through a boy’s soul, growing up Southern and restless, with the Blue Ridge looming like a call he can’t quite answer.

One Second After

In the sleepy North Carolina mountain town of Black Mountain, John Matherson’s just trying to keep life steady as a widowed dad and college prof—until an EMP blast knocks out every damn thing electric across the U.S. One second, it’s normal; the next, it’s chaos—no power, no cars, no phones. John’s scrambling to protect his daughters—one’s got diabetes, and insulin’s suddenly gold—while the town unravels fast. Food’s scarce, folks turn feral, and raiders start circling like buzzards. It’s a gritty, heart-pounding what-if about a man and a community fighting to hold on when the world goes dark.

Kiss the Girls

D.C. detective Alex Cross heads to North Carolina when his niece goes missing—one of many young women kidnapped by the sadistic “Casanova.” He teams up with Kate McTiernan, a doctor who manages to escape the killer’s underground lair, to hunt him down. Meanwhile, another psychopath—the “Gentleman Caller”—is wreaking havoc across the country. A nerve-shredding thriller that keeps you guessing until the final page.

Where the Lilies Bloom

In the Great Smoky Mountains, 14-year-old Mary Call Luther swears to honor her dying father’s wish—keep her younger siblings together, no matter what. When he passes, she buries him in secret to avoid the authorities splitting them up. With no money, they survive by foraging medicinal herbs, but winter is closing in fast. A heart-tugging, hardscrabble tale of resilience and family loyalty.

The Fiery Cross

It’s 1771 in colonial North Carolina, and Jamie Fraser is torn between loyalty and rebellion. The governor calls on him to suppress an uprising, but Jamie—forewarned by his time-traveling wife, Claire—knows the Revolution is inevitable. As war looms, the Fraser clan navigates shifting allegiances, family struggles, and old ghosts. A rich blend of historical drama, romance, and adventure.

The Notebook

On the North Carolina coast, an elderly man reads a love story from an old notebook to a woman in a nursing home—a story of two young lovers from different worlds. Noah, a poor country boy, and Allie, a privileged city girl, fall hard for each other one summer, only to be torn apart by family and circumstance. Years later, fate brings them back together in a tale that’s equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking.

The Secret, Book & Scone Society

In Miracle Springs, a quiet North Carolina town with a knack for healing, bookstore owner Nora Pennington has a gift for recommending the perfect book for any troubled soul. But when a desperate man seeking her help turns up dead, Nora knows something’s off. She forms the Secret, Book & Scone Society with three other women—each with their own buried secrets—to unravel the mystery. A cozy but compelling read about friendship, trust, and the magic of books.

There you have it—10 books set in North Carolina. Have you read any of these? Which is your favorite?