It (Didn't) Happen In New Jersey: Fiction Featuring the Garden State

For those who love to read about their home state! Here is a list of fiction books at SCLS set in New Jersey.

Updated April 21, 2026
S
Sussex County Library System (NJ) Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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It (Didn't) Happen In New Jersey: Fiction Featuring the Garden State

For those who love to read about their home state! Here is a list of fiction books at SCLS set in New Jersey.

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In the unlikely event
Blume, Judy
Paper Book
In her highly anticipated new novel, Judy Blume, the New York Times # 1 best-selling author of Summer Sisters and of young adult classics such as Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, creates a richly textured and moving story of three generations of families, friends and...
Palisades Park
Brennert, Alan.
Paper Book
Bestseller Alan Brennert's spellbinding story about a family of dreamers and their lives within the legendary Palisades Amusement Park Growing up in the 1930s, there is no more magical place than Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey--especially for seven-year-old Antoinette, who...
The bay at midnight /
Chamberlain, Diane,
Paper Book
The Bay at Midnight by Diane Chamberlain released on Jan 25, 2005 is available now for purchase.
Caught
Coben, Harlan
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense comes a fast-paced, emotion-packed novel about guilt, grief, and our capacity to forgive 17-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to...
The innocent /
Coben, Harlan,
Paper Book
The new bestseller from one of the world’s greatest thriller writers. Innocent starts in the green suburbs of New Jersey and takes us off into the dark heart of the secrets and lies that often hide at the centre of American life. Matt has rebuilt his life after a brawl that left him serving...
Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian love story :
DeFino, Terri-Lynne
Ebook
"Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story is fun and funny, wonderfully exuberant, and incredibly wise. These endearing characters--their voices and stories-- will be with me for a long time to come. I didn't want to say good-bye." -Jill McCorkle, New York Times bestselling author...
All the summer girls /
Donohue, Meg
Audiobook
All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue is a riveting coming-of-age tale set on the New Jersey shore. Donohue, the author of the bestselling novel How to Eat a Cupcake, is a master of literary fiction; her skill is demonstrated in this charming and moving second novel. Set among the sunsets...
Rock the boat :
Dorey-Stein, Beck,
Paper Book
"[A] witty, heartfelt debut novel about a belated coming-of-age."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) Old friends discover how much has changed (and how much has stayed the same) when they reunite in their seaside hometown for one unforgettable summer--from the...
One for the money
Evanovich, Janet
Paper Book
Trenton native Stephanie Plum is out of work, out of money, and out of luck. So she blackmails her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. He's also the...
Let me be Frank with you /
Ford, Richard,
Paper Book
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize A brilliant new work that returns Richard Ford to the hallowed territory that sealed his reputation as an American master: the world of Frank Bascombe, and the landscape of his celebrated novels The Sportswriter, the Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner winning...
Silent Came the Monster :
Hearth, Amy Hill
Audiobook
This is the story of you
Kephart, Beth
Ebook
On Haven, a six-mile long, half-mile-wide stretch of barrier island, Mira Banul and her Year-Rounder friends have proudly risen to every challenge. But then a superstorm defies all predictions and devastates the island, upending all logic and stranding Mira's mother and brother on the mainland....
Within arm's reach :
Napolitano, Ann.
Ebook
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * The tender and perceptive debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful, about three generations of a large Catholic family jarred into crisis by an unexpected pregnancy "This stunning . . . exquisite, skillfully...
Tracy Flick can't win
Perrotta, Tom
Paper Book
Tracy Flick is back and, once again, the iconic protagonist of Tom Perrotta's Election--and Reese Witherspoon's character from the classic movie adaptation--is determined to take high school politics by storm. Tracy Flick is a hardworking assistant principal at a public high school...
Trouble in Queenstown /
Pitts, Delia C.,
Paper Book
The Shamus Award Winner for Best Hardcover PI Novel A Nero Award Finalist for Best American Mystery With Trouble in Queenstown, Delia Pitts introduces private investigator Vandy Myrick in a powerful mystery that blends grief, class, race, and...
Middle of the night :
Sager, Riley,
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend--and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines...
Wish you were gone
Scott, Kieran
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell, this "captivating thriller full of twists and surprises" (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author)--about what happens when the death of a husband and father isn't the tragedy everyone believes--is perfect for fans...
Midnight on Beacon Street :
Verona, Emily Ruth,
Ebook
"Midnight on Beacon Street is a lot of things. It's a taut thriller about a babysitter and two kids surviving one weird night. It's a celebration of classic horror movies. It's a creepy narrative that involves a ghost and late night home break-ins. And, most important, it's a lot of fun. . ....
Our little world : a novel
Winn, Karen
Ebook
"I was intrigued by Our Little World from the chilling first paragraph. It's a coming-of-age novel complicated by a tragic and untimely death, and it's also a novel about two sisters you will never forget. I fell in love with the confidence of the writing and the colorful nostalgia of the...
Dog day afternoon /
Rosenfelt, David.
Audiobook
Open and shut
Rosenfelt, David.
Paper Book
Defense attorney Andy Carpenter manages to sail through any tough situation, whether inside the courtroom or in his personal life. But this all changes when his marriage breaks up and his father suddenly dies, leaving him distraught--and 22 million dollars richer.
I heard that song before
Clark, Mary Higgins.
Ebook
In a riveting psychological thriller, Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark takes you deep into the mysteries of the human mind, where memories may be the most dangerous things of all. Kay Lansing, who has grown up in Englewood, New Jersey, is the daughter of the landscaper to the...
Unsheltered :
Kingsolver, Barbara
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller * Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, O: The Oprah Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek "Kingsolver brilliantly captures both the price of profound change and how it can pave the way not only for future...
Cape May :
Cheek, Chip
Paper Book
"Inside this mesmerizing tale of sexual desire and discovery, naive newlyweds Henry and Effie are honeymooning in Cape May, N.J., in 1957, tentatively navigating intimacy. Then they meet Clara and Max, hard-partying lovers who dazzle the innocent pair until they've lost more than their...
Fly by night
O'Connor, Tara,
Paper Book
In this enviromental thriller graphic novel with a supernatural twist, Dee must find out what happened to her missing twin. An amazing mystery filled with strange creatures, high school drama, and family, this darkly illustrated book shows us that monsters are all around us. ...
The shore :
Runde, Katie,
Paper Book
A mother and her two daughters spend a summer grappling with heartbreak, young love, and the weight of secrets in this "deeply felt family saga" (Entertainment Weekly) hailed as "one of the best beach reads of all time" (Today). Brian and Margot Dunne live year...
The night shift /
Finlay, Alex,
Paper Book
From the author of the breakout thriller Every Last Fear, comes Alex Finlay''s electrifying next novel The Night Shift, about a pair of small-town murders fifteen years apart--and the ties that bind them. One of the Best or Most Anticipated Books of 2022:...
Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian love story : a novel
DeFino, Terri-Lynne
Ebook
"Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story is fun and funny, wonderfully exuberant, and incredibly wise. These endearing characters--their voices and stories-- will be with me for a long time to come. I didn't want to say good-bye." -Jill McCorkle, New York Times bestselling author...
Hidden pictures
Rekulak, Jason
Audiobook
Dogged pursuit
Rosenfelt, David
Paper Book
In Dogged Pursuit, David Rosenfelt takes readers back to the start of this beloved series as Andy Carpenter begins his career as a defense attorney in Paterson, New Jersey. Andy Carpenter has spent the three years since graduating law school working as a prosecutor in...
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