Exploring the United States via books is an excellent way to leave home without leaving the comforts of home. The 50 State Road Trip Reading Challenge that I have mentioned in a previous post has been one of my favorite yearly challenges. Not only have I discovered authors I haven’t read before, I have explored the US from East to West and North to South. I have even traveled to Alaska and Hawaii, as well as some of the U.S. Territories.
The Goal
The goal is simple: to read a book set in a specific state and to travel all 50 states and Washington, DC thru books. For example: I chose the entire McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers because the entire series is set in Alabama. However, if a book has several settings, you can check off each state the book has a scene in. Example: Identity by Nora Roberts has scenes set in several states and I chose to check those states off. That particular rule has helped me more than once when I was having difficulty accessing a book for states like Delaware, North/South Dakota, Nebraska, etc.
This is my completed 50 State Road Trip Challenge list for 2026:
| Alabama | McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers | Bailey, Robert |
| Alaska | Northern Lights | Roberts, Nora |
| Arizona | A Different Dawn | Maldonado, Isabella |
| Arkansas | The Witness | Roberts, Nora |
| California | Implied Consent | Powell, Keenan |
| Colorado | Not Our Daughter | Zunker, Chad |
| Connecticut | Peg and Rose Solve a Murder | Berenson, Laurien |
| Delaware | The Innocent | Coben, Harlan |
| Florida | The Whistler | Grisham, John |
| Georgia | High Noon | Roberts, Nora |
| Hawaii | Aloha Alibi | Webb, Jasmine |
| Idaho | Chasing Fire | Roberts, Nora |
| Illinois | Digging In | Nyhan, Loretta |
| Indiana | Cold Cold Heart | Hoag, Tami |
| Iowa | This Is How I Lied | Gudenkauf, Heather |
| Kansas | The Winter Widow | Weir, Charlene |
| Kentucky | The Queen’s Gambit | Tevis, Walter |
| Louisiana | Identity | Roberts, Nora |
| Maine | Homeport | Roberts, Nora |
| Maryland | Identity | Roberts, Nora |
| Massachusetts | Three Sisters Island Trilogy | Roberts, Nora |
| Michigan | Sniffed Out | Benning, Patti |
| Minnesota | Cold Cold Heart | Hoag, Tami |
| Mississippi | Cemetery Road | Iles, Greg |
| Missouri | Identity | Roberts, Nora |
| Montana | Chasing Fire | Roberts, Nora |
| Nebraska | Identity | Roberts, Nora |
| Nevada | Identity | Roberts, Nora |
| New Hampshire | Catch of the Day | Bennett, Virginia K. |
| New Jersey | Year One | Roberts, Nora |
| New Mexico | The Law Is a Lady | Roberts, Nora |
| New York | The Second Son | Gervais, Simon/Steck, Ryan |
| North Carolina | Under Currents | Roberts, Nora |
| North Dakota | Paradise Valley | Box, C. J. |
| Ohio | Year One | Roberts, Nora |
| Oklahoma | Killers of the Flower Moon | Grann, David |
| Oregon | Her First Mistake | Elliot, Kendra |
| Pennsylvania | The Key Trilogy | Roberts, Nora |
| Rhode Island | Every Precious and Fragile Thing | Davis, Barbara |
| South Carolina | Identity | Roberts, Nora |
| South Dakota | Black Hills | Roberts, Nora |
| Tennessee | Between Black and White | Bailey, Robert |
| Texas | Not Our Daughter | Zunker, Chad |
| Utah | The Secret Witness | Methos, Victor |
| Vermont | Identity | Roberts, Nora |
| Virginia | The Widow | Grisham, John |
| Washington | River’s End | Roberts, Nora |
| West Virginia | No Filter | Gilbert, Heather Day |
| Wisconsin | Buzz Off | Reed, Hannah |
| Wyoming | Angels Fall | Roberts, Nora |
| Washington, DC | The Night Agent | Quirk, Matthew |
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