5 Books To Add To Your TBR If You Love Dutton Ranch

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"Dutton Ranch" has taken the television world by lasso. The struggles of Beth Dutton and her husband Rip Wheeler to rebuild their lives on a Texas ranch gave Paramount+ its biggest series launch ever, drawing more than 12 million viewers within a week of the "Yellowstone" spinoff's debut. Fortunately, there's a big wide Sheridanverse waiting for fans who were left clamoring for more following the "Dutton Ranch" Season 1 finale, but where is a fan to turn after burning through "Yellowstone," "1883," "1923," and "Marshals?"

The bookstore, of course. The Western is a genre of literature as well as movies and TV, and that aisle of your local literary depot is brimming with tales of feuding ranch owners competing each other into the ground — sometimes literally and often in Texas. But there's no need to comb through the stacks searching for signs of the requisite vibes, because we've done the work for you.

Cormac McCarthy is the king of the neo-Western, and "No Country For Old Men" is perhaps his masterpiece of the genre. It follows a hunter who stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong at the Texas-Mexico border, and he absconds with a small fortune. He might have thought twice, though, if he knew he'd attract the attention of a veteran sheriff, a bounty hunter, and one of fiction's most chilling contract killers in the process.

The ensuing cat-and-mouse chase sprawls the vast desert of West Texas over the course of around 320 pages. The intricate web of characters competing for the upper hand in a deadly game of power will be instantly recognizable to "Dutton Ranch" fans, who will also appreciate McCarthy's cinematic writing style, as the 2005 novel was conceived as a screenplay. Of course, it became one two years later, and was named Best Picture at the 2008 Oscars.

Those looking for more cattle than crime in their Western drama will find it in 2021's "Olympus, Texas," about a real estate magnate, his ranching wife, and his many, many children (not all hers). Over the course of only a week in their small East Texas town, the Briscoe family's already precarious existence is rocked by the return of Peter and June Briscoe's son, March, who fled years earlier in the wake of his own affair with his brother's wife. Throw in a gun accident that spells trouble for two of Peter's other children, and it's safe to say Olympus has no want for gossip.

"Olympus, Texas" is for fans most interested in the family dynamics of "Dutton Ranch." Aside from all the infidelity and sibling drama, there's a "Romeo and Juliet" style romance between a daughter of the Briscoe family and the son of a woman who blames their family for her own farm's ruin, that viewers will find eerily familiar. Tensions between Mama June and a local vet will ring some bells, too.

Of course, Texas wasn't invented by fiction writers. The state has a rich history, especially its ranching industry, and especially that of King Ranch, the vast 825,000-acre estate (that's literally bigger than Rhode Island) that Don Graham calls the most famous in the country. Like "Dutton Ranch," King Ranch has struggled with romantic tensions, violent retribution, cattle disease, and endless political and business disputes since it was founded by Richard King in 1853.

Although scholars have pointed out that 2002's "Kings of Texas" is less complete than other accounts due to a lack of access to King Ranch's archives, presumably out of fear of reigniting conflicts and exposing potentially unethical practices, it's one of the most lay reader friendly. If anything, that denial of access might be a point in its favor: Graham set out to tell a warts-and-all story and didn't care who knew it. "Dutton Ranch" fans who want to know what really goes down on a notorious Texas cattle ranch won't be disappointed.

The couples on "Yellowstone" may wave more red flags than a bullfighter, but for many "Dutton Ranch" viewers, the relationship between Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler is the primary draw to their couches on Friday nights. Even if the passionate loyalty of the rebellious and ruthless Beth and the dark and fiercely protective Rip would be problematic in real life, it's major couples goals on the small screen. For those looking for the same vibes on the page, Bailey Hannah's bestselling "Wells Ranch" series, starting with 2023's "Alive and Wells," comes up over and over.

In "Alive and Wells," it's Austin Wells' ranch that Cecily Kennedy approaches for a job, not the other way around, but their hot and cold dynamic mirrors Beth and Rip's rocky road to marital bliss. Once her past comes back to haunt her, his gruff determination to keep her safe gives all the Rip Wheeler vibes. Not to spoil anything, but it's pretty clear that, like Beth and Rip, these trauma bonds are forever.

"Lonesome Dove" is one of the best books to read if you love the "Yellowstone" franchise as a whole, but it's especially resonant for "Dutton Ranch" fans because it starts in Texas. In fact, Lonesome Dove is the name of the small Texas town from which the ragtag group of former Texas Rangers and miscellaneous others embark — on what turns out to be an eventful cattle drive north. Technically, it's about leaving Texas, but the outlaws, lawmen, and ambiguity over who is who makes it a must-read for fans of "Dutton Ranch."

There's an off-page reason, too: "Dutton Ranch" owes its life to "Lonesome Dove." Creator Taylor Sheridan has not only named it his favorite book, he described reading the 1985 novel and watching the 1989 television adaptation as "easily the most formative event in my life," inspiring him to give up his previous aspirations in the law enforcement and cattle industries in favor of ushering in a new era of TV Westerns. The streets may be a little less safe as a result, but at least the airwaves are a little more rugged.

We searched social media for recommendations for books similar to "Dutton Ranch" or featuring similar elements, paying special attention to repeat recommendations. Specifically, we looked for neo-Western crime dramas, Texas ranch settings, ruthless ranch owners, feuds between ranching families, and ranch romances between characters similar to "Dutton Ranch" couples. We then listed the selected titles in order of the strength of their connection to "Dutton Ranch."