Book Series Guide

Liz Moore

Author guide

Liz Moore Books in Order

Liz Moore is an American novelist and writer of fiction and creative nonfiction. Her five published novels are The Words of Every Song (2007), Heft (2012), The Unseen World (2016), Long Bright River (2020), and The God of the Woods (2024). She won the 2014–2015 Rome Prize in Literature, lives in Philadelphia, and directs Temple University's MFA program in Creative Writing.

literary fictionpsychological suspensecrime fictioncreative nonfiction

Catalog record updated .

Liz Moore's Newest Book

Cover of The God of the Woods

The God of the Woods

novel · First published 2024

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The God of the Woods

The God of the Woods

A recent standalone literary suspense novel and an accessible entry point to Moore's work.

Cover of The Words of Every Song

The Words of Every Song

The chronological starting point and Moore's debut novel.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (5)
  1. The Words of Every Song

    novel · 2007

    From the acclaimed author of Long Bright River and Heft, a novel that allows us to take a peek behind the curtain of the music industry Liz Moore shows us the inner workings of an industry we’ve been fascinated with for decades. In these…

  2. Heft

    novel · 2012

    An obese former academic shut-in and a poor kid dreaming of a successful baseball career are linked together by a former student who transforms their lives.

  3. The Unseen World

    novel · 2016

    "The moving story of a daughter's quest to discover the truth about her beloved father's hidden past. Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era…

  4. Long Bright River

    novel · 2020

    "A suspense novel that also looks at the anatomy of a Philadelphia family rocked by the opioid crisis and the relationship between two sisters--one, suffering from addiction, who has suddenly gone missing amid a series of mysterious…

  5. The God of the Woods

    novel · 2024

    Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most…

Frequently asked questions about Liz Moore

Who is Liz Moore?

Liz Moore is a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction who also works as a television screenwriter and producer. She is a professor of English and directs Temple University’s MFA program in Creative Writing, and she lives in Philadelphia with her family.

Sources: liberalarts.temple.edu (opens in a new tab)lizmoore.net (opens in a new tab)

What is Liz Moore’s educational and early-career background?

After publishing her debut novel, Moore earned an MFA in Fiction from Hunter College. She also drew partly on her experience as a musician and received the University of Pennsylvania’s ArtsEdge residency in 2009.

Source: lizmoore.net (opens in a new tab)

What has influenced Liz Moore’s writing?

Moore’s early experience as a musician informed her first novel, while her family and community service in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood helped inspire Long Bright River. She has also said that place is the starting point for her novels.

Sources: lizmoore.net (opens in a new tab)now.temple.edu (opens in a new tab)

Which awards has Liz Moore won?

Moore won the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature and spent 2014–15 at the American Academy in Rome. She has also won the Medici Book Club Prize and Philadelphia’s Athenaeum Literary Award; the Athenaeum records Heft as its 2012 recipient.

Sources: aarome.org (opens in a new tab)lizmoore.net (opens in a new tab)philaathenaeum.org (opens in a new tab)

Has Liz Moore worked in television?

Yes. She adapted Long Bright River with showrunner Nikki Toscano and served as co-creator, executive producer, and co-writer of its Peacock series. Her novels The God of the Woods and The Unseen World have also been optioned for television development.

Sources: liberalarts.temple.edu (opens in a new tab)now.temple.edu (opens in a new tab)