John Farris

  • 28

    Catalog books

  • 15

    Works

  • 1985 to 2012

    Strongest span

Who This Author Is

John Farris writes lean, suspenseful fiction that edges into the uncanny. From the pages of All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By, he builds tense atmosphere, moral ambiguity, and characters who confront violent choices — a storyteller focused on momentum, moral cost, and the slow reveal of menace.

Farris’s work favors tight plotting and a steady escalation of stakes. In All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By he layers domestic unease over criminal desperation, letting ordinary settings become sites of pressure and rupture, so readers feel both the urgency of the plot and the quiet unraveling behind it.

Best Place To Start

When Michael Calls

Tor Books • 1991 • standard commitment

It helps anchor a specific period of this author’s publishing run instead of blending into the undated shelf clutter.

Author At A Glance

Best known for: Southern Gothic mood • Crime and suspense plotting • Unsettling character studies

Genres and themes: Southern Gothic • Psychological suspense • Dark family drama

Who this author is best for: For readers who like brooding Southern settings, morally ambiguous characters, and slow-building suspense.

Start with this novel to sample Farris’s atmospheric tone and focus on character-driven tension.

Top Books To Start With

  1. When Michael Calls

    Tor Books • 1991 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1991 • 256 pages.

  2. All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By by Farris, John

    Tor Books • 1990 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1990 • 352 pages.

  3. The Uninvited

    Tor Books • 1987 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1987 • 288 pages.

  4. Solar Eclipse

    St Martins Pr • 1999 • longer commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1999 • 399 pages.

  5. Minotaur

    Severn House Pub Ltd • 1994 • longer commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1994 • 384 pages.

  6. The Fury (UK 1st unread)

    Severn House Pub Ltd • 1994 • longer commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1994 • 352 pages.

  7. soon she will be gone

    Tor Books • 1998 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1998 • 387 pages.

  8. NIGHTFALL

    Tor Books • 1987 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1987 • 320 pages.

  9. Captors

    Tor Books • 1985 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1985 • 320 pages.

  10. The Captors

    Tor Books • 1985 • standard commitment

    readers who want one of the clearer starting points on this page

How The Picks Compare

  • When Michael Calls is the easier short commitment, while All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By by Farris, John asks for more reading time up front.
  • All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By by Farris, John gives you an earlier look at this author’s shelf, while When Michael Calls leans later in the catalog.

More Books By John Farris

Browse Next