- The Good Echo: A novel about the life of Henry David Thoreau, focusing on his relationship with fellow transcendentalist Bronson Alcott and Alcott's utopian experiment called Fruitlands.
- The Lightning Field: A novel exploring the story of Mary Shelley's son, who embarked on a visionary exploration of the American West inspired by his mother's novel "Frankenstein".
- Engine House No. 12: A novel recounting the events leading up to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, where over 140 workers died.
- Hookman: A novel recounting the story of a young man's encounter with a mythical Hookman in a Midwestern college town, which leads him on a journey of self-discovery.
- As Simple As Snow: A novel exploring the intricate relationship between a famous poet, his biographer, and the fictional town where the poet grew up.
Non-Fiction:
- Bound to Please: A cultural and historical exploration of the corset, from its origins to its modern uses.
- Reading the Book of Mormon in America Today: A critical analysis of the Book of Mormon and its place in contemporary American culture.
- The Last Muskrat War: A historical and cultural study of the Hudson Bay Company's conflicts with Native American tribes over valuable beaver pelts in the 18th century.