Thomas Louis Berger (July 20, 1924 – July 13, 2014) was an American novelist. Probably best known for his picaresque novel Little Big Man and the subsequent film by Arthur Penn, Berger explored and manipulated many genres of fiction throughout his career, including the crime novel, the hard-boiled detective story, science fiction, the utopian novel, plus re-workings of classical mythology, Arthurian legend, and the survival adventure.[1] Berger’s biting wit led many reviewers to refer to him as a satirist or “comic” novelist, descriptions he preferred to reject.[2] His admirers often bemoaned that his talent and achievement were under-appreciated, in view of his versatility across many forms of fiction, his precise use of language, and his probing intelligence.
Books in order of publication by series:
| Crazy in Berlin Carlo Reinhart #1 | 1958 |
| Reinhart in Love Carlo Reinhart #2 | 1962 |
| Little Big Man | 1964 |
| Jack Crabb #1 Killing Time | 1967 |
| Vital Parts | 1970 |
| Carlo Reinhart #3 Regiment of Women | 1973 |
| Sneaky People | 1975 |
| Who is Teddy Villanova? | 1977 |
| Arthur Rex: A Legendary Novel | 1978 |
| Neighbors | 1980 |
| Reinhart’s Women Carlo Reinhart #4 | 1981 |
| The Feud | 1983 |
| Nowhere | 1985 |
| Being Invisible | 1987 |
| The Houseguest | 1988 |
| Changing the Past | 1989 |
| Orrie’s Story | 1990 |
| Meeting Evil | 1992 |
| Robert Crews | 1994 |
| Suspects | 1996 |
| The Return of Little Big Man Jack Crabb #2 | 1999 |
| Best Friends | 2003 |
| Adventures of the Artificial Woman | 2004 |
Stories
- Granted Wishes: Three Stories (1984)
- Previously uncollected short stories have appeared in magazines such as American Review, Gentleman’s Quarterly, Saturday Evening Post, Playboy, and Harper’s.
- Abnormal Occurrences: Short Stories (e-book published March 2013)
Plays
- Other People (1970)
- Rex, Rita, and Roger (1970)
- The Siamese Twins (1971)
- At the Dentist’s (radio play) (1981)
- The Burglars (1988)
Oak Lawn Library Friends 