Much of Hassler's fiction involves characters struggling with transitions in their lives or searching for a central purpose. Many of his major characters are Catholic (or lapsed Catholics), and his novels frequently explore the role that small town life plays in shaping, or limiting, human potential.
Readers of Hassler's novels eventually will notice a number of recurring characters: for instance, Miles Pruitt (the protagonist in
Staggerford, who is referred to in
A Green Journey,
The Love Hunter, and
The New Woman); Agatha McGee (in
Staggerford,
A Green Journey,
Dear James,
The Staggerford Flood, and
The New Woman); Larry Quinn (in
The Love Hunter and
Rookery Blues); and Frank Healy (in
North of Hope and
The New Woman).
Novels
- Staggerford (1977)
- Simon's Night (1979)
- The Love Hunter (1981)
- A Green Journey (1985)
- Grand Opening (1987)
- North of Hope (1990)
- Dear James (1993)
- Rookery Blues (1995)
- The Dean's List (1998)
- The Staggerford Flood (2002)
- The Staggerford Murders (2004)
- The New Woman (2005)
Short story collections
- Keepsakes and Other Stories (2000)
- Rufus at the Door and Other Stories (2000)
Nonfiction
- Saint John's in Pictures - Introduction (1994)
- My Staggerford Journal (1999)
- Good People... from an Author's Life (2001)
- Stories Teachers Tell (2004)
Children's literature
- Four Miles to Pinecone (1977)
- Jemmy (1980)
Anthologized stories
- Inheriting the Land, edited by Mark Vinz and Thom Tammaro ("The Undistinguished Poet", 1993)
- Imagining Home, edited by Mark Vinz and Thom Tammaro ("Remembering Houses", 1995)