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After

Eye Contact

Cammie McGovern2006

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Poet

    Michael Connelly1996

    A journalist investigates a series of police suicides that he believes are the work of a serial killer who leaves poetic clues.

    tender → tense, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Blood on the dining-room floor

    Gertrude Stein1948

    A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.

    tender → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • The Doves Necklace

    Raja Alem2014

    A detective investigates an unidentified woman's body found in a Mecca alleyway. The city itself narrates parts of the story.

    tender → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • American Psycho

    Bret Easton Ellis1991

    A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.

    tender → cold

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover

tender → playful, still amateur sleuth

3 more ↓

  • Alpine for you

    Maddy Hunter2003

    A woman leads a group of senior citizens on a tour of the Swiss Alps. When a passenger dies, she must investigate her fellow travelers.

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf

    Molly Harper2011

    A librarian in Alaska finds her neighbor caught in a trap and discovers he is a werewolf. They investigate a series of local attacks together.

    tender → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Real Murders

    Charlaine Harris1990

    A librarian in a small Georgia town belongs to a club that studies famous crimes. A real murder occurs that mimics a historical case.

    tender → wry, still amateur sleuth

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • UNSUB

    Meg Gardiner2017

    A narcotics detective joins a task force to catch a serial killer who obsessed her father twenty years earlier. The killer uses cryptic codes.

    tender → propulsive, still psychological thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • Never Lie

    Freida McFadden2022

    A couple trapped in a blizzard at a missing psychiatrist's estate find hidden tapes of her sessions. The story alternates between past and present.

    tender → propulsive, still psychological thriller

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Verity

    Colleen Hoover2018

    A ghostwriter moves into a secluded estate to finish a series for an injured author and finds a hidden, disturbing autobiography.

    tender → tense, still psychological thriller

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas R. Hofstadter1979

    An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.

    tender → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

  • Ulysses

    James Joyce1914

    Three characters wander through Dublin on a single day in 1904. Each chapter uses a different literary style to mimic thoughts and sensations.

    tender → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • A maça no escuro

    Clarice Lispector1961

    A man flees into the Brazilian interior believing he killed his wife. He works on a remote farm while navigating his own internal monologue.

    tender → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

tender → bleak, still psychological thriller

3 more ↓

  • Shadow Man

    Cody McFadyen2006

    An FBI agent with a traumatic past tracks a serial killer who targets families. The narrative details extreme physical and psychological torture.

    tender → tense, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Push

    Ashley Audrain2021

    A mother suspects her daughter is a sociopath while her husband dismisses her. The story follows her descent into isolation and maternal dread.

    tender → tense, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Sharp Objects

    Gillian Flynn2006

    A reporter returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two girls while grappling with her own history of self-harm.

    tender → tense, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1