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After

House witness

Lawson, Michael2018

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same sardonic register, still crime

1 more ↓

  • Righteous

    Joe Ide2017

    A private investigator in East Long Beach searches for the person who killed his brother years ago. He also tries to rescue a friend's sister.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Amberes

    Roberto Bolaño2002

    A fragmented series of fifty-six short sections follows a police officer, a redhead, and a hunchback through a series of loosely linked crimes.

    sardonic → cold

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • 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.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-2·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.

    sardonic → cold

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Rooster Bar

    John Grisham2017

    Three law students realize their school is a scam and drop out to pose as lawyers. They steal identities to survive and pay off their debts.

    Same sardonic register

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Fast & loose

    Stuart Woods2017

    Wealthy investigator Stone Barrington deals with a hostile family after a boating accident. He manages legal and financial assets in Maine.

    sardonic → playful, still crime

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

    Vaseem Khan2015

    A retired police inspector in Mumbai investigates a boy's death while caring for a baby elephant inherited from his uncle.

    sardonic → warm

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Extreme Prey

    John Sandford2016

    While working on a presidential campaign, Lucas Davenport tracks an armed man planning to assassinate the governor.

    sardonic → propulsive, still crime

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • The President Is Missing

    Bill Clinton2018

    The U.S. President goes underground to stop a cyberattack that threatens to wipe out the nation's electrical and financial infrastructure.

    sardonic → propulsive, still political thriller

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Transfer of Power

    Vince Flynn1999

    Terrorists seize the White House and take hostages. CIA operative Mitch Rapp infiltrates the building alone to rescue the survivors.

    sardonic → propulsive, still political 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.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • 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.

    sardonic → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    sardonic → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

sardonic → tense, still political thriller

3 more ↓

  • Gone, Baby, Gone

    Dennis Lehane1998

    Private investigators search for a missing four-year-old girl in Boston. They navigate a criminal underworld and face a final moral choice.

    sardonic → bleak, still crime

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • 2666

    Roberto Bolaño2004

    Five interconnected stories center on a series of unsolved murders in a Mexican border town and a reclusive German author.

    sardonic → bleak, still crime

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Libra

    Don DeLillo1988

    A fictionalized biography of Lee Harvey Oswald. It follows his life and the CIA conspiracy that leads to the assassination of JFK.

    sardonic → eerie, still political thriller

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2