LitQueuelitqueue

After

Murder in Foggy Bottom

Margaret Truman2000

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Death on the Downs

    Simon Brett2001

    A divorcee takes shelter from a storm in a barn and finds a bag of human bones. She and her friend Jude investigate the village of Weldisham.

    meditative → wry, still cozy

    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.

    meditative → cold

    pace0·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.

    meditative → playful

    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.

    meditative → cold

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Glazed Murder

    Jessica Beck2010

    A donut shop owner finds her rival dead in his shop. She investigates the local community to clear her own name.

    meditative → playful, still cozy

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Murder is Binding

    Lorna Barrett2008

    A bookstore owner in a small New Hampshire town finds a rival dead. She investigates the local community to clear her own name.

    meditative → warm, still cozy

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Buried in a Book

    Lucy Arlington2012

    A 45-year-old intern at a literary agency investigates the death of an author in the office. She uncovers a trail of threatening letters.

    meditative → warm, still cozy

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    meditative → propulsive, still political thriller

    pace+2·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.

    meditative → propulsive, still political thriller

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • The Da Vinci Code

    Dan Brown2003

    A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.

    meditative → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Dhalgren

    Samuel R. Delany1975

    An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.

    meditative → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • 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.

    meditative → playful

    pace-1·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.

    meditative → playful

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Red April

    Santiago Roncagliolo2009

    A prosecutor in 2000s Peru investigates a series of gruesome murders during Holy Week. He uncovers a conspiracy involving the military and rebels.

    meditative → bleak, still political thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

  • Moneyland

    Oliver Bullough2018

    This nonfiction work tracks how global elites use offshore accounts and shell companies to hide wealth. It follows the history of money laundering.

    meditative → tense, still political thriller

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • American Psycho

    Bret Easton Ellis1991

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

    meditative → cold

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2