LitQueuelitqueue

After

Shock wave

John Sandford2011

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • The Viking funeral

    Stephen J. Cannell2002

    LAPD detective Shane Scully discovers his best friend and fellow cop might not have committed suicide. He investigates a ring of corrupt officers.

    wry → propulsive, still police procedural

    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.

    wry → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·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.

    wry → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·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.

    wry → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Sea of Greed

    Clive Cussler2018

    Kurt Austin investigates the destruction of oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The trail leads to a billionaire with a plan to end the oil age.

    wry → propulsive, still thriller

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • Plum Lucky

    Janet Evanovich2007

    Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum chases a man who stole a horse and a bag of money. Her grandmother and a mysterious ally join the pursuit.

    wry → playful

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • The Sussex Downs murder

    John Bude2015

    A superintendent investigates the disappearance of a farmer in the 1930s after his car is found abandoned and bones are discovered.

    Same wry register, still police procedural

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Memory Man

    David Baldacci2015

    A detective with a brain injury that prevents him from forgetting anything hunts for the person who murdered his family.

    wry → propulsive, still police procedural

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Fourth Monkey

    J.D. Barker

    A detective hunts a serial killer who sends ears and eyes to his victims' families. The story alternates between the chase and the killer's diary.

    wry → tense, still police procedural

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Mind prey

    John Sandford1995

    Detective Lucas Davenport hunts a kidnapper who records his victims' terror. The story alternates between the investigator and the criminal.

    wry → tense, still police procedural

    pace+1·prose0·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.

    wry → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·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.

    wry → playful

    pace-2·prose+3·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.

    wry → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

Heavier

wry → bleak, still police procedural

3 more ↓

  • Broken Harbor

    Tana French2012

    A detective investigates a family murdered in a failed housing development. The story focuses on the investigator's mental unraveling.

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • 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.

    wry → tense, still police procedural

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Phantom

    Jo Nesbø

    Harry Hole returns to Oslo to clear his stepson of a murder charge. He descends into the city's drug scene to find the real killer.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2