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After

The Laughing Policeman

Maj Sjöwall1972

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Night Singer

    Johanna Mo2021

    A detective returns to her hometown to investigate a teenager's death while facing the local stigma of her father's past crime.

    clinical → elegiac, still police procedural

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • My Name Is Red

    Orhan Pamuk

    In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.

    clinical → meditative

    pace0·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.

    clinical → 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.

    clinical → playful

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover

clinical → propulsive

3 more ↓

  • An Offer From a Gentleman

    Julia Quinn2001

    The illegitimate daughter of an earl works as a servant for her stepmother. She sneaks into a masquerade ball and meets Benedict Bridgerton.

    clinical → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • King of Pride

    Ana Huang2023

    A buttoned-up billionaire heir falls for an impulsive bartender while trying to secure a CEO position. They navigate a forbidden workplace romance.

    clinical → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries

    Emily Brightwell1993

    A Victorian housekeeper and her staff secretly solve crimes for their employer, a clueless Scotland Yard inspector.

    clinical → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

clinical → propulsive, still police procedural

3 more ↓

  • Golden Prey

    John Sandford2017

    A U.S. Marshal tracks a pair of thieves who robbed a drug cartel and killed a small child during their escape.

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The Crucifix Killer

    Chris Carter2010

    An LA detective finds a signature mark on a victim that suggests a previously executed serial killer is still active or has a copycat.

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • Memory Man

    David Baldacci2015

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

    pace+2·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.

    clinical → playful

    pace-1·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.

    clinical → playful

    pace-1·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.

    clinical → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Mystic River

    Dennis Lehane2001

    Three childhood friends are reunited in Boston when one's daughter is murdered. One is the detective, one the father, and one the lead suspect.

    clinical → bleak, still police procedural

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Birdman

    Mo Hayder1999

    Detective Jack Caffery hunts a serial killer in London who performs surgical procedures on his victims while they are alive.

    clinical → bleak, still police procedural

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • Broken Harbor

    Tana French2012

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

    clinical → bleak, still police procedural

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1