LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Pelican Brief

John Grisham1992

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Tell Me Your Dreams

    Sidney Sheldon1998

    A woman is accused of three murders. Her defense hinges on her diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder.

    Same tense register, still legal thriller

    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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → warm

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Guards! Guards!

    Terry Pratchett1989

    A secret society summons a dragon to take over a fantasy city. A group of cynical, underfunded night watchmen must stop the beast.

    tense → wry

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Thraxas

    Martin Millar

    An overweight, beer-drinking private investigator with minor magical abilities solves crimes in a corrupt fantasy city.

    tense → wry

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Faster

tense → propulsive, still legal thriller

3 more ↓

  • Oath of Loyalty

    Kyle Mills2022

    CIA assassin Mitch Rapp goes off the grid to protect his partner while navigating a political conspiracy in Washington.

    tense → propulsive, still political thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • In the Blood

    Jack Carr2022

    A former Navy SEAL tracks an assassin across the globe after a plane explosion. He uses sniper tactics and surveillance to uncover a conspiracy.

    tense → propulsive, still political thriller

    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.

    tense → propulsive, still political thriller

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

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.

    tense → bleak, still political thriller

    pace0·prose+1·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.

    Same tense register, still political thriller

    pace-1·prose+2·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.

    tense → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2