After
The Quaker city, or, The monks of Monk Hall
George Lippard1845
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Visibility
Boris Starling2006
A detective investigates a murder during the Great Smog of 1952 London. He uncovers a conspiracy involving biological weapons and MI5.
Same bleak register, still conspiracy
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The President's Shadow
Brad Meltzer2015
An archivist and member of a secret society investigates a severed arm found on the White House grounds. The plot involves presidential history.
bleak → tense, still conspiracy
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
Dark Places
Gillian Flynn2009
Twenty-four years after her family was murdered, a survivor revisits the crime to see if her brother was wrongly convicted.
Same bleak register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
All the Sinners Bleed
S.A. Cosby
The first Black sheriff of a Virginia county investigates a school shooting that uncovers a serial killer and the town's history of racism.
Same bleak register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Last Child
John Hart2009
A thirteen-year-old boy searches for his missing twin sister in a North Carolina town while his family falls apart.
Same bleak register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
The Doves Necklace
Raja Alem2014
A detective investigates an unidentified woman's body found in a Mecca alleyway. The city itself narrates parts of the story.
bleak → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.
bleak → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
bleak → cold
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
Niccolò Rising
Dorothy Dunnett1986
A dyer’s apprentice in 15th-century Bruges uses his intellect to navigate the world of international trade. He builds a mercantile empire.
bleak → wry
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
To recover
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
Death of a Cad
M.C. Beaton
A village policeman investigates the death of a wealthy guest during a weekend party at a Scottish highland estate.
bleak → wry
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
The Sentinel
Lee Child2020
A drifter helps an IT manager targeted by criminals after a cyberattack. He uses physical force to protect the man and uncover a conspiracy.
bleak → propulsive
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
Artemis
Andy Weir2017
A porter and smuggler on a lunar colony takes a high-stakes sabotage job to pay off a debt. She uses technical knowledge to solve problems.
bleak → propulsive, still conspiracy
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
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.
bleak → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-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.
bleak → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
bleak → propulsive, still secret society
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
The Housemaid's Secret
Freida McFadden2023
A housemaid with a criminal record takes a job for a wealthy couple. She becomes obsessed with the wife she is forbidden from seeing.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Behind Closed Doors
B.A. Paris2016
A woman is held captive by her husband in a high-security home. She must find a way to escape before her sister moves in with them.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Kiss the Girls
James Patterson1995
Detective Alex Cross tracks two serial killers operating on opposite coasts who are communicating and competing with one another.
bleak → tense
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Verity
Colleen Hoover2018
A ghostwriter moves into a secluded estate to finish a series for an injured author and finds a hidden, disturbing autobiography.
bleak → tense
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
bleak → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
bleak → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
The Wasp Factory
Iain Banks1984
A teenager living on a remote island performs violent rituals while waiting for his brother to return from an asylum.
bleak → cold, still gothic
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
Affinity
Sarah Waters1999
A grieving socialite visits a medium in a Victorian women's prison. Their relationship develops through diary entries and clandestine meetings.
Same bleak register, still gothic
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires (Berenice / Black Cat / Cask of Amontillado / Colloquy of Monos and Una / Conversation of Eiros and Charmi / Devil in the Belfry / Fall of the House of Usher / Four Beasts in One / Hop-Frog / Imp of the Perverse / Island of the Fay / King Pest / Lionizing / Man of the Crowd / Masque of the Red Death / Oval Portrait / Pit and the Pendulum / Power of Words / Shadow / Silence / Some Words with a Mummy / Tell-Tale Heart / William Wilson)
Edgar Allan Poe1857
A collection of gothic tales focusing on obsession, guilt, and the macabre. Many stories feature unreliable narrators and doppelgängers.
bleak → dreamlike, still gothic
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones: A Novel
Jack Wolf2013
A medical student in 1751 London struggles to reconcile his scientific studies with his compulsion to inflict pain.
Same bleak register, still gothic
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis1991
A wealthy investment banker details his daily routines, consumer habits, and graphic murders. The narrative is cold and repetitive.
bleak → cold
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
