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Kate Atkinson2018

6 of 6 directions open

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  • Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

    Diana Gabaldon2007

    An 18th-century soldier investigates his father's alleged suicide while navigating the Seven Years' War and a complex bond with a prisoner.

    Same wry register, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

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

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    wry → dreamlike

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

To recover

wry → playful

3 more ↓

  • The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

    Lauren Willig

    A modern graduate student researches a Napoleonic-era spy in London. The story alternates between her research and the spy's 1803 mission.

    wry → playful, still espionage

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Vampires Are Forever

    Lynsay Sands2008

    A woman suspects her business partner is a vampire after he attempts to bite her. He tries to convince her they are fated mates.

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The Mane Event

    Shelly Laurenston2007

    A female cop reunites with a childhood friend who is now a lion-shifter. They navigate a romantic attraction while he pursues her in New York.

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

wry → propulsive, still espionage

3 more ↓

  • Use of force

    Brad Thor2017

    Navy SEAL Scot Harvath is hired to track a missing terrorist after a body washes up in Italy. He works outside the law to stop a summer attack.

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Warriors

    Ted Bell2014

    Spy Alex Hawke attempts to rescue a kidnapped scientist while the United States and China move toward nuclear war.

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

  • One Rough Man

    Brad Taylor2011

    A former covert operator discovers a terrorist plot involving a powerful weapon. He works outside the law to stop the attack.

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • A Month in the Country

    J. L. Carr1980

    A WWI veteran spends a summer in a quiet village restoring a medieval mural in a church. He reflects on his trauma while observing local life.

    wry → elegiac, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The miracle at Speedy Motors

    Alexander McCall Smith2008

    Mma Ramotswe helps a woman find her long-lost family in Botswana. The story follows small domestic complications and slow-paced investigations.

    wry → warm

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Kolyma tales

    Varlam SHALAMOV1980

    Short stories documenting daily life and survival in a Soviet labor camp. The prose is detached and focuses on the physical reality of starvation.

    wry → clinical, still historical fiction

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Affinity

    Sarah Waters1999

    A grieving socialite visits a medium in a Victorian women's prison. Their relationship develops through diary entries and clandestine meetings.

    wry → bleak, still historical fiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Libra

    Don DeLillo1988

    A fictionalized biography of Lee Harvey Oswald. It follows his life and the CIA conspiracy that leads to the assassination of JFK.

    wry → eerie, still historical fiction

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+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.

    wry → cold

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1