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After

Whiskey Sour

J.A. Konrath

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same wry register, still police procedural

1 more ↓

  • Fat Ollie's book

    Evan Hunter2002

    A detective's novel manuscript is stolen during a murder investigation. A thief uses the book's plot to search for a cache of diamonds.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

wry → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • The Golden

    Lucius Shepard1993

    A vampire detective investigates the murder of a woman bred for her blood. The story takes place within a sprawling castle during a summit.

    wry → decadent, still mystery

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • Gormenghast

    Mervyn Peake1950

    A young heir and a social climber navigate the rigid rituals of a decaying, labyrinthine castle. The prose is dense and descriptive.

    wry → dark

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

    James Hogg1824

    A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.

    wry → cold

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Secret Adversary

    Agatha Christie1922

    Two broke friends in post-WWI London form a business for hire. Their first job involves a missing woman and a political conspiracy.

    wry → playful, still mystery

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Two for the dough

    Janet Evanovich1996

    An inexperienced bounty hunter tracks a man who jumped bail for shooting his friend. She competes with a vice cop to find him first.

    wry → playful, still mystery

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • The Talisman Ring

    Georgette Heyer1936

    In 1793, a French heiress flees an arranged marriage and joins a cousin on the run. They search for a missing heirloom to clear a man's name.

    wry → playful, still mystery

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Battle Royale

    Koushun Takami1999

    A class of junior high students is trapped on an island and forced to kill each other until one remains. It follows several students' perspectives.

    wry → propulsive

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Creepers

    David Morrell2005

    Five urban explorers break into a long-abandoned hotel in New Jersey and find themselves trapped with a killer.

    wry → tense

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • Patient Zero

    Jonathan Maberry2009

    A detective joins a secret government task force to stop a terrorist group using a bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. It is an action thriller.

    wry → propulsive

    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

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

    The rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen is recounted through multiple, conflicting memories. The prose uses extremely long, complex sentences.

    wry → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+2

Heavier

wry → elegiac

3 more ↓

  • Hamlet

    William Shakespeare

    A prince of Denmark is told by a ghost that his uncle killed his father. He feigns madness while deciding whether to take revenge.

    wry → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • The Terror

    Dan Simmons2007

    Two British ships searching for the Northwest Passage in 1845 become trapped in ice and are hunted by a creature.

    wry → bleak

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Lottery

    Shirley Jackson1983

    Villagers gather for an annual ritual in a small town. The story follows the procedural steps of a lottery that ends in a public execution.

    wry → cold

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2