After
Moneyland
Oliver Bullough2018
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Girl in the Woods
Gregg Olsen2014
A detective investigates the disappearance of a girl in a small town. The narrative focuses on the procedural hunt for a serial killer.
Same tense register, still crime
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace+1prose0bleak0
The Virgin Suicides
Jeffrey Eugenides
A group of neighborhood boys obsessively observes five sisters in 1970s Michigan. They document the girls' lives leading up to their suicides.
Same tense register, still crime
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
2666
Roberto Bolaño2004
Five interconnected stories center on a series of unsolved murders in a Mexican border town and a reclusive German author.
tense → bleak, still crime
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Familiar
Leigh Bardugo2024
A scullery maid in the Spanish Golden Age uses forbidden magic to survive the Inquisition and a dangerous court competition.
Same tense register
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Turnout
Megan Abbott2021
Two sisters run a family ballet school until an outsider arrives and disrupts their equilibrium. It explores the physical toll of dance.
Same tense register
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
My Name Is Red
Orhan Pamuk
In 1591 Istanbul, miniaturists investigate a colleague's murder. Objects and colors narrate chapters alongside the human characters.
tense → meditative
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose+1bleak-1
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
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
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-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace0prose+1bleak-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.
tense → dreamlike
pace0·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace0prose+1bleak0
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
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
To recover
tense → playful, still crime
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Fast & loose
Stuart Woods2017
Wealthy investigator Stone Barrington deals with a hostile family after a boating accident. He manages legal and financial assets in Maine.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Four to score
Janet Evanovich1998
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum tracks a fugitive while competing with a rival. The story features slapstick humor and a romantic triangle.
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
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+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Redshirts
John Scalzi2012
Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.
tense → playful
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
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.
tense → propulsive
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
Gone
James Patterson2013
A drug lord escapes prison and hunts Detective Michael Bennett, who is hiding in the California woods with his ten children.
tense → propulsive, still crime
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
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+2·prose-2·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
Extreme Prey
John Sandford2016
While working on a presidential campaign, Lucas Davenport tracks an armed man planning to assassinate the governor.
tense → propulsive, still crime
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+2prose-2bleak-3
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+2·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+2prose-2bleak-2
Transfer of Power
Vince Flynn1999
Terrorists seize the White House and take hostages. CIA operative Mitch Rapp infiltrates the building alone to rescue the survivors.
tense → propulsive, still political thriller
pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-1prose+1bleak-2
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-1·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-1bleak-3
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.
tense → warm
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
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.
tense → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-3
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-1·prose+1·bleak-3
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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.
tense → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2
