After
Never Lie
Freida McFadden2022
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Coworker
Freida McFadden2023
A popular sales rep becomes the prime suspect when her socially awkward accountant coworker goes missing. The narrative alternates between the two.
Same propulsive register, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Something in the Water
Catherine Steadman2018
A couple finds a bag of cash and a GoPro while scuba diving on their honeymoon. They decide to keep it and hide the evidence.
Same propulsive register, still psychological thriller
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose+1bleak0
Don't Turn Around
Jessica Barry2020
Two strangers drive through the New Mexico desert at night while a truck driver hunts them. The story alternates between the chase and their pasts.
Same propulsive register, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Verity
Colleen Hoover2018
A ghostwriter moves into a secluded estate to finish a series for an injured author and finds a hidden, disturbing autobiography.
propulsive → tense, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
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.
Same propulsive register, still psychological thriller
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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.
propulsive → meditative, still unreliable narrator
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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.
propulsive → cold
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-2prose+3bleak+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.
propulsive → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-2prose+3bleak+1
Confidence-Man
Herman Melville1949
A series of masquerading figures board a Mississippi steamboat on April Fool's Day to test the faith and finances of their fellow passengers.
propulsive → sardonic, still unreliable narrator
pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1
To recover
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
The Moving Finger
Agatha Christie1942
A pilot moves to a quiet village to recover from an injury. He and Miss Marple investigate a wave of anonymous, malicious letters.
propulsive → wry
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Love Is Blind
Lynsay Sands2006
A clumsy woman removes her glasses to appear attractive to a suitor, resulting in physical comedy and accidents. They navigate a Regency romance.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Better Off Dead
Lee Child2021
Jack Reacher investigates a staged car crash in Arizona and infiltrates a dangerous local crew to find a missing woman.
Same propulsive register
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
The Boy Next Door
Meg Cabot2002
A gossip columnist looks after her neighbor's pets after an attack and falls for the man she thinks is the woman's nephew. It is told in emails.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
The Princess Bride
William Goldman1973
A farm boy seeks to rescue his true love from a prince. The story is presented as an abridged version of a fictional historical text.
propulsive → playful
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+1bleak-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.
propulsive → warm
pace-3·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
propulsive → dreamlike, still unreliable narrator
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+3bleak-1
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak-1
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
Heavier
propulsive → tense, still psychological thriller
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
The Push
Ashley Audrain2021
A mother suspects her daughter is a sociopath while her husband dismisses her. The story follows her descent into isolation and maternal dread.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn2006
A reporter returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two girls while grappling with her own history of self-harm.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+2
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.
propulsive → cold, still psychological thriller
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+2
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
Birdman
Mo Hayder1999
Detective Jack Caffery hunts a serial killer in London who performs surgical procedures on his victims while they are alive.
propulsive → bleak, still psychological thriller
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
