After
She rides shotgun
Jordan Harper2017
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing faster
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
Deadline at Dawn
Cornell Woolrich1944
A sailor and a dancer have until sunrise to find a killer and clear their names. The story follows their frantic search through New York City.
propulsive → tense, still noir
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Razorblade Tears
S.A. Cosby2021
Two ex-convict fathers, one Black and one white, team up to avenge their murdered gay sons. They seek violent retribution across the South.
Same propulsive register, still noir
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The business of dying
Simon Kernick2003
A corrupt detective kills three men in a paid hit, only to realize he was tricked into murdering innocent people. He must evade his own precinct.
Same propulsive register, still noir
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
No Country for Old Men
Cormac McCarthy1900
A hunter finds two million dollars at a failed drug deal. A hitman and a sheriff track him across Texas as the body count rises.
propulsive → tense, still noir
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
Plugged
Eoin Colfer2011
An Irish bouncer in New Jersey searches for his girlfriend's killer while being hunted by the mob. He is also recovering from a hair transplant.
propulsive → sardonic, still noir
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+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.
propulsive → cold, still noir
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Trainspotting
Irvine Welsh1993
A group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh navigate poverty, violence, and withdrawal. The narrative uses heavy phonetic Scottish dialect.
propulsive → sardonic, still noir
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-3prose+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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
To recover
propulsive → playful
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
Smokin' Seventeen
Janet Evanovich2011
A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
Body Movers
Stephanie Bond2006
A department store employee joins a body-transport service for a trip to Florida that involves a missing socialite and a loan shark.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
Vows in Name Only
Naima Simone2020
A woman enters a marriage of convenience with a wealthy man to escape her family's control and protect her inheritance.
propulsive → earnest
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose-1bleak-2
A Veiled Deception
Annette Blair2009
A vintage shop owner investigates a murder during her sister's wedding preparations to clear her family's name.
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
It Starts with Us
Colleen Hoover2022
A single mother navigates a new relationship with her first love while managing a jealous ex-husband. The story alternates perspectives.
propulsive → earnest
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-3prose+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.
propulsive → playful
pace-3·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Les gommes
Alain Robbe-Grillet1953
A detective spends twenty-four hours in a labyrinthine city searching for an assassin. The prose focuses on clinical, geometric descriptions.
propulsive → clinical, still noir
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+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.
propulsive → cold, still noir
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
John le Carré1963
A British agent pretends to defect to East Germany to frame a high-ranking official. The focus is on the bureaucratic coldness of espionage.
propulsive → cold, still noir
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-3prose+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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Horace McCoy1935
Two strangers enter a grueling 1930s dance marathon for prize money. The narrative is framed by a murder trial.
propulsive → bleak, still noir
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Trainspotting
Irvine Welsh1993
A group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh navigate poverty, violence, and withdrawal. The narrative uses heavy phonetic Scottish dialect.
propulsive → sardonic, still noir
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
The Killer Inside Me
Jim Thompson1952
A small-town Texas deputy maintains a boring public persona to hide his identity as a serial killer. He describes his crimes in a flat, cold voice.
propulsive → cold, still noir
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
Every Dead Thing
John Connolly1999
A former detective haunted by his family's murder tracks a serial killer known as the Traveling Man. The story includes supernatural elements.
propulsive → bleak, still noir
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
