LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Alienist

Caleb Carr1994

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Silence of the Lambs

    Thomas Harris1988

    FBI trainee Clarice Starling interviews imprisoned cannibal Hannibal Lecter to catch a serial killer. It is a cat-and-mouse procedural.

    Same tense register, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose-1·bleak0

Denser prose

tense → dreamlike

3 more ↓

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

    A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    tense → decadent

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • The Unholy Consult

    R. Scott Bakker2017

    A messiah leads his armies toward a final confrontation with an ancient, soul-devouring force. The world is ending.

    tense → bleak

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Bootlegger

    Clive Cussler2014

    In 1920, investigator Isaac Bell pursues rum-runners and discovers a plot involving Bolshevik assassins and government sabotage.

    tense → propulsive, still historical mystery

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The Rooster Bar

    John Grisham2017

    Three law students realize their school is a scam and drop out to pose as lawyers. They steal identities to survive and pay off their debts.

    tense → sardonic

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries

    Emily Brightwell1993

    A Victorian housekeeper and her staff secretly solve crimes for their employer, a clueless Scotland Yard inspector.

    tense → playful, still historical mystery

    pace-1·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Verity

    Colleen Hoover2018

    A ghostwriter moves into a secluded estate to finish a series for an injured author and finds a hidden, disturbing autobiography.

    Same tense register, still psychological thriller

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak0

  • Creepers

    David Morrell2005

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

    Same tense register

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • 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.

    tense → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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-2·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Absalom, Absalom!

    William Faulkner1936

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

    tense → elegiac

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Motherthing

    Ainslie Hogarth2022

    A woman moves in with her cruel mother-in-law, who commits suicide and returns as a ghost to haunt the house.

    tense → sardonic, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • A Certain Hunger

    Chelsea G. Summers2020

    A food critic recounts her life of culinary refinement and the murders she committed to consume her lovers.

    tense → eerie, still psychological thriller

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Frankenstein

    Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley1818

    Victor Frankenstein assembles a living being from scavenged parts. The narrative follows the creature's rejection and its violent revenge.

    tense → elegiac

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1