After
The Black Dahlia
James Ellroy1987
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier
More like it
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Tokyo year zero
David Peace2007
In 1946 Tokyo, a detective hunts a serial killer while struggling with his own actions during the war. The prose is repetitive and rhythmic.
Same bleak register, still noir
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The lady from Zagreb
Philip Kerr2015
In 1942, detective Bernie Gunther is blackmailed by Joseph Goebbels into finding a Yugoslavian actress's father in a Croatian death camp.
bleak → sardonic, still noir
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Little deaths
Emma Flint2017
In 1965 Queens, a cocktail waitress is the prime suspect when her two children are found murdered.
Same bleak register, still noir
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Suitcase Charlie
John Guzlowski2015
Two detectives in 1950s Chicago track a killer who leaves dismembered children in suitcases. One partner struggles with WWII flashbacks.
Same bleak register, still noir
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Gods of Gotham
Lyndsay Faye2012
A former bartender joins the newly formed NYPD in 1845. He investigates a series of murders involving immigrant children in the Five Points slums.
bleak → tense, still noir
pace0·prose0·bleak-1
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+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.
bleak → cold, still noir
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+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.
bleak → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak0
Trainspotting
Irvine Welsh1993
A group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh navigate poverty, violence, and withdrawal. The narrative uses heavy phonetic Scottish dialect.
bleak → sardonic, still noir
pace0·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak-1
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco1983
A friar and his novice investigate a series of murders at an Italian monastery in 1327. Much of the text covers theological debate.
bleak → meditative, still historical mystery
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+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.
bleak → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
To recover
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Thoughtful
S.C. Stephens2015
Kellan Kyle falls for his best friend's girlfriend, Anna. The story retells the events of Thoughtless from Kellan's perspective.
bleak → earnest
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown2009
Symbologist Robert Langdon follows a trail of Masonic puzzles through Washington D.C. monuments to save his kidnapped mentor.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
Walking Disaster
Jamie McGuire2013
This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.
bleak → propulsive
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace0prose-2bleak-3
This Man
Jodi Ellen Malpas2013
An interior designer begins an affair with a wealthy client who demands total control over her life and schedule.
bleak → tense
pace0·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
Faster
- pace+1prose-2bleak-3
The Bootlegger
Clive Cussler2014
In 1920, investigator Isaac Bell pursues rum-runners and discovers a plot involving Bolshevik assassins and government sabotage.
bleak → propulsive, still historical mystery
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
- pace+1prose-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.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
The Housemaid's Secret
Freida McFadden2023
A housemaid with a criminal record takes a job for a wealthy couple. She becomes obsessed with the wife she is forbidden from seeing.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-2
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.
bleak → propulsive
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
Kiss the Girls
James Patterson1995
Detective Alex Cross tracks two serial killers operating on opposite coasts who are communicating and competing with one another.
bleak → tense
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-2prose+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.
bleak → playful
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2
- pace-2prose-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.
bleak → warm
pace-2·prose-1·bleak-3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+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.
bleak → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Black Out
John Lawton1995
A detective investigates a dismembered body found in a London bomb site during the 1944 Blitz. The war provides cover for a serial killer.
bleak → sardonic, still noir
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
- pace-1prose0bleak-1
Lumen
Ben Pastor1999
A German Wehrmacht officer and a Polish priest investigate the murder of a Mother Superior in 1939 occupied Poland.
bleak → meditative, still noir
pace-1·prose0·bleak-1
