Crimes that aren't the usual kind
No standard-issue detective, no body in the library — these break the mold the genre is buried in. Crime stories that come at the dark stuff sideways.
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The 8 books on this stack
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Talented Mr Ripley
Patricia Highsmith · 1973
The first of the acclaimed Ripley novels, this clever psychological thriller introduces the reader to Tom Ripley and his extraordinary modus operandi. Accepting a commission from a wealthy businessman to travel to Italy in an attempt to convince his wayward son to return to the United States, Ripley gradually develops a plan to assume the young man’s identity along with his bank account.
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Crime and Punishment
Michael R. Katz · 1941
Happiness through Suffering Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the world's greatest novelists and Crime and Punishment is one of his greatest achievements. When Raskolnikov believes he is above the law, he murders an old woman and later suffers the consequences. Overcome by guilt and fear, the young man confesses his crime and goes to prison. There, he realizes that the nihilism of his past is false and that happiness and redemption can only be achieved through suffering. This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it. Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes
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Secret History
Donna Tartt · 1992
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last - inexorably - into evil.
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American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis · 1991
One of the most controversial and talked-about novels of all time. Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho is a multi-million-copy bestseller hailed as a modern classic – a violent and outrageous black comedy about the darkest side of human nature. With an introduction by Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting . I like to dissect girls. Did you know I’m utterly insane? Patrick Bateman has it all: good looks, youth, charm, a job on Wall Street, and reservations at every new restaurant in town. He is also a psychopath. A man addicted to his superficial, perfect life, he pulls us into a dark underworld where the American Dream becomes a nightmare . . . Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.
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A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess · 1972
One of Esquire's 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time "A brilliant novel.... [A] savage satire on the distortions of the single and collective minds."— New York Times In Anthony Burgess's influential nightmare vision of the future, where the criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, a teen who talks in a fantastically inventive slang that evocatively renders his and his friends' intense reaction against their society. Dazzling and transgressive, A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil and the meaning of human freedom. This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition, and Burgess's introduction, "A Clockwork Orange Resucked."
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My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite · 2018
Sunday Times bestseller and The Times #1 bestseller Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019 Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019 Winner of the 2019 LA Times Award for Best Crime Thriller Capital Crime Debut Author of the Year 2019 __________ 'A literary sensation' Guardian 'A bombshell of a book... Sharp, explosive, hilarious' New York Times 'Glittering and funny... A stiletto slipped between the ribs and through the left ventricle of the heart' Financial Times __________ When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...
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In Cold Blood
Truman Capote · 1998
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
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The Devotion of Suspect X
東野圭吾 · 2011
Yasuko lives a quiet life, working in a Tokyo bento shop, a good mother to her only child. But when her ex-husband appears at her door without warning one day, her comfortable world is shattered. When Detective Kusanagi of the Tokyo Police tries to piece together the events of that day, he finds himself confronted by the most puzzling, mysterious circumstances he has ever investigated. Nothing quite makes sense, and it will take a genius to understand the genius behind this particular crime... One of the biggest-selling Japanese thrillers ever, and the inspiration for a cult film, The Devotion of Suspect X is now being discovered across the world. Its blend of a page-turning story, evocative Tokyo setting and utterly surprising ending make it a must-read for anyone interested in international fiction.