Among the content I've last set eyes on, a lot of it had the plot moving forward because the characters made decisions that were so obviously wrong and/or stupid that they are basically digging their own grave and deserved a slap in the face.
A frequent example concerned their love life: when confronted by their partner on something they did, they would rather dig further than swallow their pride for a moment.
So I'm looking for a palette cleanser: books where the protagonists are smart enough to navigate common-sense situations, while still facing conflict. Bonus points if they are extra smart (intellectually and/or emotionally) but events are also extra challenging.
Note that I do not mean that the characters should be perfect or infallible, on the contrary. But their failures should have nothing to do with a lack of judgement that comes from nowhere.
Ideally, I'm looking for horror (where characters with undiagnosed brain damage is a common trope), contemporary fiction or sci-fi. Crime fiction might also work, though I haven't really read any.
by Sencele