I have two suggestion requests!
For the first one, I'm looking for a fast-ish paced psychological thriller: I've finished all of Tana French's books and I LOVE how much the plot revolves around the characters' psychology. With the dublin murder series, I also love that clues/new information is revealed at a fast enough pace that I'm not tempted to look online and spoil it for myself when I have a hunch about what is going on. I similarly love (and have finished) all of the Cormoran Strike books, (and all of Lucy Foley's books, which feel Tana French adjacent, if perhaps a little more fast-paced and a little less in-depth of a character study). I also love how Tana French's books just barely flirt with the supernatural, and leave some questions unanswered/unresolved.
For the second one, I'm looking for a slow-burn, not-quite-fantasy. I've just finished reading the All Souls series by Deborah Harkness, and man those were good! I'm not usually a fantasy reader, so I liked how grounded in 'our world' the story was, rather than taking place in an imaginary land like LOTR. I also liked that a lot of the supernatural elements were approached from a scientific lens (DNA, alchemy/chemistry, etc) which made it feel even more "real world, but what if" if that makes sense. I'd say that All Souls was to Harry Potter what James Rollins' Sigma Force series is to Star Wars…maybe 'speculative fiction/fantasy' is the term? I'm also looking for something with palpable romantic/sexual tension between characters and a bit of smut… but not so much that I feel like I'm reading a porn scene lol. And where the romantic relationship between the characters isn't the main plot/conflict of the book (Maybe I'm just wishing I could read A Discovery of Witches for the first time again…)
Any suggestions?
by _Aimbo_
2 Comments
The Raven Conspiracy by Michael Spratt. The most fun book I have read in 10 years
If you like character studies; you will LOVE this
Sparks fly and tensions rise when a team of FBI agents arrive in the tiny laid back surfing community of Crescent City, Florida. The agents are there to investigate a woman who may have committed several terrorist acts but they have no idea who they’ll be teamed up with. Meet Deputy JP Barnett, the sole law enforcement entity in town who’s only partners are his two dogs. What ensues is a hilarious tale showing a clash of worlds. On one hand you have the regimented and rigid FBI agents, on the other you have JP, who is the extreme opposite. These extremes and the many colorful characters we meet along the way make this a unique, highly creative and funny story. With so much negativity in the world today, this book was a nice break and brought many laughs and smiles.
Sharp objects or dark places. Both by Gillian Flynn.