I love books where a normal person somehow gets involved in a crime or other situation, and then it spirals into more and more out of control and they have to get through it somehow, either by piling on lies, or getting in deeper and deeper. I know of several movies and shows where this happens, but was looking for a good book as well!
Examples off the top of my head:
Fargo (movie), A Simple Plan, Breaking Bad, Gone Girl, The Night of
by Beefcakesupernova
13 Comments
Crime and punishment
I would suggest you to read picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde also Killer paradox it’s manhwa but fits your need.
Yellowface by RF Kuang
Not a book but a funny old movie, Once Upon A Crime
I don’t know that I would consider him a “normal” person, but this is basically the entire Jack Reacher series. Every book he ends up in some crazy, new situation that he has to navigate through.
I just recently read A Simple Plan and I really enjoyed it. I would assume you have also read The Ruins(also by Scott Smith)? If not, I would recommend that as well.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz!
Umm, trilogy “Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever “.?
Thursday murder club 🙂
The Goldfinch
The Stranger (although Mersault is not quite normal to start with)
I just read John O’Hara’s “Appointment in Samarra,” and it does follow that pattern, except its not a crime—it’s a man’s social downfall where his decisions just make things spiral out of control. It’s pretty short, and I enjoyed it. If you don’t like Jazz Age writing style though, then pass on it.
If you’re open to explore the fantastical a bit, try Worm, a web serial by Wildbow.
Ruined superhero fiction for me because of how well it executed this particular theme: normal people, reacting to situations spiraling out of control and ending up down the slow road to becoming some of the most terrifying creatures on the planet.
The web novel Worm does just that with our main character