What to Read Next: Literary Thrillers, Old and New

Issue #355, featuring Jean Hanff Korelitz and Thomas Harris

William Blake’s The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed With the Sun

Happy Friday, readers!

I almost always dive into the mystery/thriller genre this time of year. The falling leaves, the crisp air, the early sunsets . . . it all just makes me want to curl up with something a bit dark.

Rather than the fast-paced but character-less stories that fill the bestseller lists, I usually gravitate towards thrillers with more of a literary bent. I want story and character and world-building. So today I’m featuring one new title that fits that bill, as well as one classic of the genre.

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It’s not too late to read Great Expectations with The Big Read

Over at The Big Read, we’re about two weeks into our two-month jaunt through Dickens’ Great Expectations. Here’s what a couple of readers are saying so far:

We’re just one week into the discussion and here’s what folks have already been saying:

“Thank you, Jeremy, for this great overview, and for getting me to finally read this book! I've never read any Dickens, but am really enjoying this reading experience.” —Gabrielle

“I'd never read any Dickens before, but this format of having a target each week is so helpful.” —James

“I read this book eons ago and am thoroughly enjoying it now. I’m so impressed with Dickens’ sense of humor. His characterizations are masterful.” —Paula

“This is my third or fourth time to read Great Expectations. I usually think my favourite novel is the one I’m reading at the time, but Great Expectations is above all that. It never just never gets old.” —Jim

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Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

Let’s start with the classic of the genre. The name “Hannibal Lecter” is one that can bring on chills as soon as you hear it or come across it. Anthony Hopkins brilliantly portrayed the psychopathic serial killer in 1991’s Silence of the Lambs — and, in doing so, he gave the world one of the great film villains of all-time.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned the movie was based on a 1988 book by Thomas Harris. Then I did some digging and found it was actually part of a four-book series centered on Hannibal Lecter, starting with 1981’s Red Dragon.

When the novel starts, former FBI profiler Will Graham is brought back into the fold to find an enigmatic serial killer. Interestingly, that killer is not Hannibal Lecter. No, Lecter is already in prison for life. Graham, who originally caught Lecter, now has to glean information from his greatest catch so that he can profile the new killer.

This made for an interesting and unique setup, where there are two bad guys in the story and one of them has already been caught. It’s a framing that I’ve never encountered before, immediately making the story rather memorable.

Harris gets deep into the psyches of each of these characters — it’s emotionally charged and heart-pounding and utterly creepy. Though there are definitely a few graphic scenes, much of what makes the book scary is just how well Harris gets into the minds of these killers.

Red Dragon was the *perfect* Spooktober read. Its 450 pages never felt too long, I cared about the characters, and the plot twists kept me on my toes the entire time. If you’re at all into dark psychological thrillers, this has to be on your list. I’ll definitely be reading the three other books in the Lecter series.

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The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

I read Korelitz’s The Plot in 2022 and rather enjoyed it. The story-within-a-story setup was well executed and the final twist was genuinely jaw-dropping. It seemed to end rather tidily, so I didn’t know what to expect when the sequel, The Sequel, came out this fall.

Thankfully Korelitz put her plotting skills back to work and gave us a solid (but not spectacular) follow-up story.

This time around, widow Anna Williams-Bonner has written the bestseller, which inspires some skeletons to come out of the closet and look a bit closer at her story. With an almost dizzying array of twists and turns, along with an increasing body count, we all learn a bit more about Anna and the lengths she’ll go to protect her name.

Picking up right where the previous story left off, I did have to revisit The Plot on Wikipedia to jog my memory on some important details. The Sequel, just like its predecessor, is complex, utilizing multiple changed identities and forged stories — it was hard to keep track of everything at times. (As Koretliz herself noted in a recent NYT interview, she gave her spreadsheets a workout while keeping track of the various characters and plot elements.)

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the inventiveness of this sequel, including small details like using book sequel titles as chapter titles (Ripley Under Ground, Bring Up the Bodies, etc.). If you liked The Plot — which must be read first — you’ll enjoy The Sequel.

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Be good to each other. And thanks for reading.

-Jeremy