Recommendations based on The Madman's Taleby John Katzenbach

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Analyst

    by John Katzenbach
    A retired FBI agent is forced to solve a series of puzzles by a psychopathic killer who is targeting his family.

    'Happy fifty-third birthday, Doctor. Welcome to the first day of your death. You ruined my life. And now I fully intend to ruin yours. 'You have exactly one fortnight, starting tomorrow morning at 6 ... (Goodreads)

  2. Blindness

    by José Saramago
    A society is plunged into chaos when everyone suddenly loses their sight.

    Blindness is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of blindness afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows. The novel follows the misfortune of a ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

    by Haruki Murakami
    A man's journey of self-reflection to address his past and understand his place in the world.

    A mesmerising mystery story about friendship from the internationally bestselling author of, Norwegian Wood, and, 1Q84, Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names ... (Goodreads)

  4. Sugar

    by Deirdre Riordan Hall
    A young girl struggles with obesity and body image in a society obsessed with thinness. She learns to love herself and find her own path.

    I’m the fat Puerto Rican–Polish girl who doesn’t feel like she belongs in her skin, or anywhere else for that matter. I’ve always been too much and yet not enough., Sugar Legowski-Gracia wasn’t ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Steppenwolf

    by Hermann Hesse
    The inner struggles of a tortured soul as he searches for redemption.

    The book is presented as a manuscript written by its protagonist , a middle-aged man named Harry Haller, who leaves it to a chance acquaintance, the nephew of his landlady. The acquaintance adds a ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Prisoner of Heaven

    by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
    A man's mysterious past entangles him in a web of secrets, love and revenge.

    Daniel Sempere has settled into married life well and his son is shortly turning one year old. He is living above the family bookshop, Sempere & Sons with his elderly father, his wife Beatriz and son ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Captain Alatriste

    by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
    A swashbuckling adventure set in 17th century Spain, following the exploits of Captain Alatriste and his band of mercenaries.

    It is the height of Spain's celebrated golden century - but beyond the walls of the Royal Palace there is little on the streets of Madrid that glitters. The Invincible Armada has been defeated. The ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Angel's Game

    by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
    A writer's journey through a supernatural world of secrets and lies.

    The Angel's Game is set in Barcelona in the 1920s and 1930s and follows a young writer, David Martin. In a once-abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, Martín makes his living by writing ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

    by Patrick Süskind
    A murder mystery set in 18th century France, exploring the depths of human obsession.

    An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of ... (Goodreads)

  10. Portrait in Sepia

    by Isabel Allende
    A woman's search for her true identity, connecting the past and present.

    Portrait in Sepia is the sequel to, Daughter of Fortune, and follows the story of Aurora del Valle, the granddaughter of Eliza Sommers (, Hija de la fortuna, ). The daughter of Lynn Sommers (the ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Vampire Lestat

    by Anne Rice
    A vampire's exploration of his immortality and the secrets of the world of the undead.

    Set in the late 18th century to the late 1980s, the story follows the 200-year-long life of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, and his rise from humble beginnings as impoverished nobility in the ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Unbearable Lightness of Being

    by Milan Kundera
    A story of love and loss in a politically turbulent Czechoslovakia.

    In The Unbearable Lightness of Being , Milan Kundera tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing and one of his mistresses and ... (Goodreads)

  13. Chronicle of a Death Foretold

    by Gabriel García Márquez
    A murder mystery narrated by the townspeople and tracing the events leading up to the crime.

    The non-linear story, told by an anonymous narrator, begins with the morning of Santiago Nasar's death. The reader learns that Santiago lives with his mother, Placida Linero; the cook, Victoria ... (Wikipedia)

  14. 99 Days

    by Katie Cotugno
    Molly returns to her hometown for the summer, where she must confront the fallout of a love triangle that left her ostracized for 99 days.

    This New York Times bestselling novel, perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Dessen, and Morgan Matson, is now in paperback. Molly Barlow is facing one long, hot summer—99 days—with the boy whose ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. The Girl in the Spider's Web

    by David Lagercrantz
    A hacker teams up with a journalist to battle a criminal organization and save the world.

    Computer scientist Frans Balder abandons a prestigious job in Silicon Valley and returns to Sweden to take custody of his autistic son August. Balder is informed by several law enforcement agencies ... (Wikipedia)

  16. A Dog's Purpose

    by W. Bruce Cameron
    A dog's journey to discovering its true purpose, through multiple lifetimes and owners.

    The narrator first starts out as a feral Beagle / German Shepherd / terrier mix puppy. A few weeks later, after being nursed by their mother, a feral as well, the dog and his siblings Fast, Sister, ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Daughter of Fortune

    by Isabel Allende
    A young woman's epic journey to find her lost love, and rediscover her roots.

    In Chile during the 1840s, young Chilean Eliza Sommers is raised and educated by English Anglican siblings Rose, Jeremy, and John Sommers. The Victorian-Spinster Rose, strict Jeremy, and sailor John ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

    by Philip K. Dick
    A dystopian sci-fi narrative about a bounty hunter hunting rogue androids.

    It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill. Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there, lurked several rogue androids. Deckard's assignment–find them and then..."retire" them. ... (Goodreads)

  19. Norwegian Wood

    by Haruki Murakami
    A young man's journey of love and loss set against the backdrop of the 1960s.

    Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Name of the Rose

    by Umberto Eco
    A Franciscan friar investigates a series of murders in a medieval monastery, uncovering a sinister plot.

    In 1327, Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and Adso of Melk , a Benedictine novice travelling under his protection, arrive at a Benedictine monastery in Northern Italy to attend a theological ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Unveiled

    by Jodi Ellen Malpas
    A young woman falls in love with a mysterious man who has a dark past and secrets that threaten to tear them apart.

    A life without secrets and a passion without end . . .The story of Livy and M's passionate love affair comes to a stunning conclusion in the final book in the, One Night, trilogy! Livy has never ... (Goodreads)

  22. Love in the Time of Cholera

    by Gabriel García Márquez
    An epic love story spanning decades, exploring the power of true love.

    The main characters of the novel are Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza. Florentino and Fermina fall in love in their youth. A secret relationship blossoms between the two with the help of Fermina's ... (Wikipedia)

  23. After Dark

    by Haruki Murakami
    A night in Tokyo filled with mysterious events and surreal encounters.

    Set in metropolitan Tokyo over the course of one night, characters include Mari Asai, a 19-year-old student, who is spending the night reading in a Denny's . There she meets Takahashi Tetsuya, a ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Catacomb

    by Madeleine Roux
    A group of teens explore the Parisian catacombs, but soon find themselves trapped and hunted by a malevolent force.

    The heart-stopping third book in the New York Times bestselling Asylum series follows three teens as they take a senior-year road trip to one of America's most haunted cities, uncovering dangerous ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. Pedro Páramo

    by Juan Rulfo
    A man returns to his hometown in search of his father, discovering the ghostly inhabitants.

    A classic of Mexican modern literature about a haunted village. As one enters Juan Rulfo's legendary novel, one follows a dusty road to a town of death. Time shifts from one consciousness to another ... (Goodreads)

  26. Siracusa

    by Delia Ephron
    Two couples reunite in Siracusa, Italy, but their vacation takes a dark turn as secrets and tensions unravel.

    New Yorkers Michael, a famous writer, and Lizzie, a journalist, travel to Italy with their friends from Maine—Finn; his wife, Taylor; and their daughter, Snow. “From the beginning,” says Taylor, “it ... (Goodreads)

  27. Elantris

    by Brandon Sanderson
    Epic fantasy tale of a cursed city and its inhabitants’ struggles to restore its former glory.

    Elantris was once a place of magic, and the immortal Elantrians were gods in the eyes of people, with the divine ability to create and heal with a mere wave of a hand. Anyone in Arelon had the ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The List

    by Steve Martini
    A lawyer is hired to defend a man accused of murdering his wife, but soon realizes there is more to the case than meets the eye.

    A bold and successful scheme to outwit the biggest players in publishing and film animates this novel by the bestselling author of, The Judge,–a suspenseful thriller in which the price of fame ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Long Walk

    by Richard Bachman
    Fourteen boys face a grueling test of endurance and willpower as they compete in a life-or-death march.

    One hundred teenage boys join an annual walking contest called "The Long Walk" or just "The Walk". Each contestant, called a "Walker", must maintain a speed of at least four miles per hour; if he ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Contagion

    by Robin Cook
    A medical thriller about a deadly virus outbreak and the race to find a cure before it spreads globally.

    One of Cook's most successful—and timely—bestsellers. Contagion is a terrifying cautionary tale for the millennium as a deadly epidemic is spread not merely by microbes—but by sabotage.... ... (Goodreads)