Recommendations based on Absolute Friendsby John le Carré

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

  1. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

    by John le Carré
    A British agent's mission to infiltrate East Germany during the Cold War, full of suspense and intrigue.

    In this classic, John le Carre's third novel and the first to earn him international acclaim, he created a world unlike any previously experienced in suspense fiction. With unsurpassed knowledge ... (Goodreads)

  2. A Most Wanted Man

    by John le Carré
    A thrilling espionage story, following a dangerous game of cat and mouse between spies and criminals.

    A young Turkish boxing champion in Hamburg notices he is being shadowed by a tall gaunt young man in a black coat, who turns up on his doorstep and demands hospitality. Somewhat suspiciously, they ... (Wikipedia)

  3. The Constant Gardener

    by John le Carré
    A diplomatic couple uncover a sinister conspiracy while investigating a suspicious death in Africa.

    Justin Quayle, a British diplomat in Nairobi , Kenya , is told that his activist wife, Tessa, was killed while travelling with a doctor friend in a desolate region of Africa . Investigating on his ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Ladder of Years

    by Anne Tyler
    A woman's quest to find herself after leaving her family behind and embarking on a new life.

    Married with three almost-grown children, Delia Grinstead has vanished without trace or reason. But for Delia, walking away from it all is an impulse that will lead her into a new, exciting, and ... (Goodreads)

  5. A Patchwork Planet

    by Anne Tyler
    A young man's journey of self-discovery and finding his place in the world.

    The novel is narrated by 30-year-old Barnaby, whose life has gone off the rails since he was caught robbing neighborhood homes as an adolescent. To the despair of his distant father, his social ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Buddha of Suburbia

    by Hanif Kureishi
    A coming-of-age story of a young man's journey to find acceptance and identity in a multicultural Britain.

    The Buddha of Suburbia is said to be very autobiographical. It is about Karim, a mixed-race teenager, who is desperate to escape suburban South London and to have new experiences in London in the ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Noble House

    by James Clavell
    Epic tale of business deals, struggles for power, and the constant battle for control of Hong Kong.

    Noble House is set in 1963. The tai-pan , Ian Dunross, struggles to rescue Struan's from the precarious financial position left by his predecessor. To this end, he seeks partnership with an American ... (Wikipedia)

  8. The Accidental Tourist

    by Anne Tyler
    A travel writer who hates traveling, Macon Leary, navigates life after his son's death and his wife's departure.

    Set in Baltimore, Maryland , the plot revolves around Macon Leary, a writer of travel guides whose son has been killed in a shooting at a fast-food restaurant. He and his wife Sarah, separately lost ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Carry On, Jeeves

    by P.G. Wodehouse
    A series of comedic stories filled with eccentric characters, witty banter and outrageous scenarios.

    The titles of the first story in this collection—'Jeeves Takes Charge'— and the last—'Bertie Changes His Mind'—sum up the relationship of twentieth-century fiction's most famous comic characters. In ... (Goodreads)

  10. In the Penal Colony

    by Franz Kafka
    A traveler visits a penal colony where a brutal execution machine is used. The officer in charge is obsessed with the machine's perfection.

    " In the Penal Colony " (" In der Strafkolonie ") (also translated as "In the Penal Settlement") is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

    by Haruki Murakami
    A surreal journey of self-discovery, exploring the inner and outer worlds.

    The first part, "The Thieving Magpie", begins with the narrator, Toru Okada, a low-key and unemployed lawyer's assistant, being tasked by his wife, Kumiko, to find their missing cat. Kumiko suggests ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Martian Chronicles

    by Ray Bradbury
    Human colonists struggle for survival on Mars, facing the challenges of a new world.

    The strange and wonderful tale of man’s experiences on Mars, filled with intense images and astonishing visions. Now part of the Voyager Classics collection. The Martian Chronicles tells the story of ... (Goodreads)

  13. Snuff

    by Terry Pratchett
    A Discworld novel featuring a comedic murder mystery set in a world of wizards, witches, and trolls.

    Commander Vimes is persuaded by his wife and Lord Vetinari to take a family holiday back to Sybil's roots in the countryside; Willikins, Vimes's thug-turned-butler, accompanies them. As Vimes arrives ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Kafka on the Shore

    by Haruki Murakami
    A surreal journey of self-discovery, exploring the boundaries between the real and surreal.

    Comprising two distinct but interrelated plots, the narrative runs back and forth between both plots, taking up each plotline in alternating chapters. The odd-numbered chapters tell the 15-year-old ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

    by Chelsea Sedoti
    Hawthorn investigates the disappearance of popular girl Lizzie Lovett, becoming obsessed with her life and uncovering secrets about herself in the process.

    Meet Hawthorn Creely, "one of the most relatable characters in recent young adult literature." (,Book Page,) She's not one to get involved in other people's business. But a missing person's ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. Gorky Park

    by Martin Cruz Smith
    A thrilling murder mystery, set in the Soviet Union, uncovering secrets and conspiracies.

    The story follows Arkady Renko , a chief investigator for the Moscow militsiya , who is assigned to a case involving three corpses found in Gorky Park , an amusement park in Moscow. The victims - two ... (Wikipedia)

  17. 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)

  18. Middle England

    by Jonathan Coe
    A satirical novel exploring the political and social landscape of modern Britain through the lives of a diverse cast of characters.

    Set in the Midlands and London over the last eight years, Jonathan Coe follows a brilliantly vivid cast of characters through a time of immense change and disruption in Britain. There are the early ... (Goodreads)

  19. A Single Thread

    by Tracy Chevalier
    After losing her fiancé in WWI, Violet Speedwell finds solace in a community of embroiderers at Winchester Cathedral.

    1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so ... (Goodreads)

  20. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    An empowering story of female friendship, courage, and detective work in Botswana.

    Precious Ramotswe has only just set up shop as Botswana's No.1 (and only) lady detective when she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. However, ... (Goodreads)

  21. Genuine Fraud

    by E. Lockhart
    A young woman with a mysterious past assumes different identities to escape her troubled past. But her lies catch up with her.

    From the author of the unforgettable, New York Times, bestseller, We Were Liars, comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel–the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket ... (Goodreads)

  22. Secrets of Eden

    by Chris Bohjalian
    A minister's murder-suicide reveals a web of secrets and lies in a small Vermont town.

    From the bestselling author of The Double Bind , Midwives, and Skeletons at the Feast comes a novel of shattered faith, intimate secrets, and the delicate nature of sacrifice. "There," says Alice ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Sentence Is Death

    by Anthony Horowitz
    A wealthy divorce lawyer is found dead with a mysterious message written beside him. Private investigator Daniel Hawthorne is on the case.

    New York Times –bestselling author Anthony Horowitz and eccentric detective Daniel Hawthorne team up again in a new mystery—the sequel to the brilliantly inventive The Word Is Murder —to delve deep ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

    by Neil Gaiman
    The Marquis de Carabas searches for his stolen coat in the magical underworld of London.

    Paterson Joseph stars as the Marquis de Carabas in this brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's spin-off short story, set in the magical world of Neverwhere . Returning us to ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. A Boy Called Christmas

    by Matt Haig
    An adventurous elf embarks on a magical quest to find his father, saving Christmas along the way.

    You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas. It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible. If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should ... (Goodreads)

  26. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner

    by Elizabeth George
    Detective Lynley and Havers investigate a murder in the Lake District, uncovering secrets and lies in a tight-knit community.

    A theatrical producer shoots himself on the night of his greatest triumph. A young woman camping on the Derbyshire moors is bludgeoned to death. A motorcyclist is found stabbed to death in the center ... (Goodreads)

  27. Play Dead

    by Angela Marsons
    A serial killer is on the loose, and Detective Kim Stone must race against time to catch them before they strike again.

    The dead don't tell secrets... unless you listen. The girl's smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess. ... (Goodreads)

  28. Strip Tease

    by Carl Hiaasen
    A stripper fights to regain custody of her daughter while navigating corrupt politicians and dangerous men. Darkly humorous and satirical.

    During a late-night bachelor party at the Eager Beaver, a striptease club in Fort Lauderdale , Florida, drunken groom-to-be Paul Guber climbs on stage and grabs Erin Grant, one of the dancers. Before ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Day After Night

    by Anita Diamant
    Four women, survivors of the Holocaust, find solace and hope in a detention camp in Palestine.

    Atlit is a holding camp for illegal immigrants in Israel in 1945. There about 270 men and women await their future and try to recover from their past. Diamant with infinite compassion and ... (Goodreads)

  30. Gauntlgrym

    by R.A. Salvatore
    Drizzt and his companions embark on a perilous journey to Gauntlgrym, the ancient dwarven city, to reclaim it from the clutches of evil forces.

    Drizzt joins Bruenor on his quest for the fabled dwarven kingdom of Gauntlgrym: ruins said to be rich with ancient treasure and arcane lore. But before they even get close, another drow and dwarf ... (Goodreads)