Books like Side Jobs

A fast-paced, snark-filled tour through the gritty, magical underbelly of Chicago, balancing monster-hunting thrills with deep emotional stakes. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Side Jobs.

gritty
suspenseful
shadowed
humorous

01
Changes
Jim Butcher
A relentless, emotionally devastating thrill ride that forces a wisecracking hero to burn his world to the ground to save his child.
Shares:
- gritty
- wry
02
Small favor
Jim Butcher · 2008
A relentless, winter-chilled descent into supernatural gang warfare where every favor has a bloody price.
Shares:
- gritty
- wry
- hardboiled
- snarky
03
Hard magic
Larry Correia
A gritty, high-octane collision of 1930s noir and explosive magical combat.
Shares:
- gritty
- hardboiled
04
Many Bloody Returns
Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner
A darkly festive collection of bite-sized urban fantasy tales that mix macabre humor with supernatural suspense.
Shares:
- suspenseful
- wry
05
Half-resurrection blues
Daniel José Older
A shadowy, supernatural mystery that explores the eerie, liminal space between the living and the dead.
Shares:
- gritty
06
A touch of dead
Charlaine Harris
A bite-sized, Southern-fried romp through a world where vampires and fairies are just another part of small-town life.
Shares:
- wry
07
Black Magic Sanction (Rachel Morgan, Book 8)
Kim Harrison
A high-octane, snark-fueled urban fantasy where survival means making deals with the devil and embracing the darkness within.
Shares:
- gritty
- snarky
- found family
08
A hard day's knight
Simon R. Green
A gritty, hardboiled plunge into the shadowy, secret underbelly of London where legendary myths meet private investigation.
Shares:
- gritty
- wry
09
Good guys
Steven Brust
A gritty, cynical urban fantasy where underpaid magical operatives question the morality of the secretive institution they serve.
Shares:
- gritty
- suspenseful
- wry
10
Shattered
Kevin Hearne
A globe-trotting, myth-colliding thrill ride fueled by sharp banter, ancient magic, and a very good telepathic dog.
Shares:
- wry
- snarky
- earnest
11
Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan, Book 1)
Kim Harrison
A snarky, leather-clad romp through a gritty supernatural underworld where the magic is messy and the politics are deadly.
Shares:
- gritty
- humorous
- snarky
- found family
12
The Artemis Fowl files
Eoin Colfer
A snarky, gadget-filled dossier that invites you to crack the codes of a hidden magical underworld.
Shares:
- wry
- snarky

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