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Books like The manual of detection
A rain-slicked, surreal noir where a reluctant clerk must navigate a dream-bending conspiracy armed only with an umbrella and a mysterious handbook. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with The manual of detection.
- rain-slicked
- dreamlike
- noir-tinged
- shadowy
- 01
The devil's detective
Simon Kurt Unsworth
A grim, supernatural noir where a weary investigator must navigate the ultimate corrupt bureaucracy to solve an escalating string of murders.
- 02
The Art of Theft
Sherry Thomas
A glittering, high-stakes Victorian heist where clever women and their loyal allies infiltrate a festive chateau to steal back dangerous secrets.
- 03
A Study in Scarlet Women
Sherry Thomas
A sharp, gaslit reimagining where a brilliant outcast uses society's blind spots to forge her own independence.
- 04
The Invisible Library
Genevieve Cogman
A witty, gaslamp-lit heist across alternate realities where books are the ultimate currency and magic bleeds into the cobblestones.
- 05
Dark Jenny
Alex Bledsoe
A hardboiled fantasy mystery where a cynical swordsman must untangle a deadly web of royal intrigue before a kingdom burns.
- 06
Claire DeWitt and the city of the dead
Sara Gran
A hallucinatory, hardboiled descent into a drowned city where the greatest mystery is the nature of truth itself.
- 07
Murder in Montparnasse
Kerry Greenwood · 2005
A sparkling, champagne-fueled romp through the 1920s that hides a surprisingly tender exploration of wartime scars.
- 08
A perilous undertaking
Deanna Raybourn
A fiercely witty romp through Victorian London, fueled by crackling banter, deadly secrets, and a heroine who absolutely refuses to behave.
- 09
Silent in the Grave
Deanna Raybourn
A gaslit romp through Victorian society where the deadliest secrets are hidden behind impeccable manners and mourning veils.
- 10
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter
Theodora Goss
A witty, gaslamp-lit romp where the daughters of literature's most infamous mad scientists team up to reclaim their own stories.
- 11
The October Man
Ben Aaronovitch
A dryly funny, procedural romp where ancient magic meets modern German bureaucracy.
- 12
Grave Reservations
Cherie Priest
A quirky, supernatural mystery that balances the cozy charm of a local karaoke bar with the high stakes of a cold-case investigation.
