The Shining

Books like The Shining

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September 12, 2022
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#1 The Godfather

The epic story of criminality and betrayal known as The Godfather became a worldwide hit. A masterpiece started its life about fifty years ago. The Godfather introduced readers to the Corleones, the original family of American crime fiction, and their enduring legacy of custom, blood, and honor. It provided a scorching portrait of the Mafia underground. The Godfather is the conclusive novel of the violent sub-culture that, deeply embedded in mystery and controversy, continues to remain indelibly etched in our national mind. Its themes of the seduction of power, the traps of greed, and the loyalty to the family have struck a chord with millions of readers worldwide.

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#2 Da Vinci Code

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is aroused in the middle of the night in Paris by a phone call. The senior Louvre curator was killed within the museum, and his body was covered in perplexing symbols. As Langdon and the talented French cryptologist Sophie Neveu solve the strange puzzles, they are astounded to find a trail of clues that Leonardo da Vinci himself cleverly placed in his paintings. The clues are obvious to everyone yet cleverly concealed by the painter.

Even more astonishing, the late curator had a magnificent historical secret and was a member of the Priory of Sion, a covert organization that also included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci. The shocking, ancient truth will be lost for all time unless Langdon and Neveu can solve the perplexing puzzle—while dodging the faceless foe who follows their every move.

#3 Silence Of The Lambs

Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who goes only by that grotesquely appropriate nickname, is hunting women. Since the bodies are found in various conditions, no one can figure out his motive. Young FBI Academy student Clarice Starling is shocked when she receives a call from Jack Crawford, head of the division’s behavioral science division. Interviewing Dr. Hannibal Lecter, also known as Hannibal the Cannibal, who is kept under strict observation in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, is her task.

Dr. Lecter is a famous psychiatrist with a gruesome past, peculiar preferences, and a burning interest in the shadowy recesses of the mind. The core of “The Silence of the Lambs”—a brilliant, skillfully written work and an enduring classic of suspense fiction—is his deep understanding of the murderer and of Clarice herself.

#4 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

A descendant of one of the richest families in Sweden, Harriet Vanger vanished nearly 40 years ago. Her elderly uncle is still searching for the truth all these years later. Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently imprisoned for libel, is hired by him to conduct the investigation. The tattooed and pierced punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander supports him. Together, they are able to access a source of astounding corruption and unfathomable injustice.

Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, an international bestseller, mixes a murder investigation, a family history, a love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly intricate and captivatingly atmospheric book.

#5 In Cold Blood

Four members of the Clutter family were brutally murdered on November 15, 1959, in the small Kansas hamlet of Holcomb by shots fired from a shotgun held close to their faces. There were hardly any leads and no obvious reason for the crime.

Truman Capote creates astounding empathy as he reassembles the killing and the inquiry that resulted in the criminals’ arrest, trial, and execution. A book like In Cold Blood goes beyond its time and offers moving insights into the origins of American violence.

#6 And Then There Were None

The first group was made up of eleven people—a motley assortment of strangers invited for the weekend to a small private island off the coast of Devon. Unknown to them all, their host is an eccentric millionaire who is nowhere to be found. The only thing the visitors have in common is a sinister past they’re reluctant to discuss—and a secret that will determine their future. Each has a murder warrant out for them. Each room of the mansion has a framed and hung version of the following nursery rhyme:

Ten young lads went out to eat; one choked himself, leaving the other nine. Nine young lads stayed up quite late; one of them overslept, leaving the other eight. Eight young boys were going in Devon; one of them claimed he would stay, but there were only seven. Seven little boys were sawing sticks; one cut himself in half before the other six. Six little lads were tinkering with a hive; one of them got stung, and the other five joined him. Five young boys entered law school; one was admitted to the Chancery, and the other four followed. Four young lads were sailing out to sea; one was eaten by a red herring, leaving the other three. Three little boys were strolling around the zoo; one was cuddled by a large bear, followed by two more. Two little boys were relaxing in the sun; one of them became frizzy.

#7 The Bourne Identity

Both the book adaptations of the Bourne series as well as the film in the series have become extremely popular around the world. The Jack Reacher series has a lot in common with the Bourne franchise because they both focus on rogue operatives. Because of his focus on heroic individuals, Robert Ludlum, who is known for creating the character of Jason Bourne, is considered an influence on the majority of contemporary thriller novelists.

Returning to the source material may surprise viewers who are familiar with the Jack Reacher book series or the Bourne movie franchise. After an explosion on a yacht, Jason Bourne is left with amnesia, which prompts him to set out on a journey to find out who he is and where he came from. Ludlum takes us on a chase through Europe, where the real-life terrorist Carlos the Jackal is in close pursuit of the fictional character Jason Bourne.

#8 Jurassic Park

A remarkable method has been developed for retrieving and cloning dinosaur DNA. The most exhilarating fantasies of mankind have now materialized. Extinct creatures that have been extinct for ages wander Jurassic Park, and anyone in the world can go there for a fee. Before things go wrong. Michael Crichton uses all of his captivating talent and scientific acumen in Jurassic Park to produce his most thrilling technothriller.

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#9 The Haunting Of Hill House

It tells the tale of four searchers who find themselves in Hill House, a famously hostile place: Eleanor, a lonely, frail young woman highly versed in poltergeists; Dr. Montague, an esoteric scholar seeking strong proof of a “haunting”; Theodora, the vivacious assistant; and Luke, the upcoming heir to Hill House At first, it appears that their visit will only be a terrifying run-in with strange events. However, Hill House is amassing its might and will soon pick one of them to call its own.

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#10 Kane And Abel

Both men were pulled together by fate and the pursuit of a dream despite being born on the same day around the turn of the century on opposite sides of the globe. These two men—ambitious, strong, and cunning—are engaged in a never-ending war to establish an empire, driven by an all-consuming hatred. Kane and Abel compete for the prosperity and victory that only one man can have over the course of 60 years and three generations, via war, marriage, good fortune, and bad luck.

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