Thrillers With Morally Gray Protagonists You’ll Still Root For
By Mary Kay McBrayer
Nothing makes a story more realistic than a realistic protagonist. And nothing is more interesting—especially in a thriller—than a protagonist whose morals are… a bit nuanced. No one is perfect, so why should our storytellers be?
If you love a flawed, morally gray protagonist, check out this short list of mysteries that’ll have you rooting for the bad guy and, maybe, questioning your own ethics.
Not until after the Pool sisters open up their own PI enterprise do they learn that their Aunt Ruth’s death more than ten years ago was not the suicide listed on her death certificate. Before her death, Ruth had represented a chemist developing a dangerous, synthetic opioid. When he realized he would lose his case, he released the drug on the street. Then Ruth died. Now the Jane and Lila Pool have to bring justice to their deceased aunt and take down the chemist who may have caused her death.
This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around March 18, 2025. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.
Ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento has survived a prison break, and now he’s mourning the passing of his wife while house- and dog-sitting for his friend in Fenton, Arizona. A local woman, Kristin Reed, shows up with her child, Ethan, gets wind of his former career, and she begs Kurt to help her find her husband, who’s gone missing. Kurt declines—that’s not his line of work anymore—but when Kristin and Ethan go missing, too, he can’t help but feel somewhat responsible… and intrigued. When he pulls the thread, he unravels more than just family drama: the whole town is covering a serious conspiracy.
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You might be familiar with the gold standard in dark academia, the predecessor to this sequel, Bunny. But in case you need me to jog your memory, Sam Heather Mackey was an outcast at a very selective MFA program who was first left out and then seduced by a weird, rich-girl clique who called themselves “bunny.” Surreal, violent, maybe witchcraft-made or conjured creations sprung from their off-campus workshops. Now, in We Love You, Bunny, Sam has just published her first novel. It’s about the bunnies. And they’re not happy. At a stop on her book tour, they kidnap her. What mad torture will Sam endure before she can convince them to release her?
Format
Hardcover
This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around September 23, 2025. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.
Speaking of detectives retiring out of trauma, Happy Doll has had the same idea. He has committed himself to a simple life dedicated to Buddhist study after escaping a murder attempt by a Hollywood pimp. But his brief moment of peace comes to an end when he witnesses a murder… and then gets framed for it. He has to sneak across the border back into LA, and back to the skeletons in his closet, to clear his own name.
Format
ebook
This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around January 14, 2025. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.
Maggie is 43 years old when she learns she has three months to live. She has a perfect life, including a great career, two great children, and a perfect husband. The thing is, Maggie’s own mother died of this same rare blood disease, and her main concern was how evil women would flock to their widowed father. She wasn’t wrong. One such woman nearly ruined their lives. Maggie won’t let that happen to her family. She plans to spend her final three months hunting down her own perfect replacement… and nothing and no one will get in her way.
Format
Hardcover
(Unabridged edition)
This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around March 4, 2025. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.
