10 Dark Novels Filled with Heart and Hope

Whenever people ask me why I love reading and writing stories about serial killers, assassins, sociopaths and drug-addicts, I give them the obvious answer:

I’m a people person.

Okay, so maybe my obvious answer needs a little clarification.

I’ve always been a bit of a softie, a sucker for stories peppered with kindness, hope and humanity. And in my opinion, the best place to find such kindness, hope and humanity is in tales of darkness, death and destruction.

You might be wondering why I don’t just read and write heartwarming books about puppies and ducklings being best friends, but really, where’s the fun in that? Think about it. It’s sort of like how a tenth sunny day in a row doesn’t have nearly as much impact as a sunny day following two straight weeks of heavy rain and wind. And murder.

Guess what I’m saying is I like my kindness and compassion on the gritty side.

And with that in mind, today I’d like to pay tribute to ten books that are as dark and dangerous as they are heartfelt and hopeful.

 

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. A remarkable rural noir novel that shines a light on race and injustice and love and hate in America. It tells the story of Darren Mathews, a Princeton-educated black Texas Ranger and his attempts to solve two murders that have set a small town on edge.

Never preachy or idealistic or predictable—Locke’s unflinching yet lyrical tale will both break and fill your heart in equal measure.

 

 

 

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney. It took me two months to finish this book—not because it was hard to get through; rather because I didn’t want the mesmerizing story to end, didn’t want to say goodbye to its indelible characters.

You’re really getting two novels for the price of one here, as the book follows two separate protagonists, showing how each of their lives have been shattered and reshaped by separate unsolved crimes that rocked their town twenty-five years earlier.

Rarely will you read a novel so haunting yet so poignant and yet also somehow so full of wit and humor. The world needs more books like this.

 

 

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran. This novel about a terrifically flawed PI from Brooklyn trying to solve a mystery in post-Katrina New Orleans defies description or labels, but that’s not going to stop me from trying to describe or label it At times harrowing and heartbreaking, at times hilarious, and at times just weird, the book captures humans being human during horrific times—for better AND for worse.

Through Claire DeWitt, Sara Gran gives us a highly compelling and entertaining noir tale as well as a gritty love letter to one of the most enigmatic cities in the U.S., if not the world. (Note: I was living in New Orleans in 2005 when Katrina rocked up and tried to ruin everything; thus this book hits all the feels for me.)

 

 

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. Good GAWD what a novel. Of course, I could say that about EVERY novel by Cosby, who has an inherent knack for making readers tremble and sweat then laugh then cry all within the span of a few sentences. All while making you think... and challenging your preconceptions about people and society.

With Razorblade Tears, Cosby outdoes himself, bringing us a powerful and important story about two ex-con fathers—one black, one white— seeking revenge for the murder of their gay sons. Rarely will you read a novel as visceral, raw and violent as it is compassionate and poignant. Impossible to put down. Or to forget.

 

 

Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas. Have a look at all the reviews for this stunning collection of short stories, and you’ll see words like “beautiful” and “human” used as often as you do “terrifying” and “devastating.” Eliciting that type of rave and dichotomous response from readers is no easy feat—unless all your readers happen to be bipolar or on acid.

I believe Laird Barron (another master of fusing brutality and beauty) said it best in his review of Spontaneous Human Combustion: “Thomas masterfully combines noir and horror. He paints the beauty and the meanness of human life with an ease that belies how damned hard a trick it is to accomplish. Spontaneous Human Combustion is a bottle of the top shelf stuff—smooth, but it burns. Burns all the way to the bottom.”

 

 

Remember Me by Charity Norman. Less a traditional crime novel and more a work of literary fiction with a mystery, Norman’s second novel is the beautifully told and heart-rending tale of a woman named Emily who returns to her native New Zealand to care for her father, whose dementia is rapidly advancing.

When Emily’s father hands her a sealed envelope and asks her not to open it until after his death, things start to get interesting. Even more so when his disease causes him to let fragmented revelations slip—revelations that offer a glimpse into a twenty-five-year-old unsolved missing persons case and threaten to tear the close-knit town apart. 

 

 

Lamentation by Joe Clifford. The first book in Clifford’s beautifully gritty and underrated Jay Porter series, Lamentation shows us just how strong the bond between two brothers can be—no matter how dangerous and desperate and chaotic sh*t gets. The protagonist will stop at nothing to save his drug addled alcoholic brother when the latter is arrested and, soon after, disappears … and readers will find themselves stopping at nothing to accompany Porter through every harrowing scene.

The only thing Clifford is better at than ratcheting up suspense and raising stakes in his stories is getting you to root for and truly care about even the most flawed, damaged characters.

 

 

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha. This book is so enthralling, fearless, and utterly human, I had no other choice but to include it on this list despite the author never following me back on Twitter. That, and on the off-chance Cha is as powerful and as confronting as her writing, I didn’t want to risk getting my ass kicked by her for snubbing her here.

With Your House Will Pay, Cha gives readers a front-row seat to the racial injustice and tensions in modern-day Los Angeles—all in the form of a thrilling mystery that centers around two families struggling to come to grips with a shared, violent past. Not many writers could pull off such an ambitious literary high-wire act; in fact, very few would consider even trying.

 

 

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. This stunning debut novel is much more than just a gritty crime thriller; it’s a complex, layered saga that shines a light on some of the unique challenges faced by Native Americans in the 21^st century.

The protagonist—Virgil Wounded Horse—is as dangerous as he is endearing, and thus nearly impossible for readers not to follow through every twist and turn in this high-stakes, extremely suspenseful tale. Noble vigilantism, deadly drug cartels, and unflinching questions about money and power among tribal leaders make this one of the freshest, fiercest books to come out in years.

 

 

In Wolves’ Clothing by… ahem, ME. I rarely if ever include my own titles in posts on books people need to read … which probably explains why not enough people feel the need to read my books.

I’m including it not just to blatantly self-promote myself; the truth is, I poured my heart, marrow and soul into the book, and I honestly believe it deserves a place on any “Dark Novels Filled with Heart and Hope” list. It is, after all, the story of a guy who risks his life every week to help rescue young girls from the bowels of sex trafficking.

Don’t just take my word for it; here’s what Publishers Weekly said of In Wolves’ Clothing in a starred review upon its launch:

“Levin movingly conveys the horrors of sex trafficking in this effective thriller. He provides a window into one of the world's darkest underbellies, while somehow managing to insert appropriate lighter moments. This author deserves a wide audience.”

By the way, I’m getting a tattoo of that entire blurb on my back this week. So don’t be surprised if, at the next author event I attend, you see me shirtless. Of course, that could also simply mean I managed to score a few extra drink tickets.

 

What are some of your favorite dark novels filled with heart and hope?