30 Books like Perfume

The 120 Days of Sodom

by Marquis de Sade

Four libertines lock a château, fill it with kidnapped children, and appetite becomes the only rule.

3.05

15k+

💀 Transgressive Fiction 🏰 18th Century France 📖 Story Within Stories 🩺 Clinical Horror 🎭 Libertine Philosophy

The 120 Days of Sodom 89%

Four libertines lock a château, fill it with kidnapped children, and appetite becomes the only rule.

by Marquis de Sade 2009

3.05

15k+ ratings

💀 Transgressive Fiction 🏰 18th Century France 📖 Story Within Stories 🩺 Clinical Horror 🎭 Libertine Philosophy

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux • 1910

At the Paris Opera, a phantom’s love turns deadly when his protégée falls for a vicomte.

3.96

281k+

🖤 Gothic Romance 🌹 Beauty And The Beast 💘 Obsessive Love 🎵 Secret Mentor 🗼 Belle éPoque Paris

The Phantom of the Opera 90%

At the Paris Opera, a phantom’s love turns deadly when his protégée falls for a vicomte.

by Gaston Leroux 1910

3.96

281k+ ratings

🖤 Gothic Romance 🌹 Beauty And The Beast 💘 Obsessive Love 🎵 Secret Mentor 🗼 Belle éPoque Paris

Cry to Heaven

by Anne Rice • 1982

Betrayed and castrated, a Venetian noble becomes a castrato singer to seek revenge.

3.89

22k+

🇮🇹 18th-Century Italy 🎭 Opera World 🩸 Body Horror ⚧ Gender Ambiguity 🎓 Student-Teacher Love

Cry to Heaven 89%

Betrayed and castrated, a Venetian noble becomes a castrato singer to seek revenge.

by Anne Rice 1982

3.89

22k+ ratings

🇮🇹 18th-Century Italy 🎭 Opera World 🩸 Body Horror ⚧ Gender Ambiguity 🎓 Student-Teacher Love

Père Goriot

by Honoré de Balzac • 1997

In a Paris boarding house, a student learns ambition's cost from a ruined father and criminal.

3.85

69k+

🎭 Realist Novel 🇫🇷 19th Century Paris 😈 Corrupt Mentor 📈 Social Climbing 💔 Ungrateful Children

Père Goriot 88%

In a Paris boarding house, a student learns ambition's cost from a ruined father and criminal.

by Honoré de Balzac 1997

3.85

69k+ ratings

🎭 Realist Novel 🇫🇷 19th Century Paris 😈 Corrupt Mentor 📈 Social Climbing 💔 Ungrateful Children

Flaggermusmannen

by Jo Nesbø • 1997

Drunk and adrift in Sydney, a Norwegian detective hunts a serial killer in aboriginal myth.

3.55

132k+

🖤 Scandinavian Noir 🔍 Police Procedural 🔪 Serial Killer Hunt 🥃 Alcoholic Detective 🤝 Unlikely Partners

Flaggermusmannen 88%

Drunk and adrift in Sydney, a Norwegian detective hunts a serial killer in aboriginal myth.

by Jo Nesbø 1997

3.55

132k+ ratings

🖤 Scandinavian Noir 🔍 Police Procedural 🔪 Serial Killer Hunt 🥃 Alcoholic Detective 🤝 Unlikely Partners

The Wolf and the Watchman

by Niklas Natt och Dag • 2017

A one-armed watchman and a dying lawyer pursue the fiend who dismembered a young man.

3.88

23k+

🌑 Nordic Noir 🕵️ Odd Couple Detectives 🏚️ Gothic Atmosphere 🩸 Body Horror ⚖️ Corrupt Institutions

The Wolf and the Watchman 89%

A one-armed watchman and a dying lawyer pursue the fiend who dismembered a young man.

by Niklas Natt och Dag 2017

3.88

23k+ ratings

🌑 Nordic Noir 🕵️ Odd Couple Detectives 🏚️ Gothic Atmosphere 🩸 Body Horror ⚖️ Corrupt Institutions

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

by Victor Hugo • 1831

A priest's obsession. A bellringer's devotion. A dancer's life. All hang in Notre-Dame's shadow.

4.02

221k+

🗼 Medieval Paris 🖤 Gothic Tragedy 💔 Unrequited Obsession 🎭 Tragic Antihero 🔔 Outcast Protagonist

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame 89%

A priest's obsession. A bellringer's devotion. A dancer's life. All hang in Notre-Dame's shadow.

by Victor Hugo 1831

4.02

221k+ ratings

🗼 Medieval Paris 🖤 Gothic Tragedy 💔 Unrequited Obsession 🎭 Tragic Antihero 🔔 Outcast Protagonist

The Red Winter

by Cameron Sullivan

An immortal magician hunts the Beast that stole his lover and now curses their son.

3.95

9k+

🖤 Doomed Queer Love 🔥 Inner Demon 🐺 Monstrous Transformation 🌊 Fey Bargains ⛪ Religious Corruption

The Red Winter 88%

An immortal magician hunts the Beast that stole his lover and now curses their son.

by Cameron Sullivan 2026

3.95

9k+ ratings

🖤 Doomed Queer Love 🔥 Inner Demon 🐺 Monstrous Transformation 🌊 Fey Bargains ⛪ Religious Corruption

Hygiène de l'assassin

by Amélie Nothomb • 1992

A dying author's final interviewer knows the truth: his novels conceal a childhood murder.

3.77

19k+

🗣️ Verbal Duel ✍️ Confession Narrative 🖤 Misanthrope Protagonist 🐱 Cat And Mouse 🎭 Grotesque And Cerebral

Hygiène de l'assassin 88%

A dying author's final interviewer knows the truth: his novels conceal a childhood murder.

by Amélie Nothomb 1992

3.77

19k+ ratings

🗣️ Verbal Duel ✍️ Confession Narrative 🖤 Misanthrope Protagonist 🐱 Cat And Mouse 🎭 Grotesque And Cerebral

Tajna Krvavog mosta

by Marija Jurić Zagorka • 1912

A count and a disguised girl hunt a killer promising nine bodies beneath Zagreb's Bloody Bridge.

4.51

2k+

🖤 Gothic Murder Mystery 🎭 Woman Disguised As Man 💕 Friends To Lovers 🎪 Masked Intrigue 🌫️ Gothic Atmosphere

Tajna Krvavog mosta 88%

A count and a disguised girl hunt a killer promising nine bodies beneath Zagreb's Bloody Bridge.

by Marija Jurić Zagorka 1912

4.51

2k+ ratings

🖤 Gothic Murder Mystery 🎭 Woman Disguised As Man 💕 Friends To Lovers 🎪 Masked Intrigue 🌫️ Gothic Atmosphere

The Art of a Lie

by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

An 18th-century widow killed her husband. The con man courting her chose the wrong mark.

4.10

7k+

🎭 Con Artist Thriller 🏙️ Georgian London 🗡️ Murderess Protagonist 🌃 Historical Noir 🔥 Slow Burn Suspense

The Art of a Lie 88%

An 18th-century widow killed her husband. The con man courting her chose the wrong mark.

by Laura Shepherd-Robinson 2025

4.10

7k+ ratings

🎭 Con Artist Thriller 🏙️ Georgian London 🗡️ Murderess Protagonist 🌃 Historical Noir 🔥 Slow Burn Suspense

Interview with the Vampire

by Anne Rice • 1976

A vampire recounts his life: from 1791 Louisiana to Parisian vampire theater, an eternity of sorrow.

4.02

656k+

🏚️ Southern Gothic 🎙️ Framed Narrative 🧛 Reluctant Vampire 👧 Eternal Child 🥀 Immortal Melancholy

Interview with the Vampire 89%

A vampire recounts his life: from 1791 Louisiana to Parisian vampire theater, an eternity of sorrow.

by Anne Rice 1976

4.02

656k+ ratings

🏚️ Southern Gothic 🎙️ Framed Narrative 🧛 Reluctant Vampire 👧 Eternal Child 🥀 Immortal Melancholy

The Earth Will Shake

by Robert Anton Wilson • 1982

His uncle murdered at Easter Mass, a boy enters the secret brotherhoods of revolutionary Europe.

4.12

1k+

🕯️ Secret Societies 🌙 Mystical Initiation ⚔️ Cycle Of Vengeance 🤔 Philosophical Fiction 🎭 18th Century Europe

The Earth Will Shake 88%

His uncle murdered at Easter Mass, a boy enters the secret brotherhoods of revolutionary Europe.

by Robert Anton Wilson 1982

4.12

1k+ ratings

🕯️ Secret Societies 🌙 Mystical Initiation ⚔️ Cycle Of Vengeance 🤔 Philosophical Fiction 🎭 18th Century Europe

The Seventh Function of Language

by Laurent Binet • 2015

After Barthes is killed, a detective and a scholar hunt a manuscript that weaponizes language.

3.76

7k+

📚 Literary Thriller 🔒 Secret Society 👥 Odd Couple Detectives 🧠 Real-Life Figures 🎭 Academic Satire

The Seventh Function of Language Summary

The Seventh Function of Language 88%

After Barthes is killed, a detective and a scholar hunt a manuscript that weaponizes language.

by Laurent Binet 2015

3.76

7k+ ratings

📚 Literary Thriller 🔒 Secret Society 👥 Odd Couple Detectives 🧠 Real-Life Figures 🎭 Academic Satire

Vidas imaginarias

by Marcel Schwob • 1896

Twenty-two brief lives at the edge of myth, where philosophers vanish and arsonists become immortal.

3.98

1k+

🖋️ Fictional Biography 🕯️ Fin De SièCle 🎨 Artist's Obsession 🏛️ Mythic History 📜 Forbidden Knowledge

Vidas imaginarias 88%

Twenty-two brief lives at the edge of myth, where philosophers vanish and arsonists become immortal.

by Marcel Schwob 1896

3.98

1k+ ratings

🖋️ Fictional Biography 🕯️ Fin De SièCle 🎨 Artist's Obsession 🏛️ Mythic History 📜 Forbidden Knowledge

American Psycho

by Bret Easton Ellis • 1991

A Wall Street banker's flawless exterior conceals a violent double life everyone refuses to see.

3.80

368k+

🖤 Transgressive Fiction 🩸 Satirical Horror 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 💼 Wealthy Sociopath 👤 Double Life

American Psycho 88%

A Wall Street banker's flawless exterior conceals a violent double life everyone refuses to see.

by Bret Easton Ellis 1991

3.80

368k+ ratings

🖤 Transgressive Fiction 🩸 Satirical Horror 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 💼 Wealthy Sociopath 👤 Double Life

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

by Edgar Allan Poe • 2014

Two women murdered in a locked Paris flat: an eccentric recluse reads the impossible clues.

3.79

45k+

💀 Impossible Crime 🎩 Eccentric Detective 🖤 Gothic Atmosphere 🗼 19th Century Paris 👂 Unreliable Witnesses

The Murders in the Rue Morgue 88%

Two women murdered in a locked Paris flat: an eccentric recluse reads the impossible clues.

by Edgar Allan Poe 2014

3.79

45k+ ratings

💀 Impossible Crime 🎩 Eccentric Detective 🖤 Gothic Atmosphere 🗼 19th Century Paris 👂 Unreliable Witnesses

Venetian Vespers

by John Banville

His wife vanishes in Venice. The siblings who move in wrote this story long ago.

3.54

4k+

🖤 Psychological Gothic 😈 Unreliable Narrator 🎭 Confidence Scheme 💋 Femme Fatale 🗡️ Revenge Plot

Venetian Vespers 88%

His wife vanishes in Venice. The siblings who move in wrote this story long ago.

by John Banville 2025

3.54

4k+ ratings

🖤 Psychological Gothic 😈 Unreliable Narrator 🎭 Confidence Scheme 💋 Femme Fatale 🗡️ Revenge Plot

Senseless

by Ronald Malfi • 2025

A widowed detective chases a desert mutilator into the orbit of a crumbling Hollywood family.

3.83

3k+

🕵️ Serial Killer 🧠 Psychological Horror 📖 Cursed Object 💔 Grieving Detective 🏚️ Dysfunctional Family

Senseless 88%

A widowed detective chases a desert mutilator into the orbit of a crumbling Hollywood family.

by Ronald Malfi 2025

3.83

3k+ ratings

🕵️ Serial Killer 🧠 Psychological Horror 📖 Cursed Object 💔 Grieving Detective 🏚️ Dysfunctional Family

Les liaisons dangereuses

by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos • 1782

Two aristocratic predators turn seduction into a blood sport, and their letters confess every kill.

4.05

60k+

✉️ Epistolary Novel 🎭 Libertine Fiction 🐍 Female Villain 🕸️ Sexual Manipulation 🥀 Innocence Corrupted

Les liaisons dangereuses 88%

Two aristocratic predators turn seduction into a blood sport, and their letters confess every kill.

by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 1782

4.05

60k+ ratings

✉️ Epistolary Novel 🎭 Libertine Fiction 🐍 Female Villain 🕸️ Sexual Manipulation 🥀 Innocence Corrupted

Victorian Psycho

by Virginia Feito

A governess arrives at a Gothic manor with her father's razor and a family to destroy.

3.53

55k+

🕰️ Historical Horror 👻 Gothic Governess 🔪 Female Serial Killer ⚔️ Class Revenge 🎭 Satirical Horror

Victorian Psycho 88%

A governess arrives at a Gothic manor with her father's razor and a family to destroy.

by Virginia Feito 2025

3.53

55k+ ratings

🕰️ Historical Horror 👻 Gothic Governess 🔪 Female Serial Killer ⚔️ Class Revenge 🎭 Satirical Horror

Red Dragon

by Thomas Harris • 2000

A haunted ex-profiler returns to catch a family-killer who begins stalking him instead.

4.07

380k+

🧠 Psychological Thriller 🔍 Serial Killer Profiling 🐱 Cat And Mouse Game 😈 Dual Identity Struggle 👤 Retired Detective

Red Dragon 88%

A haunted ex-profiler returns to catch a family-killer who begins stalking him instead.

by Thomas Harris 2000

4.07

380k+ ratings

🧠 Psychological Thriller 🔍 Serial Killer Profiling 🐱 Cat And Mouse Game 😈 Dual Identity Struggle 👤 Retired Detective

Lapvona

by Ottessa Moshfegh • 2022

After killing the lord's son, a deformed boy is traded to a manor where cruelty wears silk.

3.54

104k+

🏰 Medieval Horror 🤢 Body Horror 🍖 Cannibalism 🎭 Dark Fable 🏡 Gothic Manor

Lapvona 88%

After killing the lord's son, a deformed boy is traded to a manor where cruelty wears silk.

by Ottessa Moshfegh 2022

3.54

104k+ ratings

🏰 Medieval Horror 🤢 Body Horror 🍖 Cannibalism 🎭 Dark Fable 🏡 Gothic Manor

A Sport and a Pastime

by James Salter • 1967

An American in rural France reconstructs a passionate love affair from fragments, envy, and desire.

3.64

12k+

👁️ Unreliable Narrator 👀 Voyeuristic Narrator 💔 Melancholy Romance ✍️ Sensual Prose 🏘️ Provincial France

A Sport and a Pastime 87%

An American in rural France reconstructs a passionate love affair from fragments, envy, and desire.

by James Salter 1967

3.64

12k+ ratings

👁️ Unreliable Narrator 👀 Voyeuristic Narrator 💔 Melancholy Romance ✍️ Sensual Prose 🏘️ Provincial France

Foucault’s Pendulum

by Umberto Eco • 1988

A mock conspiracy among editors turns real when believers decide the secret is worth killing for.

3.91

75k+

🧠 Philosophical Thriller 🕵️ Conspiracy Fiction 🔍 Pattern Seeking 🗝️ Secret Societies 📜 Occult Scholars

Foucault’s Pendulum 87%

A mock conspiracy among editors turns real when believers decide the secret is worth killing for.

by Umberto Eco 1988

3.91

75k+ ratings

🧠 Philosophical Thriller 🕵️ Conspiracy Fiction 🔍 Pattern Seeking 🗝️ Secret Societies 📜 Occult Scholars

The Red Lion

by Mária Szepes • 1946

An alchemist murders his master for immortality. The stolen elixir becomes an unending curse.

4.47

1k+

🧪 Alchemical Journey 🔄 Reincarnation Cycle ⏳ Curse Of Immortality 🎓 Master And Apprentice 👤 Shadow Self

The Red Lion 88%

An alchemist murders his master for immortality. The stolen elixir becomes an unending curse.

by Mária Szepes 1946

4.47

1k+ ratings

🧪 Alchemical Journey 🔄 Reincarnation Cycle ⏳ Curse Of Immortality 🎓 Master And Apprentice 👤 Shadow Self

The Mask of Sanity

by Jacob M. Appel • 2017

A respected doctor discovers his wife's affair, and his own talent for getting away with murder.

3.80

613

🧠 Psychological Thriller 🎭 Sociopath Protagonist 🔪 Serial Killer Pov 🖤 Dark Satire 🏘️ Suburban Darkness

The Mask of Sanity 88%

A respected doctor discovers his wife's affair, and his own talent for getting away with murder.

by Jacob M. Appel 2017

3.80

613 ratings

🧠 Psychological Thriller 🎭 Sociopath Protagonist 🔪 Serial Killer Pov 🖤 Dark Satire 🏘️ Suburban Darkness

Angel Down

by Daniel Kraus

A WWI gravedigger finds an angel in No Man's Land; her gifts destroy whoever asks.

4.06

16k+

🖤 Literary Horror 🪖 World War I 😇 Wish Gone Wrong 🤝 Deadly Bargain ⛪ Religious Horror

Angel Down 87%

A WWI gravedigger finds an angel in No Man's Land; her gifts destroy whoever asks.

by Daniel Kraus 2025

4.06

16k+ ratings

🖤 Literary Horror 🪖 World War I 😇 Wish Gone Wrong 🤝 Deadly Bargain ⛪ Religious Horror

The Kindly Ones

by Jonathan Littell • 2009

An intellectual SS officer recounts his role in the Holocaust, insisting it was just a job.

4.03

15k+

🕯️ Holocaust 🗣️ Perpetrator Narrator 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 💔 Incestuous Obsession ✒️ Confessional Fiction

The Kindly Ones 87%

An intellectual SS officer recounts his role in the Holocaust, insisting it was just a job.

by Jonathan Littell 2009

4.03

15k+ ratings

🕯️ Holocaust 🗣️ Perpetrator Narrator 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 💔 Incestuous Obsession ✒️ Confessional Fiction

Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov • 1955

A middle-aged scholar marries a New England widow for one reason only: her twelve-year-old daughter.

3.87

957k+

🎭 Unreliable Narrator 💀 Predatory Fixation 🔒 Child In Captivity 📖 Literary Horror ✍️ Lush Prose

Lolita 87%

A middle-aged scholar marries a New England widow for one reason only: her twelve-year-old daughter.

by Vladimir Nabokov 1955

3.87

957k+ ratings

🎭 Unreliable Narrator 💀 Predatory Fixation 🔒 Child In Captivity 📖 Literary Horror ✍️ Lush Prose

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