Ann Patchett Reveals 4 Thrillers That Will Excite You—’The Pleasure Only Builds!’
Crime novels aren't her thing—but these 4 books have Patchett reading 'passionately' all night
Key Takeaways
- Ann Patchett loves Raymond Chandler's writing and counts it alongside greats by Hemingway.
- Colson Whitehead's ‘Harlem Shuffle’ books combine beautiful writing with thriller propulsion.
- If you read the 'Harlem' trilogy in order, Patchett says "the pleasure only builds!"
Ready to stay up way past your bedtime, hooked on a page-turner? Bestselling author Ann Patchett has four thrilling book recommendations for you—so captivating they pulled her right out of her reading comfort zone. So trust Patchett and her killer reading instincts and add these propulsive crime thrillers to your fall reading list—you’ll experience all the twists, turns and thrills of a rollercoaster ride without leaving your cozy reading nook!
Ann Patchett’s 4 thrilling book picks you won’t be able to put down
Get ready for the rush! First up: a classic from the king of crime noir, followed by an addictive trilogy from a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author. In a popular social media reel, Patchett confesses she’s not usually a thriller person—but these four novels changed everything. ‘I love these books so passionately!’ she says, and once you dive in, you’ll understand exactly why.
‘The Long Goodbye’ by Raymond Chandler
“I’m not a spy-novel, thriller-novel, detective-novel person in general, but I have read all of Raymond Chandler and The Long Goodbye—which is in the Philip Marlowe series—is my very favorite,” Patchett tells fans online from her Nashville-based shop Parnassus Books.
She holds this 1953 detective novel in the highest regard—and for good reason. “When we think about the canonical literature from this period, we think about Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck. And it’s always been a mystery to me why we don’t think of Chandler in that group because he’s every bit as good.” She adds, “Nobody knows how to move a story along better. You know the famous line that Chandler said: ‘If things are going slow, bring in a man with a gun.’ Let me tell you, it works!”
What is the book about? Private investigator Philip Marlowe’s loyal friendship with a down-on-his-luck veteran is tested when the vet’s unfaithful wife winds up dead. One online reviewer raved, “I re-read this novel every year and never tire of it.” Another described it as “full of twists and ever increasing complications that kept me there right to the end.” While this happens to be book six of eight in the series, Patchett says you can read them in any order.
A 3-book trilogy that delivers pace and pleasure
If Chandler’s masterful storytelling has you hooked, wait until you hear about Patchett’s next three picks—they’re all part of one incredible trilogy. “I love Colson Whitehead’s writing. I think nobody touches him. He is the genius of our age,” praises Patchett. “He’s won two Pulitzers. He’s won a National Book Award. He’s written books that are iconic, and he’s also written some weird genre stuff: a book about zombies, a book about playing poker—and the last three books that he has written are the Harlem Shuffle series. They’re kind of crime caper thriller books, not my jam at all.” And yet, Patchett adds, “I love these books so passionately!” Here are three more books to add to your list if you want to add some thrill to your life…
‘Harlem Shuffle’ by Colson Whitehead
“The first one, Harlem Shuffle, came out in 2021,” says Patchett. “It’s set in Harlem in the 60s.” The plot: “A guy named Ray Carney owns a furniture store. His dad was a crook, and Ray is mostly a straight businessman.” But he gets mixed up selling stolen goods from criminals. Can Ray make it out of his double life alive?
Patchett explains the magical charm of Whitehead’s stories: “This is what happens in these books: Part of your brain is saying this is an unbelievable thriller. There’s a guy with a gun, or there’s a guy holding another guy out the window. I have to stay up all night and read this book.” She adds, “But the books are so beautifully written, and every single sentence makes you stop and rethink everything you knew.”
One online fan called this a social commentary and said, “This is the thinking man’s heist novel, where the score isn’t stolen goods, but instead, stolen lives.”
‘Crook Manifesto’ by Colson Whitehead
Once you finish that first book (and you won’t be able to put it down!), you’ll want to dive into book two: Crook Manifesto. “Same characters in the 70s,” says Patchett. “Now Ray is trying to get tickets to a very hot Jackson Five concert for his daughter.” But you know things are going to go off the rails for Ray. He’s been living on the straight and narrow, but when he asks a crooked cop for help securing those coveted tickets, the cop asks a favor of his own, pulling Ray back into the underworld. Patchett loves how the plot is “just working at complete cross purposes, and it makes it an extraordinary reading experience.”
One online fan clearly listened to these book recommendations and says, “It’s a bit of a mind-bender to go from [reading] Ann Patchett to Colson Whitehead, but I love both these writers so very much…The joy of reading this is how skillfully Whitehead creates the various scenarios wherein Ray Carney finds himself once again ensnared.”
‘Cool Machine’ by Colson Whitehead
Book three is set in the 1980s, exploring a city in flux and the hidden forces at work beneath it. Patchett raves, “I don’t even know what to say. I mean, Colson, you deserve a third Pulitzer for this book. It is astonishing.” She adds that these books “are so incredibly constructed. It’s like the best writing ever, but with a thriller propulsion.”
What is this one about? With his last heist behind him, Ray wants to enjoy a calm, safe life with his family. But the former criminal must come out of retirement to save his cousin’s son from powerful violent forces in the city.
One fan shared, “This was a joy to read. Mr. Whitehead again does an excellent job of evoking the atmosphere and the realism of the NYC of the setting and the humanity of its characters. This is a fine conclusion to this wonderful trilogy.” Another wrote, “Not since the Lord of the Rings have I been this excited about finishing a trilogy.”
Do you have to read these books together?
No. Patchett promises that Whitehead’s books work as standalone stories. But if you do read them in order “the pleasure only builds.” Her recommendation: Read them all. “You’ll be the luckiest person in the world.”
Bottom line: Don’t miss these thrilling fiction stories. They’ll add excitement to your life. And remember what Patchett always says about old books: “If you haven’t read it, it’s new to you!”
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