King of the Rainy Country

In a nice piece of meta commentary deep within this detective novel, the Dutch police investigator Van der Valk compares himself and his plodding ways to the Marlowes and Bonds of fiction, who would never be putt-putting around like he is in a rented Renault on the trail of a potential murderer. There's not much action in this psychological story, but Van der Valk is an appealing enough character to carry the day. 

Love in the Ruins

Idiosyncratic and beautifully written, this Walker Percy novel from 1971 imagines a near future in which vine tendrils herald the decline of civilization, people have lost the ability to repair what is broken, and one man hopes that love can conquer all. It is a disorienting tale full of weird characters with a beating heart at the center.

Consumed

This David Cronenberg novel is a mishmash of technology worship, weirdness, and unconvincing human behavior.