Books like A burnt-out case by Graham Greene

James Joyce’s Dubliners is a landmark collection of fifteen short stories set in late‑19th‑century Dublin, capturing ordinary lives and suppressed dreams while exploring themes of lost innocence, paralysis, and the moral fabric of Irish society.

Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, written after a 1910s journey to India, follows a young boy’s quest for spiritual enlightenment during Gautama Buddha’s era.

Set during the French Indochina War, the novel follows British journalist Thomas Fowler, his mistress Phuong, and American idealist Pyle, whose ambitions and tragic fate reshape their lives amid political turmoil.

A coming‑of‑age narrative set in 19th‑century England, following young David Copperfield as he navigates orphanhood, hardship and society’s social hierarchies.

A Catholic priest, scarred by his past, navigates early 1930s Mexico while the church faces persecution, providing aid to impoverished peasants under the threat of ruthless police and betrayal.

The Third Man, a novella by Graham Greene, follows the mysterious black‑market trader Harry Lime in post‑war Vienna, where he is believed to be dead.

Lawyer Sarah inherits a crumbling 1923 mansion outside San Francisco and, with architect Jeff Parker, restores the house while uncovering a mysterious legacy that reshapes her future.

A gripping crime thriller that follows teen Pinky Brown, a sociopathic gangster who murders a betrayer and, to cover his tracks, marries a witness, spiraling into desperation as the Brighton underworld closes in.

At Macdonald Hall, mischief‑making friends Bruno and Boots are separated by the headmaster, sparking a battle of wits as they scheme to reclaim their room and outsmart their new roommates.

In occupied France, a prison holds a grim lottery: one in every ten inmates faces execution. Rich lawyer Louis Chavel confronts the ultimate test of nerve as danger looms.

Lin Kong, a devoted doctor, wrestles with love for the modern Manna Wu while bound to a rural wife chosen by his family, navigating tradition, divorce, and Party scrutiny over seventeen years.

From the prizewinning "master of atmosphere" (Boston Globe) comes the surprising and affecting story of a man well past middle age who suddenly finds himself on the threshold of renewal. Living on a tiny island entirely surrounded by ice during the long winter months, Fredrik Welin is so lost to the world that he cuts a hole in the ice every morning and lowers himself into the freezing water to remind himself that he is alive. Haunted by memories of the terrible mistake that drove him to this island and away from a successful career as a surgeon, he lives in a stasis so complete an anthill grows undisturbed in his living room. When an unexpected visitor alters his life completely, thus begins an eccentric, elegiac journey—one that shows Mankell at the very height of his powers as a novelist. A deeply human tale of loss and redemption, Italian Shoes is a testament to the unpredictability of life, which breeds hope even in the face of tragedy.

Seventeen‑year‑old Martin Arrowsmith rises from humble beginnings to become a pioneering scientific researcher, striving to balance personal ambition with ethical responsibility in medicine.

Inside, Outside charts a sweeping American Jewish family saga through more than sixty years, blending humor, tragedy, and a secret wartime mission as faith and the glittering American dream collide.

A satirical tale of greed and redemption, following young Martin Chuzzlewit’s journey from Wiltshire to America as he confronts family fortune, corrupt relatives, and the dark underside of civilization.

The novelist Maurice Bendrix's love affair with his friend's wife, Sarah, had begun in London during the Blitz. But, out of the blue she ended the relationship. Years later he sends a private detective to follow Sarah and find out the truth.

An English tourist impersonates a new king in a fictitious European Kingdom of Ruritania, leading to political intrigue and a thrilling adventure set in 1894.