Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoyesky
Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a suspicious police investigator, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. Only Sonya, a downtrodden prostitute, can offer the chance of redemption.
OR
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as
weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their
host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be
found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're
unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has
been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every
room of the mansion:
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then
there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself
and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said
he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up
sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little
boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were
four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and
then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear
hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."
When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme,
terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there
will be none.