What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Does anyone know of any good books with cold/unfriendly characters (preferably main characters)? They don't necessarily need to be psychopathic (though that would be fine too), but like, morally grey characters, or characters that are really harsh and frosty? Or even just anti-heros or anti-villians.

Any genre is fine (including YA and MG) except for erotica. Thanks!

American Psycho. No erotica, but severe violence.

Eugene Onegin

Deep Water

Summer House with Swimming Pool

A House and Its Head

The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker. Not the main character, but one of the major ones Sicarius -an assassin- came immediately to mind for your request.

I know I've read a few 'everyday' books like that, but will have to have a hunt.

If you're ok with fantasy tho, try Nalini Singh. Her Psy/Changeling series has a whole race that is cold. With various psychic abilities, they found they were going mad at an extraordinary rate, so they decided to train the emotions out of themselves from childhood. So basically a whole race of psychopaths.

Thanks for all the great recs everyone!

How about Olive Kitteridge?

And I Darken
Mistwood
Red Queen
When My Heart Was Wicked

If you're interested in romance, I would look at Anne Stuart's Ice series - the heroes are very cold, very anti-heroic. I can't quite remember, but they're either assassins or spies.
Black Ice
Cold As Ice
Ice Blue
Ice Storm
Fire And Ice

Six of Crows Crooked Kingdom

Nearly everyone in The Living and the Dead is pretty frosty.

The Young Elites series

Falling Kingdoms series
few povs most of them cold

The Queen of All that Dies

Serena by Ron Rash

Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar

Lothaire by Kresley Cole

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff
Lindsay

This is a series I have on my tbr pile. Don't know if it is what you're looking for, but maybe you'll like it anyway it's abourt supervillans
The Rules of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps

White Cat by Holly Black features a main character that's a teenage con man.

While I personally couldn't stand anyone in the book, the characters do meet your requirement of coldness, Gone Girl. I will say it is well written.

Sergeant Troy, Far From the Madding Crowd