The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

5 -- Featuring A Conspiracy

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a conspiracy is “the activity of secretly planning with other people to do something bad or illegal". This may be a conspiracy to commit murder, treason, to cover up a crime, etc. Any book featuring multiple characters secretly planning or conspiring to commit a crime would fit this prompt.

You may also choose a book featuring a conspiracy theory (a belief that some influential or controlling organization or group is secretly responsible for a notable event or phenomenon). Many thrillers or action stories involve uncovering larger conspiracies (may also be called paranoid thrillers). Books fitting this description may also be non-fiction about conspiracies, or a fictionalized version of a real conspiracy theory. (For example: Untold Story by Monica Ali, a novel about Princess Diana faking her own death).

You might also choose a book in which a conspiracy revolves around the author. (For example, Stieg Larsson, author of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and conspiracy theories around his death.)

The word conspiracy may or may not appear in the title, subtitle, or book blurb.



Here is our Goodreads List for this prompt

If you're more into the nonfiction side of things I suggest UNDER THE EYE OF POWER. Nice and through overview of the subject in the US

Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy

I saw The Host by Stephenie Meyer on the Goodreads list for this prompt and I highly recommend it.

I'm planning to read Impostors by Scott Westerfeld

Time to hit up the UFO section at the bookstore!

Even though I own several, most are in my wrapped TBR so I don't know when I'll get to them or when I'll pull them.

I found a couple Middle Grade books that look good for this one.

The Countdown Conspiracy
The Clockwork Conspiracy