Mystery & Thriller – Page 72 – Trigger Warning Database

The Crooked Mask by Rachel Burge

The Crooked Mask by Rachel Burge

Deep in a forest in Northern Norway lies the Circus of Myth & Mayhem. Martha is certain that unsolved mysteries are hidden there – and talks her way into getting a job as a psychic.

She soon learns there’s something very strange about the circus. Costumed performers re-enact stories of the Norse gods wearing masks, which move and change expression, yet no one notices but her. And then there’s the creepy jester who invites her to ‘play’… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Disfigurmisia and internalised disfigurmisia
Ableism & ableist language
Parent with alcoholism mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Eyeball trauma & loss of vision (theme)
Scars

Grief & loss depiction
Death of a grandmother recounted
Death of a father in a car accident recounted
Murder
Death from a fall
Hanging mentioned
Teen homelessness

Dark Water by Robert Bryndza

Dark Water by Robert Bryndza

Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. She would lie still and undisturbed for many years but above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning.

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Death of a child

The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Blood depiction
Murder
Gun violence
Animal death

You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

Everyone knew bestselling novelist Cassandra Tipp had twice got away with murder. Even her family were convinced of her guilt. So when she disappears, leaving only a long letter behind, they can but suspect that her conscience finally killed her.

But the letter is not what anyone expected. It tells two chilling, darkly disturbing stories. One is a story of bloody nights and magical gifts, of children lost to the woods, of husbands made from twigs and feathers and bones . . .

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child abuse
Sexual assault
Self-harm
Suicide
Abortion mentioned
Dismemberment
Murder

sourced from amy imogene read, jo ladzinski, and schizanthus nerd

Devolution by Max Brooks

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined… until now. But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing – and too earth-shattering in its implications – to be forgotten.

In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Panic attack, on-page
Dieting discussed & calorie-counting
Blood & gore depiction
Dead bodies
Emesis
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a husband, on-page
Death of friends, on-page
Earthquakes & volcanic eruption, on-page
Animal attack & death from animal attack (theme)
Animal death
Animal dead bodies & butchery, on-page

Into the River by Mark Brandi

Into the River by Mark Brandi

Also known as Wimmera.

Growing up in a small country town, Ben and Fab spend their days playing cricket, wanting a pair of Nike Air Maxes and not talking about how Fab’s dad hits him, or how the sudden death of Ben’s next-door neighbour unsettled him. Almost teenagers, they already know some things are better left unsaid.

Then a newcomer arrived. Fab reckoned he was a secret agent and he and Ben staked him out. He looked strong. Maybe even stronger than Fab’s dad. Neither… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism & racial slurs
Paedophilia, child sexual abuse & grooming
Domestic violence
Suicide
Graphic dismemberment
Murder
Animal death

The Baby is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite

The Baby is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite

When his girlfriend throws him out during the pandemic, Bambi has to go to his Uncle’s house in lock-down Lagos. He arrives during a blackout, and is surprised to find his Aunty Bidemi sitting in a candlelit room with another woman. They both claim to be the mother of the baby boy, fast asleep in his crib.

At night Bambi is kept awake by the baby’s cries, and during the days he is disturbed by a… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexism
Child neglect
Cheating
Alcohol consumption, on-page
Recreational drug use, on-page
COVID-19 (theme)
Emesis
Physical illness & tribal marking disfigurement of a baby
Blood depiction
Grief & loss depiction
Death of an uncle & husband recounted
Animal slaughter, on-page

Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Treasure is a wannabe Instagram influencer in Lagos, Nigeria. She shows off a luxurious life in a gated community that her almost five thousand followers can only dream of. @Sho4Sure is determined to be part of it. The macho mechanic is Treasure’s number one fan, and double taps and blushing emojis are no longer enough. He needs to meet her in the flesh. If only Treasure were more prepared for destiny.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Blood depiction
Murder
Gun violence
Stalking
Home invasion

Open Season by CJ Box

Open Season by C.J. Box

There’s nothing unusual about the sound of a gunshot in Twelve Sleep. Here in remotest Wyoming, where elk roam the pine forests and cougars prowl the mountains, everyone owns a gun. But when Joe Pickett hears two sharp cracks ring out months before hunting season, it’s his job to investigate. As game warden in Twelve Sleep, father-of-two Joe Pickett is not only badly paid and poorly housed, but deeply unpopular. So when the source of the shots – a well-known poacher – gets off scot-free after a humiliating confrontation, the locals are delighted. And then the poacher turns up dead in the Pickett’s backyard. Charged with… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child abuse
Death of a child
Murder
Gun violence
Blackmail
Animal hunting
Animal cruelty

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier

Sera loves true crime podcasts. They make her feel empowered in a world where women just like her disappear daily. She’s sure they are preparing her for something. So when Rachel, her favourite podcast host, goes missing, Sera knows it’s time to act. Rachel has always taught her to trust her instincts.

Sera follows the clues hidden in the episodes to an isolated ranch outside Rachel’s small hometown to begin her search. She’s convinced her… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Depression
Alcoholism
Miscarriage
Animal death