Category Archives: Mystery & Thriller

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison 

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had set the bombs that killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his father’s Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin.

Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honestly will not permit him to live quietly. As a Witness for the Dead… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape mentioned
  • Domestic violence
  • Suicide
  • Infanticide mentioned
  • Fire

Five Strangers by EV Adamson

Five Strangers by E.V. Adamson

With its grassy hills and breathtaking city views, London’s Hampstead Heath is the perfect place to spend an afternoon with friends and loved ones—and on an unseasonably warm Valentine’s Day, the lawns are especially full. So when an aggressive lovers’ quarrel breaks out, there’s an audience of park goers nearby to hear the shouts traded back and forth, and to watch as the violence escalates suddenly to murder, then suicide. 

For the five strangers who observed the gruesome act, the memory of the gore is unshakable. But one of them—disgraced journalist Jen Hunter—is compelled to question the truth of what she thought she saw. Are the facts of the case plain as day, or were they obscured, in the moment, by the glaring sunlight?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic abuse
  • Murder-suicide

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

Three months ago, Lena Nguyen’s estranged twin sister, Cambry, drove to a remote bridge sixty miles outside of Missoula, Montana, and jumped two hundred feet to her death. At least, that is the official police version. But Lena isn’t buying it.

Now she’s come to that very bridge, driving her dead twin’s car and armed with a cassette recorder, determined to find out what really happened by interviewing the highway patrolman who allegedly discovered her sister’s body.

Corporal Raymond Raycevic has agreed to meet Lena at the scene. He is sympathetic, forthright, and professional. But his story doesn’t seem to add up. For one thing, he stopped Cambry for speeding a full hour before… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Animal death

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah 

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah

The Victim: Jodie Wolfe, a physically flawed 16-year-old girl accuses four boys in her class of something unthinkable.

The Defendants: Four handsome teenagers from hard-working immigrant families, all with corroborating stories.

The Savior: Zara Kaleel, a former lawyer, one of London’s brightest legal minds, takes on this case. She believes her client, even though those closest to her do not.

Together, they enter the most explosive criminal trial of the year, where the only thing that matters is justice for Jodie. But this time justice comes at a devastating cost. 

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape

Paint It All Red by ST Abby

Paint It All Red by S.T. Abby

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word…

Will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?

It’s time to fuck with their minds.
It’s time to finish it all.
It’s time to paint it all red…

Monsters don’t usually wish for happily-ever-afters.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Graphic rape
  • Graphic sexual assault
  • Blood depiction
  • Murder
  • Graphic torture

All the Lies by ST Abby

All the Lies by S.T. Abby

To understand the monsters in the world, you have to get inside their heads. It’s a dangerous place to be, especially when you start to empathize and lose your own sense of morality. But that’s never happened to me… I’ve never felt conflicted on any case. Right is right and wrong is wrong. It’s simple. Black and white. There’s no such thing as a grey area. But fuck this case. I don’t even know what side I’m on anymore. I don’t understand how this town can continue to function without breaking under the weight of all the lies they’ve spun and lived.

Every time I find a shard of truth, my gut twists, my heart beats faster, and I hate this place a little more. Every time I think I’ve heard the worst, another truth is dug up… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slut-shaming
Rape
Paedophilia & child sexual abuse, including child pornography
Suicide mentioned
Murder
Torture
Wrongful imprisonment

Scarlet Angel by ST Abby

Scarlet Angel by S.T. Abby

Logan Bennett makes me want to have a future not tainted by the constant hunger for revenge. Doesn’t mean I can stop. Doesn’t mean I want to stop. It just means I want more…one day. But how do you make a good man love the monster inside you without stripping his soul away as well? He is all the best parts of me right now, resurrecting bits of my heart I forgot could even exist.

He makes me feel something other than cold. He also thinks I’m weak and fragile. Something I laugh about to myself, while secretly soaking in all his protectiveness and concern. If anyone touches him, harms him, or even threatens him, then they should probably run. Because his girlfriend is a little bit crazy. They just don’t know it yet.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slut shaming
  • Paedophilia & child sexual abuse, including child pornography
  • Rape
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Murder, on-page
  • Torture
  • Wrongful imprisonment

Sidetracked by ST Abby

Sidetracked by S.T. Abby

I’ve had tunnel vision for one main goal for so long, that I forgot there was a whole other world just outside. Until Lana.
She’s everything I never expected, and I love the fact I can never guess her every move or reaction. It’s part of the reason I keep falling. But I also know she shuts me out, hides things from me she feels she can’t share. One day, I hope she trusts me enough to share.

It isn’t until my job puts her at risk that I realize just how fierce she is, but it doesn’t stop me from doing all I can to protect her. I should walk away to protect her better, but I can’t. Instead, I’m forced to find other ways to keep her safe. I just hope it’s enough. Though she is fierce, she’s still fragile… Right? 

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slut shaming
  • Paedophilia & child sexual abuse, including child pornography
  • Rape
  • Murder, on-page
  • Kidnapping of a child

The Risk by ST Abby

The Risk by S.T. Abby

I didn’t expect him. I didn’t want to fall in love. But I can’t let him go. Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place. He’s brilliant. He’s a hero. He locks away the sick and depraved. But while he’s saving lives, I’m taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.

Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead. They should have made sure I stayed dead. Now I’m taking from them. One name at a time. I’ve trained for too long. I’ve been patient. I can’t stop now. Revenge is best served cold… They never see me coming until I paint their walls red. Logan doesn’t know how they hurt me. He doesn’t know about the screams they ignored. He doesn’t know how twisted that town really is. He just knows people are dying… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slut-shaming
  • Rape
  • Graphic murder
  • Gun violence
  • Knife violence & stabbing
  • Torture

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

Helen’s idyllic life—handsome architect husband, gorgeous Victorian house, and cherished baby on the way (after years of trying)—begins to change the day she attends her first prenatal class and meets Rachel, an unpredictable single mother-to-be. Rachel doesn’t seem very maternal: she smokes, drinks, and professes little interest in parenthood. Still, Helen is drawn to her. Maybe Rachel just needs a friend. And to be honest, Helen’s a bit lonely herself. At least Rachel is fun to be with. She makes Helen laugh, invites her confidences, and distracts her from her fears.

But her increasingly erratic behaviour is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Pregnancy
  • Infertility
  • Death of an infant