Category Archives: Genres

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her job as an archival librarian, constantly surrounded by thought-provoking ideas and the books she loved. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured divorcee with a job that took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger. A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conf… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Infidelity
  • Stroke mentioned
  • Kidnapping & stalking

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her young husband Cameron, she’s grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the ball—and yet clinging to her sense of humor. Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who’s determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor. When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Miscarriage
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a husband from early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Death of a partner from cancer mentioned
  • Car accident

Death Note, Vol. 8: Target by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Light–working as Kira, the newest member of the NPA intelligence bureau, and L–has nearly succeeded in creating his ideal world. But the years of uncontested victory have made him complacent, and he is unprepared for a new attack close to home. With his younger sister Sayu kidnapped and the NPA’s Death Note demanded as ransom, Light must travel across the world and confront two new adversaries, each with a very different agenda. Will Light’s quick wits be a match for this new challenge, or will he be forced to choose between Kira’s ambitions and his own family’s lives?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Heart attack
  • Murder (on- & off-page)
  • Gun violence
  • Kidnapping
  • Illegal & unethical surveillance and invasions of privacy by law enforcement

Death Note, Vol. 4: Love by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

With two Kiras on the loose, L asks Light to join the task force and pose as the real Kira in order to catch the copycat. L still suspects Light and figures that this is the perfect excuse to get closer to his quarry. Light agrees to the plan in order to have free access to the task force resources. But when Light manages to contact the new Kira, he discovers that his rival is anything but as expected. Will Light escape from love unscathed?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexual harassment
  • Heart attack
  • Murder & torture, including non-consensual sensory deprivation
  • Illegal & unethical surveillance and invasions of privacy by law enforcement

Death Note, Vol. 3: Hard Run by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Light is chafing under L’s extreme surveillance, but even 64 microphones and cameras hidden in his room aren’t enough to stop Light. He steps up the game, but before the battle of wits can really begin, a family emergency distracts him. But even though Light isn’t using the Death Note right now, someone else is! Who’s the new “Kira” in town?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Heart attack
  • Hospitalisation
  • Murder & mass murder
  • Hostage situation
  • Blackmail
  • Illegal & unethical surveillance and invasions of privacy by law enforcement

Death Note, Vol. 2: Confluence by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Light thinks he’s put an end to his troubles with the FBI—by using the Death Note to kill off the FBI agents working the case in Japan! But one of the agents has a fiancée who used to work in the Bureau, and now she’s uncovered information that could lead to Light’s capture. To make matters worse, L has emerged from the shadows to work directly with the task force headed by Light’s father. With people pursuing him from every direction, will Light get caught in the conflux?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape mentioned
  • Heart attack
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a fiance recounted
  • Murder & attempted murder (on- & off-page)
  • Gun violence recounted
  • Bus-jacking recounted
  • Illegal & unethical surveillance and invasions of privacy by law enforcement

Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects – and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, a death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal… or his life?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexual harassment
  • Heart attack
  • Murder (on- & off-page)
  • Gun violence
  • Car accident (on-page)
  • Hostage situation (on-page)
  • Imprisonment mentioned
  • Bullying

Death Note, Vol. 7: Zero by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

After a high-speed chase, Light and the task force apprehend the newest Kira. Light regains his Death Note and his memories, and the depths of his cunning are revealed as the plans he carefully put in place before going into confinement are slowly unveiled. His masterful manipulation of both humans and Shinigami lead him to the strongest position he’s yet enjoyed. But the glow of his victory is marred when a new threat appears. Can Light withstand a surprise attack on two fronts?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexual harassment
  • Heart attack
  • Murder (on- & off-page)
  • Gun violence
  • Car accident (on-page)
  • Hostage situation (on-page)
  • Imprisonment mentioned
  • Bullying

A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner

This is not your typical love story. 
It’s a story of almosts and could-have-beens. Of friendship that teeters on the edge of something more. Of passion so intoxicating, it burns. Jamie and B are two hearts caught in the tangle of bad timing and unspoken words. Their connection defies labels—too deep for friendship, too tangled for love. Over a decade of moments, choices, and missed opportunities, they find themselves drawn together like a moth to a flame, even when the world—and their own mistakes—keep pulling them apart. Is it obsession? Destiny? Or just self-destruction with… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Infidelity (protagonists)
  • Rape (the protagonist is a product of assault)

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

When twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed forever. It’s August 1999. For twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, life at Fox Run Apartments in Red Knot, Delaware, is as ordinary as ever—except for the looming Y2K crisis and his overwhelming crush on his fifteen-year-old babysitter, Gibby. But when a disoriented teenage boy named Ridge appears out of nowhere, Michael discovers there is more to life than stockpiling supplies and pining over Gibby. It turns out that Ridge is carefree, confident, and cold, things… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Hospitalisation for illness
  • Financial difficulties
  • Bullying