Animal Cruelty, Abuse & Torture – Page 15

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

n a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Murder
Animal death & abuse

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

Anahera Rawiri left New Zealand at twenty-one, fleeing small-town poverty and the ghosts of her childhood with no plans to look back. But eight years later, she returns, seeking familiarity as respite from the shattered remains of her new life. And despite the changes brought on by a bump in tourism–the shiny new welcome sign at the town line and a decidedly less shiny new police presence–Golden Cove appears much as it ever was: a small settlement on the savage West Coast of the South Island, populated by all the remembered faces and set against a back… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Rape recounted
Child physical & sexual abuse recounted
Domestic violence recounted
Cheating recounted
Pregnancy mentioned
Miscarriage recounted
Murder
Arson
Animal cruelty

The Lucky Ones by Tiffany Reisz

The Lucky Ones by Tiffany Reisz

They called themselves “the lucky ones.” They were seven children either orphaned or abandoned by their parents and chosen by legendary philanthropist and brain surgeon Dr Vincent Capello to live in The Dragon, his almost magical beach house on the Oregon Coast. Allison was the youngest of the lucky ones living an idyllic life with her newfound family…until the night she almost died, and was then whisked away from the house and her adopted family forever. Now, thirteen years later, Allison receives a letter from Roland, Dr Capello’s oldest son, warning her that their father is ill and in his final days. Allison determines she must go… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Attempted rape
Foster care system experiences
Domestic violence
Cheating
Retrograde amnesia
Suicide
Drug use
Miscarriage mentioned
Seizure
Brain tumours mentioned
Medical procedures & treatment
Death of a child
Death of a mother from a car accident
Murder-suicide & attempted murder
Poisoning (lead)
Animal death & abuse

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye

The year is 1921, and “Nobody” Alice James is on a cross-country train, carrying a bullet wound and fleeing for her life following an illicit drug and liquor deal gone horribly wrong. Desperate to get as far away as possible from New York City and those who want her dead, she has her sights set on Oregon: a distant frontier that seems the end of the line. She befriends Max, a black Pullman porter who reminds her achingly of Harlem, who leads Alice to the Paragon Hotel upon arrival in Portland. Her unlikely sanctuary turns out to be the only all-black hotel in the city, and its lodgers seem unduly terrified of a white woman on the… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism, racial slurs & white supremacy
Misgendering
Blood & gore depiction
Murder & gun violence
Lynching
Organised crime
Animal death & cruelty

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf

Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa—discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence, the case ultimately went cold. For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve’s death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues and secrets about what really… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Victim-blaming
Sexual assault
Statutory rape
Abusive relationship
Suicidal ideation
Infertility & pregnancy loss
Murder of a friend recounted
Death of a parent
Animal death & cruelty

The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

The only person who might have the answers to a baffling murder case is the victim’s seven-year-old daughter, found hiding in the room where her mother died. And she’s not talking. Newly-promoted, out of his depth, detective Huldar turns to Freyja for her expertise with traumatized young people. Freyja, who distrusts the police in general and Huldar in particular, isn’t best pleased. But she’s determined to keep little Margret safe. It may prove tricky. The killer is leaving them strange clues, but can they crack the code? And if they do, will they be next?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Cheating mentioned
Incestuous rape
Pregnancy from rape
Miscarriage mentioned
Abortion mentioned
Murder
Animal abuse

Dragon Captives by Lisa McMann

Dragon Captives by Lisa McMann

Identical twins Fifer and Thisbe Stowe have amazing yet uncontrollable magical abilities. They’re naturally more gifted than even their brother, Alex, the head mage of Artimé, could hope to be. But when they accidentally use their magic in the jungle of Artimé to strike down a beloved creature, Alex is furious, and threatens to lock them away until they can learn to control their power. The threat is soon forgotten, though, when Hux, the ice blue dragon, comes to Artimé bearing the horrible news that his siblings have been enslaved by the notoriously evil Revinir, ruler of the dragon land…. Read more,

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child trafficking
Death of a parent mentioned
Immolation
Near-drowning incident
Kidnapping & captivity
Animal abuse, including whipping
Animal death

The Devil’s Ride by KA Merikan

The Devil’s Ride by K.A. Merikan

Tooth. Vice President of the Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club. On a neverending quest for vengeance. The last thing he needs is becoming a permanent babysitter for a male hooker. Lucifer. Fallen. Lost. Alone After a childhood filled with neglect and abuse, followed by his mother’s suicide, Lucifer set out into the world alone. There was nothing for him out there other than taking it one day at a time. As the bastard son of the Coffin Nails club president, Lucifer never got much fatherly love. So when the Nails show up at the strip joint Lucifer works in, the last thing he expects is to be put in… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia
Transmisia
Coming out
Sex work
Sexual assault of a child by a teacher
Child abuse & neglect recounted
Organ harvesting
Death of a mother from suicide recounted
Murder of a partner recounted
Torture
Organised crime (motorcycle gang)
Blackmail
Attempted murder of a kitten mentioned

Unforgotten by Garrett Leigh

Unforgotten by Garrett Leigh

Billy Daley hasn’t been home in years, and he likes it that way. He’s just fine on his own—he has a cash-in-hand job at a scrapyard, a half-feral cat to keep him company, and many miles between him, his hometown and all the baggage that comes with it. Until the job goes sideways. Suddenly he’s back in Rushmere, working for none other than his brother’s best friend—a man whose kiss Billy can’t seem to forget. Gus Amour’s memories of Billy Daley are all spiky edges, lips crushed against lips and a reckless streak that always ended in trouble. But when Billy needs a place to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Drug use mentioned
Chronic illness
Death of a parent from illness mentioned
Animal abuse & neglect

Object of Desire by Dal Maclean

Object of Desire by Dal Maclean

Tom Gray is one of the world’s top models–an effortless object of desire. Self-contained, elusive and always in control, he’s accustomed to living life entirely on his own terms. But when Tom comes under suspicion in the gory death of his employer, his world spirals into chaos. But when Tom comes under suspicion in the gory death of his employer, his world spirals into chaos. And as old secrets come to light, Tom finds his adversary always one step ahead.. And as old secrets come to light, Tom finds his adversary always one step ahead… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Animal mutilation (cat)