Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act—suicide.

Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade. Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills. And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other’s help, they can find their way to a better life—but only if they’re strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism
  • Queermisia
  • Sexual, emotional & physical abuse
  • Teacher-student relationship mentioned
  • Depression
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Substance addiction
  • Suicide & attempted suicide (theme)
  • Self-harm
  • Abortion mentioned
  • Psychiatric hospitalisation
  • Murder
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The Witch Elm by Tana French

The Witch Elm by Tana French

Also known as The Wych Elm.

Mick “Scorcherˮ Kennedy is the star of the Dublin Murder Squad. He plays by the books and plays hard, and thatʼs how the biggest case of the year ends up in his hands.On one of the half-abandoned “luxuryˮ developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks itʼs going to be an easy solve, but too many small things canʼt be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spainsʼ walls, the files erased from the familyʼs computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Sexual assault
  • Sexual harassment
  • Memory loss
  • Blood depiction
  • Cancer
  • Death of a friend recounted
  • Murder
  • Home invasion
  • Bullying

Broken Harbor by Tana French

Broken Harbor by Tana French

Mick “Scorcherˮ Kennedy is the star of the Dublin Murder Squad. He plays by the books and plays hard, and thatʼs how the biggest case of the year ends up in his hands.

On one of the half-abandoned “luxuryˮ developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks itʼs going to be an easy solve, but too many small things canʼt be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spainsʼ walls, the files erased from the familyʼs computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the houseʼs locks. And this neighborhood—once called Broken Harbor—holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister, Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Suicide
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Hospitalisation
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a parent
  • Murder
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Faithful Place by Tana French

Faithful Place by Tana French

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was a nineteen-year-old kid with a dream of escaping his familyʼs cramped flat on Faithful Place and running away to London with his girl, Rosie Daly. But on the night they were supposed to leave, Rosie didnʼt show. Frank took it for granted that sheʼd dumped him—probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosieʼs suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank, now a detective in the Dublin Undercover Squad, is going home whether he likes it or not.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Alcohol abuse
  • Murder
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The Likeness by Tana French

The Likeness by Tana French

Still traumatised by her brush with a psychopath, Detective Cassie Maddox transfers out of the Murder squad and starts a relationship with fellow detective Sam O’Neill. When he calls her to the scene of his new case, she is shocked to find that the murdered girl is her double. What’s more, her ID shows she is Lexie Madison – the identity Cassie used, years ago, as an undercover detective. With no leads, no suspects and no clues to Lexie’s real identity, Cassie’s old boss spots the opportunity of a lifetime: send Cassie undercover in her place, to tempt the killer out of hiding to finish the job.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Rape
  • Child abuse
  • Abortion mentioned
  • Death of a child
  • Murder
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The Summer Children by Dot Hutchinson

The Summer Children by Dot Hutchinson

When Agent Mercedes Ramirez finds an abused young boy on her porch, covered in blood and clutching a teddy bear, she has no idea that this is just the beginning. He tells her a chilling tale: an angel killed his parents and then brought him here so Mercedes could keep him safe.

His parents weren’t just murdered. It was a slaughter—a rage kill like no one on the Crimes Against Children team had seen before. But they’re going to see it again. An avenging angel is meting out savage justice, and she’s far from through… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Homomisia
  • Paedophilia
  • Rape
  • Sexual assault
  • Domestic abuse
  • Recreational drug use
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Murder
  • Kidnapping
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The Roses of May by Dot Hutchinson

The Roses of May by Dot Hutchinson

Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.

In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.

When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Paedophilia
  • Incest
  • Rape & sexual assault
  • Eating disorder
  • Suicide
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Emesis
  • Murder
  • Stalking
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The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson

Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.

In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.

When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Paedophilia
  • Rape
  • Child abuse & neglect
  • Murder
  • Fire
  • Kidnapping & captivity
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The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography–and fate–introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War–as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Miscarriage mentioned
  • Death of an infant
  • Death of a parent recounted
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Torture recounted
  • Imprisonment
  • Blackmail
  • Disappearance of a child
  • Animal cruelty
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Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel sex worker, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Domestic violence & abuse
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Knife violence
  • Poisoning
  • Kidnapping
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