Tag Archives: Murder & Attempted Murder

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of murder and attempted murder.

See also Genocide and mass murder, and War themes & military violence.

Tattered Stars by Catherine Cowles

Tattered Stars by Catherine Cowles

Be brave. Just for sixty seconds. Twenty breaths. It took every ounce of my courage to return to the small town I fled all those years ago. But I should’ve known he’d hate me. How could he not when my father’s blood still runs through my veins? Yet here I am, desperate for a chance to make things right. Even if it means facing the family my father almost destroyed and the boy with the dark eyes—now grown—who still haunts my dreams. I never expected just how explosive things would turn between us. He’s the last person I should want. Yet, somehow, I keep drawing closer—so close I know I’ll… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse recounted
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a parent
  • Attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • Physical assault
  • Stalking
  • Arson
  • Kidnapping & attempted kidnapping
  • Animal cruelty & injury, on-page (dog)

Shattered Sea by Catherine Cowles

Shattered Sea by Catherine Cowles

I’ve known every kind of pain. Of the heart. Of the body. Of the soul. All I want now is the freedom that comes from making my art. The last thing I expected was Hollywood royalty to waltz into my gallery in a small town in the middle of nowhere and see me. A man like Boden Cavanaugh shouldn’t understand me. Shouldn’t be able to soothe my most ragged edges. Even worse, he makes me want the one thing I can’t have. Him. All it takes is one spark, and friendship catches flame. But as our attraction burns bright, there are forces desperate to send us back into the darkness. And they’ve already killed before…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Murder
  • Chronic pain
  • Car accident
  • Gun violence

Reckless Refuge by Catherine Cowles

Reckless Refuge by Catherine Cowles

There were shadows I was running from. Ones that haunted and taunted. Ones that made it so I had no choice but to disappear. I’d spent years hiding from the world. My little island haven, the only assurance of safety. It all changed the moment he showed up at my door. The hint of pain in his eyes told me that something haunted him, too. And I couldn’t help but be drawn closer. But finding the person I needed most came with risks I never expected. And when our ghosts find us again, neither of us may make it out this time.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Panic attacks
  • Murder of parents recounted
  • Kidnapping
  • Stalking

Reckless Memories by Catherine Cowles

Reckless Memories by Catherine Cowles

I loved him before I knew what the word meant. From skinned knees to first dates and everything in between. But he was never mine to love. I settled for friendship, even though I always wanted more. That was before. Before he ripped my world apart and didn’t bother sticking around to help me pick up the pieces. I knit every last shred back together all on my own. And I’ve all but forgotten his name. Now, he’s back, and everything is torn apart once more. But he’s not the only one doing the tearing this time. And there might be no stopping the person who has it out for us both.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death of a sibling
  • Murder
  • Car accident
  • Stalking

Hidden Waters by Catherine Cowles

Hidden Waters by Catherine Cowles

My family tried to break me. But, somehow, I made it out alive, even though the wounds from that survival are forever carved into my bones. Now, my only wish is for…normal. To know what it’s like to have friends, a job, a home. The last thing I want is for my new roommate to see the scars I’m so desperate to keep hidden, especially not the ruggedly handsome man who steals my breath and sends my heart into overdrive. But something tells me that Beckett has demons, too. I see it in the shadows haunting his gorgeous eyes and the way he looks at me with gentle under… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic abuse
  • Child abuse
  • Sexual assault & groping
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Kidnapping

Beautifully Broken Redemption by Catherine Cowles

Beautifully Broken Redemption by Catherine Cowles

She’s hiding secrets. For Anna, keeping her deepest scars hidden from the world has always been a necessity—from the bruises of her childhood to the mistake that nearly cost her everything. To keep herself safe, she must keep everyone around her at a distance—especially the man who has tempted her since the moment they met. His demons are taunting him. Mason has done his best to bury the past by achieving more than he ever thought possible. But even with all of his success, his life feels empty. When… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Suicide
  • Murder

Beautifully Broken Pieces by Catherine Cowles

Beautifully Broken Pieces by Catherine Cowles

A woman who’s lost everything. Taylor is looking for peace and quiet away from the memories of all she’s lost. A small mountain town where no one knows her seems like the perfect escape. A man battling the ghosts of his past. Walker loves his life just the way it is. His town, his family, his brothers in blue. Everything simple and easy—until a chance encounter changes it all. When Taylor’s solitude is interrupted by the rugged cop, they find that the very thing they were avoiding might be just what they both need. As their iron wills clash and passion flares…a killer lurks. And you never know who might be caught in the crosshairs.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death of a parent, off-page
  • Death of a partner recounted
  • Murder
  • Kidnapping

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Come Closer by Sara Gran

A recurrent, unidentifiable noise in her apartment. A memo to her boss that’s replaced by obscene insults. Amanda—a successful architect in a happy marriage—finds her life going off-kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she’s doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea.. The new voice in Amanda’s head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia & homomisic slurs
  • Rape
  • Incest
  • Child abuse
  • Infidelity
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Body horror
  • Emesis
  • Death of a child
  • Murder
  • Drowning
  • Animal attack

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda. The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Queermisia & internalised queermisia
  • Misogyny
  • Attempted forced arranged marriage
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a friend recounted
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Hanging recounted, off-page

So Right by Rebekah Weatherspoon

So Right by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Kayla Davis never dreamt she’d meet sexy, considerate, and seriously sweet Internet billionaire, Michael Bradbury, but ten months after Michael went from Sugar Daddy to for real boyfriend she can’t imagine spending another day without him. Cohabitation is totally working—throw in a puppy or two and Kayla has her happily ever after wrapped up in a perfect little bow. Until she finds out Michael might have bigger plans for their future, like marriage, kids, and ownership of a professional sports team. Kayla is more than ready to join Michael on this amazing ride through the next chapter of their lives, but first she needs… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Murder mentioned
  • Gun violence mentioned