Organised Crime – Page 8 – Trigger Warning Database

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest. Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Parent with alcoholism
Drug use mentioned (smoking)
Death from cancer mentioned
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a parent
Intimate partner murder by gunshot (on-page)
Physical assault recounted (fistfight resulting in bloodied lip)
Death from gang violence mentioned
Homelessness

Pony by R. J. Palacio

Pony by R. J. Palacio

Twelve-year-old Silas is awoken in the dead of night by three menacing horsemen who take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared, and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost. When a pony shows up at his door, Silas makes the courageous decision to leave his home and embark on a perilous journey to find his father. Along the way, he will face his fears to unlock the secrets of his past and explore the unfathomable mysteries of the world around him.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Toxic masculinity
Physical injury
Disappearance of father
Murder
Electrocution by lightning strike recounted
Drowning mentioned
Death of father
Death of mother
Death of child
Gun violence
Organised crime
Animal injury, specifically horse

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

Magic rules the city of Creije Capital and Tavia Syn knows just how many tricks she needs up her sleeve to survive. Selling dark magic on the streets for her kingpin, she keeps clear of other crooks, counting the days until her debt is paid and she can flee her criminal life.

But then, one day, with her freedom in sight, Tavia uncovers a sinister plot that threatens to destroy the realm she calls home. Desperate to put an end to her kingpin’s plan, Tavia forms an unlikely alliance with three crooks even more deadly than her: Wesley, the kingpin’s prodigy and most renewed criminal in the realm… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Indentured servitutde
Sexual assault (nonconsensual kiss)
Child abuse
Estrangement
Hallucinations
Alcohol consumption
Drugging
Blood depiction
Physical injuries
Dead bodies
Plague mentioned
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother & father recounted
Death of a brother recounted
Murder & attempted murder
Gun & knife violence
Gang violence
Strangulation
Physical assault, on-page (fight ring)
Kidnapping & captivity
Imprisonment
Disappearance of a loved one
Loss of autonomy
War themes & battle scenes recounted
Poverty discussed
Homelessness recounted

Thief by A Zavarelli

Thief by A. Zavarelli

I live by a code that can’t be bent or broken. It is my duty to my family to stay innocent and pure. To marry an Italian man. The stars are already aligned. But Nikolai Kozlov re-writes my destiny with five simple words: You belong to me now. He’s Russian mafiya. A thief. A skilled liar with no moral boundaries. He is everything I have been taught to hate. A man who stands for nothing. A man who takes what he wants without a second thought. And what he wanted was me. He thinks he controls my fate, but what he doesn’t know is, sometimes it’s the good girls you have… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Human trafficking mentioned
Child abuse recounted
Dubious consent scenarios
Organised crime (mafia)
Kidnapping & captivity

Crow by A Zavarelli

Crow by A. Zavarelli

I had a plan. Get in, get my information, and get out. Easy, right? Turns out, infiltrating the Irish mafia isn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I just wanted a soldier. Someone I could flirt with to get me in the door.

That’s when Lachlan Crow noticed me. Problem was, he wasn’t a soldier. No, he was next in line for the throne of the Irish underworld. And he was determined to hate me from the outset. My sob story about needing a job? Yeah, he wasn’t buying that either. Too bad for him, I won’t let anyone get in the way of my mission.

Who cares if we have some kind of crazy chemistry? He’s the worst kind of wrong- and I would never in a million years be with a guy like him. Because they took her from me, and I’m going to make them pay.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Human trafficking
Rape & attempted rape, on-page
Sex work
Cheating recounted
Death of a parent from cancer recounted
Murder
Gun violence
Blackmail
Organised crime

This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Amiel Williams

This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Amiel Williams

When private school student Isabelle Warren first meets Dominican-American Alex Rosario on the downtown 1 train, she remembers his green eyes and his gentlemanly behavior. He remembers her untroubled happiness, something he feels all rich kids must possess. That, and her long dancer legs. Over the course of multiple subway encounters spanning the next three years, Isabelle learns of Alex’s struggle with his father, who is hell-bent on Alex being a contender for the major leagues, despite Alex’s desire to go to college and become a poet. Alex learns about Isabelle’s unstable mother, a woman with a prejudice against Latino men. But fate—and the 1 train—throw them together when Isabelle needs Alex most.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism & racial profiling
Suicidal ideation
Attempted suicide off-page
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Overdose
Police brutality
Gang violence