This suspense thriller opens with a middle-aged woman preparing herself for her lover. Minutes later she was shot and killed, apparently by someone she knew well. Elizabeth Knoebel was working on her memoir, sharing intimate details about the numerous encounters she had over the years.

Lieutenant Detective Anthony Walker was on top of a tall building negotiating with a young man to step away from the ledge. Kyle Avery was a local high school kid with obvious mental problems. Therapist Randi Conway arrived to help out and in the process of working together she and Walker became close.

In the meantime, Walker was assigned to the Elizabeth Knoebel case. While trying to find out who wanted her dead, he read her journal in order to find out more about her. He found the intimate, graphic memoir detailed the liaisons Elizabeth had with a number of men, many of whom were married to a member of Randi’s group, as was Elizabeth.

As he read through the journal, Walker decided the killer must have had access to information contained in Randi’s files, and it could have been someone in the group.

The Blue Journal, A Detective Anthony Walker Novel, was written by L. T. Graham, a pen name of a successful New England-based suspense writer. A second Anthony Walker novel is in progress.

The police procedural concentrates on Walkers steady and thorough investigation. Knoebel titled her memoir “Sexual Rites” and the author made frequent use of the writings showing that, possibly, Elizabeth had a good reason for publically humiliating others in the group; they had vilified the woman and she was getting them back.

Whether readers want to or not, the layout and content of the book will draw some to read every page so they don’t miss the details presented by Elizabeth in her journal. At times it’s difficult to look away.

Others may be offended by the lewd, raunchy entries, but they do show the extent of Elizabeth’s depravity and her strong negative feelings towards others.

The solid investigation Walker conducts, and ultimately the reveal of the killer, makes this one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while. The author adeptly provides enough red herrings that readers will enjoy the ride.

If you are interested in picking up The Blue Journal, it is available at Amazon.com.

A special thank you goes to Seventh Street Books for providing us with a complimentary copy of this book.