Part of Alex Delaware, book 16
First published 2002
Psychologist Alex Delaware opens his mail to find an unmarked package containing a gruesome photo album called The Murder Book. The collection of crime scene images means nothing to him, but when he shows it to his friend Milo Sturgis, a homicide detective, one photograph stops Milo cold. The picture shows a tortured young woman found near a freeway ramp twenty years ago. This was Milo's first case as a rookie cop, a brutal killing he never solved because the department shut down his investigation just as he and his partner made progress. Someone has deliberately sent this album to dredge up the past. As Alex and Milo dig into what really happened two decades earlier, they discover they are being watched and their lives threatened. Their investigation leads them through the power centers of Los Angeles, uncovering layers of corruption and secrets. The murder of one forgotten victim connects to a web of consequences that reach far beyond her death.
Genres: mystery, crime, detective, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, corruption, investigation
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 20 Years Ago
614 pages · Paperback · Headline Book Publishing