The Blue Journal - L.T. Graham

                The Blue Journal is an erotic mystery that centers around the murder of Elizabeth Knoebel, a member of high society who is unhappily married to a respected surgeon and has a few lovers, both male and female, on the side. She isn’t the most pleasant woman and uses group therapy to humiliate other affluent wives, some of whom have husbands she is sleeping with. To add to her nastiness she is keeping an explicit journal about her sexual exploits. The question Detective Anthony Walker is trying to answer is who of all Elizabeth’s numerous enemies hated her enough to commit murder. The author, L.T. Graham, fleshes out each character in a way which makes them seem realistic, exploring everyone’s lives and their secrets yet never giving away who the killer is until the end of the book. The main character, Detective Walker, is likeable as well as believable. The erotic parts of the book, Elizabeth’s journal, are explicit yet tastefully written. The story kept my interest, wasn’t confusing even though there are many characters, and gave a satisfying ending. I read The Blue Journal on my ereader and the editing and formatting worked well. The cover, in my opinion, was enticing for the subject matter and had a tasteful yet sexy look. I enjoyed the format of the book with the journal represented in a different font in the book. This was an entertaining read.

Skeletal - Katherine Hayton

                Skeletal is an entertaining and interesting novel set in Christchurch. Daina is a young teenager who has died tragically and upon the discovery of her skeletal remains, a coroner’s inquest into her death is held. The book follows that inquest as well as telling Daina’s story about the weeks before her death, including bullying, dealing with an alcoholic parent and a horrible death. The really interesting part about the book is that it is told from the viewpoint of Daina as she speaks from the grave and watches the inquest unfold. The bullying is written with realism and it is hard to read. The mental, physical and emotional abuse Daina experiences is harrowing. Not only does it make for a thrilling story but also a sad one. This is not just a story about bullying though. The author intertwines another twist that I won’t mention because it is just too good to give away but it will keep the reader guessing the whole way through. It’s always a delight to discover an author with so much talent and I can’t wait to read more from her.