Novelist Graydon Jennings has just released "Thrill of the Kill", the third in his successful series of books told from the viewpoint of the central character, serial killer Charlie Colton. It is because of this book that he gets involved in the investigation of a real life murder when a new fan, Manchester, New Hampshire based bartender Kelly Holden, asks him, while he is on a book signing tour through New England, to help her with what is now the one year cold case of the murder of her sister, wild party girl Alison Holden, as the murder perpetrated in the book has striking similarities to what happened to Alison. Kelly believes that Graydon would have special insight into the mindset of Alison's killer, as it is murders which he researches for his stories, he using an actual case file as the basis for this book. Who was the primary suspect in the case, a man named Hank, still hangs around the bar where Kelly works, he who saw himself as Alison's boyfriend, although he was probably only one of many romantic partners. In helping Kelly, Graydon has two key items for possible clues, namely the police case file and Alison's diary. From these, Graydon and Kelly believe they have uncovered another potential suspect, one with a high profile that would prefer to remain unknown as a tie to Alison. As Graydon and Kelly get closer to finding out the truth, their lives look to be in danger, the killer who may see his/her identity being discovered, and who would not hesitate to kill again.