Author: Brian Freeman
Published: September 22nd 2020 by Blackstone Publishing
Format: Hardcover, 300 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Series: Jonathan Stride #10
The first two-thirds of this book was slow and plodding. No highs or lows, just a straight line with a couple of references that you were not sure were clues or relevant information. About halfway through, I was ready to give up, but Brian Freeman had never (well, maybe Cab Bolton) disappointed me, so continue I did. At the three-quarter mark, this is where the book went from drab to fantastic. The pace picked up, the characters came together, and the usual Freeman suspense was back.
With best friend Steve Garske on his death bed, there is a confession of a buried body in the garden. Ned Bauer disappeared seven years ago after coming to town to investigate a thirty-year-old rape - an allegation that can be the end of a local Politician. But Stride being Stride, can’t let things lie, even if it means his career will be over and his ex-wife’s secrets will become public.
Now add in the next adventure of Cat Mateo, the teenager that Stride and Serena took in. Her life has become too public after an assault, but that is not going to hold her down. Unfortunately, all that unwanted attention has brought a stalker into her life. When things begin to get downright scary, Stride asks around the department if anyone wants extra work as a bodyguard. Braydon is the first to volunteer, and this is how the two storylines mesh and though a bit farfetched and too convenient, Brian Freeman takes the reader on a thrilling ride to the end.
I was concerned this was the end of Jonathan Stride since Brian Freeman mentioned previous cases and prior heartaches, but I hope there is more. The combination of Stride, Serena, Maggie, and Cat bring this series life. All four parts need to be there, as broken and damaged as they are, to make each other whole.
With best friend Steve Garske on his death bed, there is a confession of a buried body in the garden. Ned Bauer disappeared seven years ago after coming to town to investigate a thirty-year-old rape - an allegation that can be the end of a local Politician. But Stride being Stride, can’t let things lie, even if it means his career will be over and his ex-wife’s secrets will become public.
Now add in the next adventure of Cat Mateo, the teenager that Stride and Serena took in. Her life has become too public after an assault, but that is not going to hold her down. Unfortunately, all that unwanted attention has brought a stalker into her life. When things begin to get downright scary, Stride asks around the department if anyone wants extra work as a bodyguard. Braydon is the first to volunteer, and this is how the two storylines mesh and though a bit farfetched and too convenient, Brian Freeman takes the reader on a thrilling ride to the end.
I was concerned this was the end of Jonathan Stride since Brian Freeman mentioned previous cases and prior heartaches, but I hope there is more. The combination of Stride, Serena, Maggie, and Cat bring this series life. All four parts need to be there, as broken and damaged as they are, to make each other whole.
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