The Zero Night

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Have you read THE ZERO NIGHT yet?

This is the 11th novel in my Jonathan Stride series — and yet, as many readers and reviewers have pointed out, you can dive right into this book even if you’re new to the series. You’ll get a full, rich look at the characters, and then I think you’ll want to go back and discover some of their earlier stories.

I’ve also been thrilled by how many readers have written to tell me this is the best Stride novel yet. That means a lot after almost 20 years in this business!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from readers and reviewers:

“This was one of the best books I have ever read. From the first sentence on, it was gripping, fascinating, embracing, with a climatic ending.”

“THE ZERO NIGHT, the 11th installment in Brian Freeman’s first-class Jonathan Stride series, introduces us to a keen mystery before flowering into an outstanding character-driven piece about Stride and his wife, Serena….Freeman produces some of his most poignant work to date”

“Races like a speeding bullet.”

“This book blew me away and I did not want it to end….by far the best book in this terrific series.”

“Perfectly balances plot twists and character development.”

I hope you’ll get your copy of THE ZERO NIGHT today!

Countdown to Stride

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It’s been a busy year for book releases.

We started with THE URSULINA — my follow-up novel to THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW — in February. This summer we’ve had two more launches, my third Jason Bourne novel THE BOURNE SACRIFICE and my “Michael Crichtonesque” stand-alone thriller I REMEMBER YOU.

But we’re not done! It’s been two years since you last met Jonathan Stride in FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND. Now we’re counting down toward November 1 and the release of my latest Stride novel, THE ZERO NIGHT.

“Freeman makes the inner lives of the Strides accessible even for newcomers, and perfectly balances plot twists and character development,” says Publishers Weekly. “Those who like their crime thrillers infused with humanity will be rewarded.”

Be sure to pre-order your copy at your local bookseller or online!

The background is black and orange, with a suggestion of flames. A lowball tumbler glass is the dominant image of the picture, with a woman's eye staring through the liquid of the glass. The text THE ZERO NIGHT is in yellow, with the author name BRIAN FREEMAN in white above.

Let’s Review

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It’s been a few weeks now since the release of FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND…so this is the time when I like to remind people that authors love it when you post online reviews!
You can do so on Amazon, Goodreads, BN, wherever you go to share information about books. Reviews don’t have to be long — just a sentence works fine! But it really does help, both to trigger the automatic marketing that online retailers do, and to build enthusiasm among other readers.
So if you enjoyed FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND (or THE BOURNE EVOLUTION…or THIEF RIVER FALLS…or THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW), I’d be honored and grateful if you’d share the word online!
THANKS!

Dive In

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FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND marks the tenth Jonathan Stride novel, going all the way back to IMMORAL in 2005. Which naturally begs the question: Do you need to start at the beginning?

In fact, I deliberately write my series books as standalones, so that you can begin anywhere and get a full, rich experience of the characters. I tell readers: You wouldn’t expect to limit yourself to friends you met in your teens or twenties. You’ll meet people throughout your life, and if you enjoy them as people, you’ll want to find out more about the stories that made them who they are. That’s the way a good series should work, too. Once you meet Jonathan Stride in FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND, I hope you’ll want to go back and read some of his earlier stories, too.

Critics agree! Here’s what North Carolina’s Mountain Times says:  “Ten books into Brian Freeman’s Jonathan Stride series, “Funeral for a friend” traverses a literary tightrope that few authors can manage: the novel works equally well as a standalone for a first-time reader, or as part of the fuller Stride canon for his longtime fans….Freeman’s characters here are as developed as his plot, and even if this is your first foray into the Stride universe you’ll come to know Serena, Stride, Cat, Maggie and others as family.”

They also praise the book’s “masterful diversions, deceptions and angular plotting.”

So even if you’re new to Stride, dive in.

Stride is Back

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It’s here! My new novel FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND is available now in e-book, hardcover, and audio. I hope you’ll get your copy and dig in.

Fans of my books know that I like to write thrillers that deliver an emotional punch. And that’s what you’ll get in FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND. I don’t write about super-heroes or super-villains. I want my characters to be real people with stories you care about – even as you’re gasping for breath and turning the pages to find out what happens next.

This is my tenth novel in the Jonathan Stride series, and many early readers have told me that FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND is their favorite book yet. It’s a book that showcases Stride’s passionate loyalty as a hero, but it also leaves you wondering: How far would a truly decent man go to protect someone he loves?

Are you new to the series? Don’t worry, I write each book so that the characters and plots stand on their own, so you can dive right in. Of course, once you get to know Stride, I hope you’ll want to go back and discover his earlier adventures, too.

Click to find the book on Amazon, BN, Audible, or Bookshop.

Countdown to Stride

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There’s a great article by Chuck Frederick in today’s Duluth News-Tribune about all things Stride and Bourne. Click here to read the article.

We’re in September, so the countdown to the new book has started. The latest Jonathan Stride novel, FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND, releases on September 22. You can pre-order your copy at Amazon, BN, or other retailers.

Want a SIGNED copy? I’ve got two ticketed virtual events coming up later in the month, and buying a ticket gets you a signed copy shipped by the bookstore. Just click one of the links below to buy your ticket:

Bookstore at Fitger’s (September 22, 6:00 pm CT)

Mysterious Galaxy (September 29, 9:00 pm CT)

 

Cross-Over

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And so we come to the most recent Jonathan Stride novel, ALTER EGO…at least until September 22, when the new Stride book FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND is finally released.

I’ll tell you a secret. I originally envisioned ALTER EGO as a Cab Bolton novel. Given Cab’s Hollywood mother, it made sense to have him as the hero in a book that focused on the sleazy secrets of a famous actor. However, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of giving this plot to Stride…so that Stride could deal with an “alter ego” who is filming a movie in Duluth based on one of his cases.

But I couldn’t give up Cab entirely, could I? So ALTER EGO became my first cross-over novel, where Stride and Cab BOTH appear as main characters.

People have asked me whether ALTER EGO was inspired by the exposure of Harvey Weinstein and the eruption of #metoo protests in Hollywood. Actually, I turned in the novel a couple of weeks BEFORE the Weinstein scandal broke in the press. That prompted my editor to ask, “Hey, did you know something??”

So be sure to catch up on all of the Stride books…from IMMORAL through ALTER EGO…because you’ll want to be ready for Stride’s big return in September.

Click to find ALTER EGO at Amazon.