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Spilled Blood
by
Brian Freeman (Goodreads Author)
A taut thriller about two rural Minnesota towns locked in a deadly feud--and a teenage girl caught in the crossfire.Linked by the Spirit River, the two towns couldn't be more different: in affluent Barron, a powerful and secretive scientific research corporation enriches its residents, while downriver in blue-collar St. Croix, victims of that company's carcinogenic waste s...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
May 1st 2012
by SilverOak
(first published January 1st 2012)
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It is every parent’s worst nightmare—A son or daughter accused of murder.
In Spilled Blood, award-winning author Brian Freeman skillfully weaves several plot lines around this disturbing premise, and in the process, creates a heart-pounding psychological thriller.
When lawyer Chris Hawk arrives in the small Minnesota town of St. Croix, he is ready to defend his teenage daughter, Olivia, who has been accused of murdering Ashylnn, the beautiful daughter of wealthy Florian Steele. While he believes i...more
In Spilled Blood, award-winning author Brian Freeman skillfully weaves several plot lines around this disturbing premise, and in the process, creates a heart-pounding psychological thriller.
When lawyer Chris Hawk arrives in the small Minnesota town of St. Croix, he is ready to defend his teenage daughter, Olivia, who has been accused of murdering Ashylnn, the beautiful daughter of wealthy Florian Steele. While he believes i...more
My first Brian Freeman book and no expectations. Despite his prolific career, I'd never heard of him but the opportunity to pick up a signed edition at ALA last year has changed all that.
Two towns, Barron and St Croix, are divided by much more than money and status. One is the site of a highly secretive genetic engineering firm, Mondamin, that employs most of the people in the area and provides a comfortable existence for the inhabitants of Barron; the other is the location of a cancer cluster...more
Two towns, Barron and St Croix, are divided by much more than money and status. One is the site of a highly secretive genetic engineering firm, Mondamin, that employs most of the people in the area and provides a comfortable existence for the inhabitants of Barron; the other is the location of a cancer cluster...more
There's a reason why Brian Freeman is at the tippy top of my favorite author's list. That reason is because his books are fantastic. Plain and simple. It all started as soon as I turned the last page of Immoral and continues to this day as I'm just minutes removed from reading the very last word of Spilled Blood. It's yet another example of why I'm happy to call myself a fan of Freeman's intelligent, intense, and very well written work.
The premise itself grabbed me from the beginning. Even from...more
The premise itself grabbed me from the beginning. Even from...more
Brian Freeman writes the type of book that you cannot predict. You start out thinking that the evil person is obvious, but as each layer is revealed, you realize that you were wrong. Then being a lover of mysteries and suspense, you point yourself in a different direction and once again, Mr. Freeman exposes the error in your attempt at logic. There are no red herrings, you are left to your own suppositions and skillfully you are shown the blunders of your ways.
“Wise men can be the most foolish...more
Spilled Blood: Brian Freeman
Two small towns divided by hate so horrific that it spilled over from the adults to the children. One young girl would pay the ultimate price for it as Ashlynn Steele met her fate at the hand of someone playing a deadly game of Russian Roulette. A town decimated, destroyed and ghostlike with no one living there no one alive, a town filled with ghosts one young girl named Ashlynn driving through would learn the true meaning of fear. Stopping her car, tired and daydrea...more
Two small towns divided by hate so horrific that it spilled over from the adults to the children. One young girl would pay the ultimate price for it as Ashlynn Steele met her fate at the hand of someone playing a deadly game of Russian Roulette. A town decimated, destroyed and ghostlike with no one living there no one alive, a town filled with ghosts one young girl named Ashlynn driving through would learn the true meaning of fear. Stopping her car, tired and daydrea...more
May 10, 2012
Kathleen Hagen
added it
Spilled Blood, by Brian Freeman, A-minus, narrated by Joe Barrett, Produced by Blackstone Audio, Downloaded from audible.com.
Another novel from Brian Freeman, a stand-alone, this time about southern Minnesota. Freeman is particularly good at describing scenery. Two towns on the Spirit River: one a prosperous town with a plant that manufactures pesticides and genetically modified grain. Down the river a second town, where working class people live, many without jobs, and some dying inexplicably o...more
Another novel from Brian Freeman, a stand-alone, this time about southern Minnesota. Freeman is particularly good at describing scenery. Two towns on the Spirit River: one a prosperous town with a plant that manufactures pesticides and genetically modified grain. Down the river a second town, where working class people live, many without jobs, and some dying inexplicably o...more
“Spilled Blood” by Brian Freeman, published by SilverOak.
Category – Mystery/Thriller
“Spilled Blood” is a mystery/thriller of the highest order. Brian Freeman grabbed me with his first novel “Immoral”, a novel I still talk about and tell everyone I picked two possible murder suspects and was wrong on both of them. In “Spilled Blood” he does it again.
In a small Minnesota town there are young people dying of cancer. The source of this cancer may be tied to the research corporation, Mondamin. Althou...more
Category – Mystery/Thriller
“Spilled Blood” is a mystery/thriller of the highest order. Brian Freeman grabbed me with his first novel “Immoral”, a novel I still talk about and tell everyone I picked two possible murder suspects and was wrong on both of them. In “Spilled Blood” he does it again.
In a small Minnesota town there are young people dying of cancer. The source of this cancer may be tied to the research corporation, Mondamin. Althou...more
Requested from Edelweiss
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 3.50
First Thought when finished: What a great way to wrap up this fantastic thriller!
What I Loved: Brian Freeman weaved a thriller full of twists and turns that made me question almost everyone involved. I really didn't figure this one out till about 3/4 of the way through and then I loved watching the characters figure it out for themselves. So much about this story was compelling and moving. The fact that a death o...more
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 3.50
First Thought when finished: What a great way to wrap up this fantastic thriller!
What I Loved: Brian Freeman weaved a thriller full of twists and turns that made me question almost everyone involved. I really didn't figure this one out till about 3/4 of the way through and then I loved watching the characters figure it out for themselves. So much about this story was compelling and moving. The fact that a death o...more
I won an ARC of this book from First Reads.
This is the first Brian Freeman book I've ever read. Now that I'm done with it I feel like I've been missing out on a fantastic author! This book was so well written! It had colorful but realistic & well developed characters. The suspense was top notch. The conclusion was fast paced & 1 that I did not see coming in the least. So many books like this turn out to be too predictable. Thankfully this one was not!
Spilled Blood tells the story of Oliv...more
This is the first Brian Freeman book I've ever read. Now that I'm done with it I feel like I've been missing out on a fantastic author! This book was so well written! It had colorful but realistic & well developed characters. The suspense was top notch. The conclusion was fast paced & 1 that I did not see coming in the least. So many books like this turn out to be too predictable. Thankfully this one was not!
Spilled Blood tells the story of Oliv...more
I won Spilled Blood from the member librarything giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
Spilled Blood is a heart pounding psychological thriller by Brian Freeman. The protagonist is Chris, a lawyer but first and foremost a father. He comes to a small town named St. Croix when his daughter Olivia is charged with murder. He believes her to be innocent, but soon he realizes there are many dark underpinnings between this small town and the next, with violence and bloodshed about to tear both tow...more
Spilled Blood is a heart pounding psychological thriller by Brian Freeman. The protagonist is Chris, a lawyer but first and foremost a father. He comes to a small town named St. Croix when his daughter Olivia is charged with murder. He believes her to be innocent, but soon he realizes there are many dark underpinnings between this small town and the next, with violence and bloodshed about to tear both tow...more
I enjoyed listening to the soundrecording (Playaway) of this book by Brian Freeman. This is my first time reading a book by this particular author. The author Brian Freeman I felt wrote a really good murder mystery based in a small farming town in Minneapolis called St. Croix. I actually figured out who Aquaris was, but didn't see any of the other clues that lead to the killer of the teenage girl Ashlynn.
In the beginning of the story it was quite obvious that Olivia was the killer based on the c...more
In the beginning of the story it was quite obvious that Olivia was the killer based on the c...more
Two Mn. towns linked by the Spirit River and they could'nt be more
different. Barron has a powerful and secretive research corporation
that enriches its residents. The residents of St Croix which is
downriver and falls victim to the carcinogenic waste from this Corporation.
The bad blood escalates into open warfare. Ashlynn daughter of the waste
corporations preident is found dead and Olivia Hawk of St Croix is
blamed for the death. Olivia's mother summons her estranged husband
who is a lawyer to co...more
different. Barron has a powerful and secretive research corporation
that enriches its residents. The residents of St Croix which is
downriver and falls victim to the carcinogenic waste from this Corporation.
The bad blood escalates into open warfare. Ashlynn daughter of the waste
corporations preident is found dead and Olivia Hawk of St Croix is
blamed for the death. Olivia's mother summons her estranged husband
who is a lawyer to co...more
I haven't received my copy yet, just received notice I had won. 01/27/12
Recieved my copy today, hope to get to it soon. I have 9 more in front plus my current read. 1/31/12
Started today 2/26/12
Finished 2/28/12
Two small towns in rural Minnesota have a blood fued. One of the town has lost some children to cancer, and they blame the scientific research firm in the other town. That town is defending the firm, because it is what has helped them strive during the economic downturn. The daughter of the...more
Recieved my copy today, hope to get to it soon. I have 9 more in front plus my current read. 1/31/12
Started today 2/26/12
Finished 2/28/12
Two small towns in rural Minnesota have a blood fued. One of the town has lost some children to cancer, and they blame the scientific research firm in the other town. That town is defending the firm, because it is what has helped them strive during the economic downturn. The daughter of the...more
I started reading this book two days ago and just finished it this morning. I have always admired Brian Freeman's books since I read "Immoral" and the others in the Jonathan Stride series. This stand alone is perhaps the best book Mr. Freeman has written in my opinion. It has everything in it that readers of thrillers and suspense novels love, and it also has a lot of humanity and moral questions which really enriched my own reading experience. I think Mr. Freeman did a fantastic job exploring t...more
It's not my favorite Brian Freeman book, but it's a good, solid, enjoyable story, full of action and misdirection to keep you second guessing yourself. It took a little longer than usual to get hooked into the story, but once that happened it was hard to put down. I found one thing very distracting. Throughout the book, apostrophes rather than quotation marks are used in all the dialogue. If the author were British, that would be fine, but it bothered me to see it here.
Bottom line: very good bo...more
Bottom line: very good bo...more
I believe that I have read all his books and this is one of the best. There was a bit
too much teen angst but besides that it was a great book. I enjoyed it much more that the
previous mysteries that have I read lately. One reason is that these characters were people that
I really cared about. I was rooting for them to come out of their problems without
going under. It is a stand-alone book so a reader would not have to go back to his first
book to catch up. The ending is dynamic!
I hope these charac...more
too much teen angst but besides that it was a great book. I enjoyed it much more that the
previous mysteries that have I read lately. One reason is that these characters were people that
I really cared about. I was rooting for them to come out of their problems without
going under. It is a stand-alone book so a reader would not have to go back to his first
book to catch up. The ending is dynamic!
I hope these charac...more
I really like Brian Freeman's work. This doesn't have Serena Dial in it, but you can't have everything. This is the story of Christopher Hawk, a lawyer who likes the big city (Minneapolis), but who's drawn to rural Minnesota when his daughter is accused of killing the daughter of a CEO of an agribusiness company. Laid against a backdrop of just about every vice that entangles humanity, even in good people.
It was worth reading, and I'm looking forward to the next Stride/Serena story. Never read...more
It was worth reading, and I'm looking forward to the next Stride/Serena story. Never read...more
In picking up this book, I read the reviews written for Freeman and his work. There were some great reviews. So I said, okay, let’s see what Freeman has to offer. I am so glad I read this book because Freeman can weave words that you will be thinking about long after you shut the book.
Two towns in conflict end in utter chaos, all because of a scientific corporation in their midst. Barron sings the praises of this company while St. Croix condemns them. Adults and kids alike rival one another. But...more
Two towns in conflict end in utter chaos, all because of a scientific corporation in their midst. Barron sings the praises of this company while St. Croix condemns them. Adults and kids alike rival one another. But...more
Read the full review @: http://bit.ly/P5C4WM
Brian Freeman is one of those authors who, in this writer's humble opinion, should be a lot more known than he is! Like household name author known! I absolutely love his abilities to write with twists and turns that make a reader feel like they are driving on a mountainous road. Spilled Blood was a perfect example of this ability. This is an author who keeps his novels and story lines are fresh, inviting and CREEPY in a psychological sense.
This book...more
Brian Freeman is one of those authors who, in this writer's humble opinion, should be a lot more known than he is! Like household name author known! I absolutely love his abilities to write with twists and turns that make a reader feel like they are driving on a mountainous road. Spilled Blood was a perfect example of this ability. This is an author who keeps his novels and story lines are fresh, inviting and CREEPY in a psychological sense.
This book...more
What I liked about the book: fast read, good plot, kept me guessing until the end.
What I didn't like about the book: typical book about an absent parent who believes every thing their little precious angel tells them. I didn't like Olivia, she came off as an angry spoiled brat. I didn't like the feud between the two towns, it felt dated, like something that took place 40 years ago and not in modern day. And I didn't like the "love story" twist at the end with Olivia and Johan.
What I didn't like about the book: typical book about an absent parent who believes every thing their little precious angel tells them. I didn't like Olivia, she came off as an angry spoiled brat. I didn't like the feud between the two towns, it felt dated, like something that took place 40 years ago and not in modern day. And I didn't like the "love story" twist at the end with Olivia and Johan.
My general reaction is that this was a good book. Being from Minnesota, though, I couldn't reconcile his choice of town names. They were too well known and to regional for the part of the state he had them located. Why would a town called St Crox be ant where but by the St Croix? And Barron is essentially a part of the TC Metro sprawl, at least as an outlier, even though it is in Wisconsin. I was also annoyed by the whole "god meant for this to happen" attitude of many of the characters, but the...more
My quotes were as they should be. So odd that another reviewers weren't!
Like her, this wasn't my favorite Freeman book. I'm weary of the plot of the big, nasty, drug/research company poisoning the land/people. That said, Freeman still wove a great tale here, weaving together a plot and subplots with his usual expertise and entertaining style.
The book does catch you up in its many tunnels of interest, and keeps you reading until the end.
Recommended suspense reading for sure.
Like her, this wasn't my favorite Freeman book. I'm weary of the plot of the big, nasty, drug/research company poisoning the land/people. That said, Freeman still wove a great tale here, weaving together a plot and subplots with his usual expertise and entertaining style.
The book does catch you up in its many tunnels of interest, and keeps you reading until the end.
Recommended suspense reading for sure.
This book surprised me with the concepts it had in it, lots of teen angst/drama, followed with conspiracy theories, not a combo you see often.
I will say that at first I was bored with the teen drama, all the angst, just didn't seem to fit in and the crime seemed pretty cut and dry. It isn't until you are half way through that you realize just how the teen drama is intertwined with all the other things happening in the book.
I felt sorry for so many of the characters, they often were doing the bes...more
I will say that at first I was bored with the teen drama, all the angst, just didn't seem to fit in and the crime seemed pretty cut and dry. It isn't until you are half way through that you realize just how the teen drama is intertwined with all the other things happening in the book.
I felt sorry for so many of the characters, they often were doing the bes...more
I did enjoy the plot of this and the author certainly has an eye for detail and intricate plots but unfortunately this also led to the main flaw for me - the book was just too long. Chris kept covering old ground and there was constant repetition of what had been learnt in the case so far and I had to skim several chunks of the book due to this. Also while the Aquarius storyline was central to the conclusion, it tailed off in the book so once it was mentioned at the beginning it stopped being a...more
I picked up an autographed copy of this book at a Duluth, MN bookstore because they had it on display touting Freeman as a local author & I still needed a souvenir of the trip. It turned out to be the best impulse book purchase I've made in a long time, maybe ever! I considered a 5 star rating, but try to reserve those for books I'd read again, and after knowing the ending, I don't think the plot twists in this book (as unexpected & exciting as they were) would be as good a second time a...more
Loved it! Yet another great book from Brian Freeman. Really cant expect anything less than great from this talented creative writer. Characters very well developed. interesting premise twisted with layers and intertwined in small town drama. as with every book this author writes , was left guessing as to who the villian was, as each character i suspected could have easily fit the part, and the actual culprit was someone unlikely. After reading this stand alone, i am anxious to read more by this...more
*Disclaimer I won this ARC from Goodreads
I really enjoyed this book and found it very hard to put down. The story was extremely captivating and the characters were very well-developed. Usually with this type of thriller/mystery, I can figure out the ending early on, but not with Spilled Blood. I was very surprised by the ending and it was a perfect climax to a very well-done story.
I have never read anything by the author before but will be picking up his other novels, as I thoroughly enjoyed hi...more
I really enjoyed this book and found it very hard to put down. The story was extremely captivating and the characters were very well-developed. Usually with this type of thriller/mystery, I can figure out the ending early on, but not with Spilled Blood. I was very surprised by the ending and it was a perfect climax to a very well-done story.
I have never read anything by the author before but will be picking up his other novels, as I thoroughly enjoyed hi...more
Christopher Hawk, an attorney, is called to defend his teenage daughter for murder. He believes that she is innocent but not a whole lot of others people in the small town his ex-wife moved to do. There is an on going war between the towns on both side of the river and the Hawk family is caught in the middle. Well written and hard to put down and was a great way to spend an afternoon on the sun.
Attorney Chris Hawk travels to the small town of St. Croix, MN to defend his teenaged daughter who is accused of killing the daughter of a nearby biotechnology firm CEO, that was linked to a cancer cluster in the small town. When he arrives there, he finds that there is much more going on than a simple feud between the two towns, and that many people are hiding secrets, including his daughter.
In a word--unputdownable!
In a word--unputdownable!
This was an interesting mystery/thriller. A cluster of cancer deaths in a small town leads to controversy between its members. Is the large corporation really responsible, even though the courts said no? The daughter of the corporation bigwig is murdered, but the perpetrator is not who it seems to be. It all ties together nicely at the end, but there is bloodshed along the way.
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Brian Freeman is an international bestselling author of psychological suspense novels. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 20 languages. He has twice been named a finalist for Best Hardcover Novel (for THE BURYING PLACE and SPILLED BLOOD) in the International Thriller Writers Thriller Awards. His debut novel, IMMORAL, won the Macavity Award and was a finalist for the Edgar®, Dagger, Antho...more
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Feb 19, 2012 06:15pm