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Immoral (Jonathan Stride #1)
by
Brian Freeman (Goodreads Author)
In a riveting debut thriller that has drawn comparisons to masters of the genre like Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly, Brian Freeman weaves obsession, sex, and revenge into a story that grips the reader with vivid characters and shocking plot twists from the first page to the last.
Lieutenant Jonathan Stride is suffering from an ugly case of déjà vu. For the second time i...more
Lieutenant Jonathan Stride is suffering from an ugly case of déjà vu. For the second time i...more
Hardcover, 344 pages
Published
September 1st 2005
by Minotaur Books
(first published 2005)
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Lieutenant Jonathan Stride is suffering from an ugly case of déjà vu. For the second time in a year, a beautiful teenage girl has disappeared off the streets of Duluth, Minnesota—gone without a trace, like a bitter gust off Lake Superior. The two victims couldn’t be more different. First it was Kerry McGrath, bubbly, sweet sixteen. And now Rachel Deese, strange, sexually charged, a wild child. The media hounds Stride to catch a serial killer, and as the search carries him from the icy stillness...more
wow....this is about as compulsive a read as I've ever read.
At the core of the book we have Detective Stride. He's not perfect. He's not a macho super cop. He's got flaws and his own emotional baggage, but he's a good cop and he does the best that he can. In other words, he reads like a real person.
a year prior to the book's events, as they unfold, is the disappearance of a local girl named Kerry McGrath. Stride was lead detective on that case with his partner Maggie. That crime was never solved...more
At the core of the book we have Detective Stride. He's not perfect. He's not a macho super cop. He's got flaws and his own emotional baggage, but he's a good cop and he does the best that he can. In other words, he reads like a real person.
a year prior to the book's events, as they unfold, is the disappearance of a local girl named Kerry McGrath. Stride was lead detective on that case with his partner Maggie. That crime was never solved...more
Immoral: Brian Freeman
As you hear the voice of the killer in the prologue an image begins to form within the reader’s mind as to who would do such an evil thing to a young girl. Several teens are missing and one dead as Rachel Deese disappears but finding her will not be easy. Rachel is not the most wonderful teen nor does she endear you to her as you get to know her better. Listening to her two friends when questioned by the police, you hearing their conflicting accounts of her character, where...more
As you hear the voice of the killer in the prologue an image begins to form within the reader’s mind as to who would do such an evil thing to a young girl. Several teens are missing and one dead as Rachel Deese disappears but finding her will not be easy. Rachel is not the most wonderful teen nor does she endear you to her as you get to know her better. Listening to her two friends when questioned by the police, you hearing their conflicting accounts of her character, where...more
Brian Freeman's debut novel "Immoral" is a suspenseful thriller in the Dennis Lehane/James Lee Burke mold. The book introduces detectives/lovers Jonathan Stride and Serena Dial in a murder mystery that has as many twists and turns in the plot as it has characters. When a young girl goes missing in the Minnesota woods without a trace, Detective Stride and his partners are left with an unsolved case. Several months later, when another young girl disappears under similar circumstances, Stride now f...more
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice start to a series -- some good surprises in the plot, July 25, 2008
This review is from: Immoral (Mass Market Paperback)
This was the first book I've read by this author. I picked it up and was immediately interested in what would happen. I love thrillers and I read a lot of them so what followed was pretty formulaic. The author did toss out a lot of red herrings and so it was fun to think the case was solved and the one who "did it" was caught, but the book took some inte...more
This review is from: Immoral (Mass Market Paperback)
This was the first book I've read by this author. I picked it up and was immediately interested in what would happen. I love thrillers and I read a lot of them so what followed was pretty formulaic. The author did toss out a lot of red herrings and so it was fun to think the case was solved and the one who "did it" was caught, but the book took some inte...more
This is the debut novel of this author and what a debut!
It's the first book with detective Stride although I read the third book in the series (Stalked) first and that was before I knew it was a series.
Lieutenant Stride and his partner Maggie have been investigating a missing teenage girl's case for over a year with no luck and then another teenage girl goes missing.
No signs of running away are detected and no clues to where she could be.. All the evidence points that she was murdered.
So are the...more
It's the first book with detective Stride although I read the third book in the series (Stalked) first and that was before I knew it was a series.
Lieutenant Stride and his partner Maggie have been investigating a missing teenage girl's case for over a year with no luck and then another teenage girl goes missing.
No signs of running away are detected and no clues to where she could be.. All the evidence points that she was murdered.
So are the...more
Interessante leggere un romanzo (soprattutto se "di genere") alcuni anni dopo l'entusiasmo incontrollato e contagioso che lo accolse all'uscita, oggi che l'atmosfera si è raffreddata e si può valutarne la qualità senza troppe interferenze.
Immoral non è un capolavoro, ma nemmeno un bluff come alcuni lettori condizionati dall'eccessivo battage hanno per reazione giudicato. Si tratta di un buon thriller, soprattutto se si considera che si tratta di un esordio, con cui l'autore dimostra un certo tal...more
Immoral non è un capolavoro, ma nemmeno un bluff come alcuni lettori condizionati dall'eccessivo battage hanno per reazione giudicato. Si tratta di un buon thriller, soprattutto se si considera che si tratta di un esordio, con cui l'autore dimostra un certo tal...more
I really enjoyed this thriller based in Duluth and in Las Vegas.
It begins in Minn when the second of two girls goes missing within 2 years. They are both high school students. The second girl - Rachael - however is different - she is troubled and very nasty. The detective in town (Stride)has just lost his wife, and was never able to solve the first disapearance when the second one occurs.
He and his partner start with the school and the boys and girls they knew. There is a sighting of blood and...more
It begins in Minn when the second of two girls goes missing within 2 years. They are both high school students. The second girl - Rachael - however is different - she is troubled and very nasty. The detective in town (Stride)has just lost his wife, and was never able to solve the first disapearance when the second one occurs.
He and his partner start with the school and the boys and girls they knew. There is a sighting of blood and...more
I have been going back and forth between 4 and 5 stars (Likely would go 4.5 if that was an option), but leaned towards the 5 because it has been a while since I have read a crime suspense thriller series that I have enjoyed quite as much as this one. For me, and my reading preferences, I would put this on par with Michael Connely (Harry Bosch), Ridley Pearson (Boldt/Matthews) & John Sandford (Lucas Davenport) as one of my favorite series.
I had never even heard of freeman untill one of my go...more
I had never even heard of freeman untill one of my go...more
2 likes · like · see review
Brian Freeman is a hell of a writer. The setting, Duluth, Minn., is such an important factor in the book that it's like one of the main characters. The reader can almost feel the bite of the fierce wind blowing off of Lake Superior, can see that hill littered with old houses battered by harsh northern winters.
Another thing Freeman does well is he creates back stories for characters even if we only see that character for one chapter. I loved how he just fills in these blanks and really fleshes o...more
Another thing Freeman does well is he creates back stories for characters even if we only see that character for one chapter. I loved how he just fills in these blanks and really fleshes o...more
It's very, very rare that I don't finish an audio book once I've started it. I did manage to finish this, but only just.
One of the more annoying things about it was the sex. It's not that there was sex in it that annoyed me, it was the way the writer described it. His sex scenes were very detailed--detailed in an almost clinical way that seemed to go on forever and ever.
There were other bodily functions that were described in far too much detail. BUT! The one thing he didn't explain is how he w...more
One of the more annoying things about it was the sex. It's not that there was sex in it that annoyed me, it was the way the writer described it. His sex scenes were very detailed--detailed in an almost clinical way that seemed to go on forever and ever.
There were other bodily functions that were described in far too much detail. BUT! The one thing he didn't explain is how he w...more
Ah, summer...that magical time of year when a (not-so-young) woman's fancy turns to MURDER. Well, at least this not-so-young woman. Summer is the time when I catch up on all of those popcorn books I've been wanting to read-the ones that don't make me think so much but satisfy my need for pure reading escape. This time, it was the book Immoral, by Brian Freeman.
At first glance, this book is just another formulaic mystery/thriller. A young girl goes missing. A hard-working but seriously flawed det...more
At first glance, this book is just another formulaic mystery/thriller. A young girl goes missing. A hard-working but seriously flawed det...more
My favorite story. Lt. Stride, a Deluth,MN cop trying to solve the mystery of two missing teenage girls. He gets help from Serena, a Las vegas cop as the case has some connection with a case Serena is working on from Las Vegas. They team up to solve the cases and takes them from Mn. to Las vegas. They also become lovers and sometimes this causes some problems. Stride and Serena are my favorite two persons in the fictional world of books. They both are featured in all five of his own novels.
Merge...more
Merge...more
WOW!!!! My first Freeman book and I am HOOKED!!! although I'm ready to be Stripped! :) then Stalked!
I thought I had maybe figured "it" out ---nope...not until the very end. Brian Freeman grabs your attention immediately. During the prologue I didn't I'd finish it as it wasn't my genre but I continued because my co-worker loaned me her signed copy and I thought I should give it a few chapters before I told her it wasn't my type of book. good thing........I was hooked before I started chapter 1.
I...more
I thought I had maybe figured "it" out ---nope...not until the very end. Brian Freeman grabs your attention immediately. During the prologue I didn't I'd finish it as it wasn't my genre but I continued because my co-worker loaned me her signed copy and I thought I should give it a few chapters before I told her it wasn't my type of book. good thing........I was hooked before I started chapter 1.
I...more
Apr 17, 2013
Allison Ann
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library,
bbtc-round-3
WEEK 6
WORD: GIFT
BONUS: WINDOW
MY LETTER: F - for author Brian Freeman
Book: Immoral by Brian Freeman
Finished: April 14, 2013
Rating & Book Review: 4 stars - New author to me and I'll definitely be searching our more by him. Great mystery, good writing, interesting characters and enough twists and turns to keep me turning pages.
BONUS WORDS
Gift - page 92 - The bracelet had been a gift from her father years earlier.
Window - page 13 - As he waited at a stoplight, Stride glanced into his truck wind...more
WORD: GIFT
BONUS: WINDOW
MY LETTER: F - for author Brian Freeman
Book: Immoral by Brian Freeman
Finished: April 14, 2013
Rating & Book Review: 4 stars - New author to me and I'll definitely be searching our more by him. Great mystery, good writing, interesting characters and enough twists and turns to keep me turning pages.
BONUS WORDS
Gift - page 92 - The bracelet had been a gift from her father years earlier.
Window - page 13 - As he waited at a stoplight, Stride glanced into his truck wind...more
Feb 05, 2009
Bookmarks Magazine
added it
Freeman's debut, which Bookspan selected as International Book of the Month, resounded with its critics. His is a highly intricate story, veering with sharp turns and switchbacks. In fact, his acrobatic plot may be excessively so, overindulging in too many clever flips and flops. No doubt, his prose can be worthy cause for wincing ( "Tight black jeans, the kind you need a knife to cut yourself out of"), but Freeman paints the requisite cold, gray atmospheric tones for a tale of murder, sex, and
...more
Ah, gone are my days when i enjoy reading detective/crime novels. In my late teens i found the thrilling but now the writing seems childish and there are way too many sleazy scenes between characters (yes, i know, sex sells) but i really could not enjoy the author pointing out every tiny movement of each character. Including either making them all unlikable or ridiculous. I swear, im not even a "proper" adult yet and i dont talk as flippantly or childishly as these characters. Not one character...more
Mar 08, 2012
Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
march-2012-reads
I have seldom read a mystery as complexly plotted as this one, and for a debut novel, it is simply amazing. (It would be astounding if produced by an accomplished, prolific author). The layers of mysteries, secrets, covert possibilities (where is she? where are they? did he do it? who might have? were they really? type of questions abound) keep the reader quite literally guessing what is going on, who did what to whom, and most of all: why, why, why? The ending is beyond anything this reader cou...more
Sep 08, 2010
Lyn M (readinghearts)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Lyn M (readinghearts) by:
Wendy Catalano and Marilyn Killilee
One thing I always look forward to in a book, is not being able to anticipate the ending. Because of that, I have become a real fan of the thriller genre with it fast pace and high amount of plot twists. In fact, I was beginning to think that no amount twists could be to many, but I have to say, in this book Brian Freeman accomplished it. There were so many plot twists in this story, that I actually had trouble keeping up with them all. Not really, but almost. That is the only thing that I could...more
1 like · like · see review
This isn't my typical genre, but I picked up this book because I grew up in Duluth, MN and was intrigued to read a book set in this city. Even better, the investigation leads to Las Vegas, my current city of residence! The beginning was a little slow, but as we learn the back stories of many of the characters, it picks up quickly. The courtroom scene ended in a shock and the action continued through the rest of the book!
Jonathan Stride is a detective investigating the death of a rather unlikabl...more
Jonathan Stride is a detective investigating the death of a rather unlikabl...more
Oct 25, 2011
Jacque Bona
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audible-com-books
I chose this book because it was set in Duluth, Minnesota. I enjoy books where I am familiar with the geography. Sometimes it is a good choice and sometimes not so much. This book was in-between. The story was pretty good with some interesting twists. The character of Stride needed a bit more depth, but I liked him.
The downside was the narrator. His voice did not have the range for females at all and lacked emotional connection with the Stride character. It made listening to this story unpleasan...more
The downside was the narrator. His voice did not have the range for females at all and lacked emotional connection with the Stride character. It made listening to this story unpleasan...more
This was a real page-turner that really kept me guessing up till the very end. I picked this book up at a used book store after reading some of the cover blurbs and I'm glad I did. This is the first in a series by Freeman featuring Lieutenant Jonathan Stride of the Duluth, Minnesota police force. It's a mystery about the disappearance of a teenage girl who appears to have been murdered by her step-father. But is the girl really dead? If so, did the step-father do it? Or was it one of many other...more
My Mom, Dad, and sister-in-law have all ready this series and said I would love it. Finally ready to pickup a book for the holiday time off. I started this a few nights ago and am already half-way through it. It started out a bit rough and I wasn't sure I liked the authors style of writing, but it smoothed out and I'm enjoying the book.
If it wasn't for the holiday activities I'd have been done with this a day ago! Wow!!! I haven't read a book in a long time that kept me guessing until the end as...more
If it wasn't for the holiday activities I'd have been done with this a day ago! Wow!!! I haven't read a book in a long time that kept me guessing until the end as...more
Malvada. Arrogante. Falsa. Exibicionista. São alguns dos adjectivos que caracterizam a personagem Rachel que neste livro de Brian Freeman desaparece em circunstâncias misteriosas.
Claro está que tal personalidade atrai de forma quase magnética outras pessoas que se viriam mais aliviadas com o sumiço desta jovem. Neste leque de pessoas encontram-se o padrasto, a “adorada” mãe, o amante da mãe, o eterno amor e a sua ciumenta namorada.
Mas quão longe uma destas personagens está disposta a ir para aca...more
Jun 25, 2012
Simone
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-mystery-suspense
Ich hatte bereits zwei Bücher aus der Jonathan Stride Reihe gelesen, als ich beschloß, Band 1 nachzuholen. Ein gelungener Start in die Serie. Die Hauptfiguren wirkten auf mich sympathisch und glaubwürdig; auf der anderen Seite fiel es mir schwer, Mitgefühl für das verschwundene Mädchen zu empfinden, da ihre Menschen manipulierende und teilweise verachtende Art beinah schon zu überzeugend geschildert wurde.
Obwohl ich manche Entwicklung in der Story schon frühzeitig erahnen konnte, überraschte mic...more
Obwohl ich manche Entwicklung in der Story schon frühzeitig erahnen konnte, überraschte mic...more
I'm giving this book four stars because I grew tired of hearing so much about every major character's breasts and other body parts (I will note that Freeman does not spend as much time describing the attributes of penises as much as he does boobs).
This is the story of a missing 17-year old girl. The evidence points to murder and soon, to her stepfather. She is the second girl in a years time to go missing. Is there a serial killer on the prowl in Minnesota? That is what Detective Jonathan Stride...more
This is the story of a missing 17-year old girl. The evidence points to murder and soon, to her stepfather. She is the second girl in a years time to go missing. Is there a serial killer on the prowl in Minnesota? That is what Detective Jonathan Stride...more
I have conflicting thoughts about this book. At times it was interesting, but then it seemed like the author stalled the story and it would flip fast forward months or even years. When the story would pick up sometimes it seemed like things didn't connect. It was only when you get to the end where you see how things all fit together.
I don't know what I think of Stride. At times he was very likeable, at times he was a buffoon, at times he played the dimwit.
I also hated the narrator and what he th...more
I don't know what I think of Stride. At times he was very likeable, at times he was a buffoon, at times he played the dimwit.
I also hated the narrator and what he th...more
Two teenage girls have disappeared without a trace in the space of a little over a year in Duluth, MN, and the media is stoking fears of a serial killer. Lt. Jonathan Stride, still dealing with the death of his beloved wife from cancer, must seek out the tangled connections that bind the two girls, discover whether they are dead or alive, and bring the killer, if there is one, to justice. In a brilliant debut, Brian Freeman manages to keep the strands of his complicated plot from confusing the r...more
I think immoral is a good tag for the title of this book because it relates to memories on the part of the main characters to former immorality and actions that the people themselves were not proud of, yet were lucky and persevered long enough to escape some of the very serious consequences although not all their friends had. One victim in particular was considered not only a wild child, but really evil by some. Seemed she enjoyed bringing out the worst in people and put herself in situations wh...more
Stride is a detective that is frustrated by the mysterious disappearance of a young teenage girl over a year ago. His wife died and his past is coming back to haunt him. Another girl goes missing. All clues lead back to her step father as being the murderer.
This book is written like a Law and Order episode. First you hear about the crime and all related parties reactions to it. Second, there is the court case. Unlike L&O, you hear what happens after the court case.
This was an enjoyable rea...more
This book is written like a Law and Order episode. First you hear about the crime and all related parties reactions to it. Second, there is the court case. Unlike L&O, you hear what happens after the court case.
This was an enjoyable rea...more
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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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13 ago. 20:35