The Zero Night - (Jonathan Stride) by Brian Freeman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Freeman's Bourne novels might get more publicity, but his Stride novels are where his skills as a storyteller are really showcased. First-rate." -- Booklist

A woman has been kidnapped.Now Jonathan Stride must decide if her husband wants her back ... dead or alive.

After nearly dying of a gunshot wound, Jonathan Stride has been on leave from the Duluth Police for more than a year. When his partner, Maggie Bei, gets called about a suspicious abduction involving a local lawyer, she tells Stride it's time for him to come back.

Attorney Gavin Webster says he paid $100,000 in ransom money to the men who kidnapped his wife. Now they've disappeared with the cash, and she's still missing. Gavin claims to be desperate to find her--but Stride discovers that the lawyer had plenty of motive to be the mastermind behind the crime.

Even as Stride digs for the truth about Gavin Webster and his wife, he must also deal with a crisis in his own marriage.

His wife, Serena, is struggling after the death of her mother, the abusive woman she hadn't seen in twenty-five years. When she loses control at a crime scene and draws her gun on a fellow cop, Serena finds herself kicked off the Webster case. Alone at her desk, she begins hunting through old police files and starts to ask questions about a mother's death that was written off as suicide. That death haunts Serena like an echo of her own childhood--but her obsession with it takes a terrible toll.

As Serena shuts him out of her despair, and his own investigation grows increasingly tangled, Stride wonders whether going back to his detective work was the right decision. But all he can do is keep moving forward. Because Stride fears the Webster kidnapping may be only one part of a horrific murder conspiracy.

And it's not over yet.

Review Quotes

"Absolutely addictive!...The backstory and character development were so good that I had no problem diving into the book as if it was the first in the series...Mr. Freeman's crisp writing, the tight plot with ample twists and escalating tension made The Zero Night impossible to put down!"

"Brian Freeman is a first-rate storyteller."

"Brian Freeman is masterful in setting up the pace and suspense."

"Brian Freeman writes the best kind of psychological procedurals. His characters struggle with the moral consequences of the crimes they investigate, and his plots are as twisty and fast-moving as Lake Superior's undertow."

"The eleventh Jonathan Stride thriller races like a speeding bullet...This complex story has a lot of moving parts, but Freeman...has a sure and steady hand. Freeman's...Stride novels are where his skills as a storyteller are really showcased. First-rate."

"This guy can tell a story."

"Thriller Award winner Freeman's strong 11th Jonathan Stride novel...Freeman makes the inner lives of the Strides accessible even for newcomers, and perfectly balances plot twists and character development. Those who like their crime thrillers infused with humanity will be rewarded."