The Watcher (Jonathan Stride Book 4)
A fast-paced Minnesota murder mystery
Published on 2. April 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-0-7553-3529-9 (ISBN)
Description
Evil has eyes that see in the dark...
A thirty-year-old murder haunts a small-town detective. Then a shocking twist gives him one last chance to solve the case... The Watcher is the fourth gripping murder mystery in the Jonathan Stride series by Brian Freeman, author of Thief River Falls, The Nightbird and The Voice Inside.
'His most ambitious - and accomplished - work to date' Publishers Weekly
Lieutenant Jonathan Stride has never forgotten the case that made him decide to join the police force. Back in the 1970s, Laura - sister of Stride's girlfriend - was murdered. The obvious suspect was a vagrant, who slipped through the hands of the police, including Stride's detective hero Roy. Now, though, Stride's looking at the case in a new light.
Tish Verdure, an old friend of Laura's, has come home: and she's certain that the killer was a local boy, now an attorney with connections at the highest level. Stride's soon convinced that there was a deliberate decision to direct the investigation towards a simple solution and away from Tish's suggested perpetrator: but he's also convinced that Tish is hiding a secret about the past.
A secret that could have shattering consequences - including a second murder...
What readers are saying about The Watcher:
'One of the best novels I've ever read. The characters, the plot, the ending, all first class and more than equal to Patterson's highest standard'
'There's always another twist coming, and just when you've sussed who did what, you are suddenly compelled to think again'
'A gripping and absorbing thriller'
A thirty-year-old murder haunts a small-town detective. Then a shocking twist gives him one last chance to solve the case... The Watcher is the fourth gripping murder mystery in the Jonathan Stride series by Brian Freeman, author of Thief River Falls, The Nightbird and The Voice Inside.
'His most ambitious - and accomplished - work to date' Publishers Weekly
Lieutenant Jonathan Stride has never forgotten the case that made him decide to join the police force. Back in the 1970s, Laura - sister of Stride's girlfriend - was murdered. The obvious suspect was a vagrant, who slipped through the hands of the police, including Stride's detective hero Roy. Now, though, Stride's looking at the case in a new light.
Tish Verdure, an old friend of Laura's, has come home: and she's certain that the killer was a local boy, now an attorney with connections at the highest level. Stride's soon convinced that there was a deliberate decision to direct the investigation towards a simple solution and away from Tish's suggested perpetrator: but he's also convinced that Tish is hiding a secret about the past.
A secret that could have shattering consequences - including a second murder...
What readers are saying about The Watcher:
'One of the best novels I've ever read. The characters, the plot, the ending, all first class and more than equal to Patterson's highest standard'
'There's always another twist coming, and just when you've sussed who did what, you are suddenly compelled to think again'
'A gripping and absorbing thriller'
Reviews / Votes
'Edgar-finalist Freeman's fourth thriller to feature Duluth, Minn., police lieutenant Jonathan Stride (after Stalked) may be his most ambitious--and accomplished--work to date. As the title suggests, even those involved in the closest relationships can be kept in the dark about a loved one's past. When a woman shows up in town and informs Stride that she's writing a book about the 30-year-old mystery surrounding the murder of the older sister of the girl who grew up to become Stride's spouse, he's forced to re-examine the validity of his bond with not only his late wife, Cindy, who died of cancer five years earlier, but also that involving his current love interest, a former Vegas cop turned PI, Serena Dial. Powered by darkly poetic atmospherics and deep character development (especially Stride, whose understated intensity, dignity and resilience are emblematic of the Twin Ports area itself), this harrowing and heartrending novel will leave readers guessing until the very last pages.' * <i>Publishers Weekly</i> * 'His most ambitious - and accomplished - work to date' * <i>Publishers Weekly</i> * 'Powered by darkly poetic atmopherics and deep character development... this harrowing and heartrending novel will leave readers guessing until the very last pages' * <i>Publishers Weekly</i> * '...gripping, with the right balance of all those things that make a successful thriller - strong characters, believable plot and plenty of tension' * <i>Herald Sun</i>, Australia * 'The writer finishes each chapter with a dramatic sentence that compels you to turn the next page to the final gripping conclusion' * <i>Launceston Examiner</i>, Australia * 'With not one but two breathtaking climaxes, Freeman delivers a tale of intrigue and anguish. Lyrical descriptions of Minnesota's wild weather add another element to a mesmerizing mix' * <i>The Advertiser</i>, South Australia * 'An author returns to her home town to write a book about a 30-year-old unsolved murder and stumbles into more than she'd bargained for. The result is gripping, with the right balance of all those things that make a successful thriller - strong characters, believable plot and plenty of tension' * <i>Herald Sun</i>, Australia * 'Clever and classy' * <i>Gold Coast Bulletin</i>, Australia * 'This is a real page turner, with believable characters and some nice twists and changes of pace' * <i>Sun Herald</i>, Australia *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-A)
Dimensions
Height: 175 mm
Width: 112 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
247 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7553-3529-9 (9780755335299)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2010
Headline Book Publishing
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Brian Freeman is an ebook bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride and Frost Easton series. His books have been sold in forty-six countries and translated into twenty-two languages. His stand-alone thriller Spilled Blood was named Best Hardcover Novel in the International Thriller Writers Awards, and his novel The Burying Place was a finalist for the same honour. Brian is widely acclaimed for his vivid "you are there" settings, from San Francisco to the Midwest, and for his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots.
Brian lives in Minnesota with his wife, Marcia. For more information on the author and his books, visit http://bfreemanbook
Brian lives in Minnesota with his wife, Marcia. For more information on the author and his books, visit http://bfreemanbook