Funeral for a Friend: A Jonathan Stride Novel

Brian Freeman

Sep 2020 · Blackstone Publishing

About this ebook

“You’re safe, Stride. I found the body at the Deeps. I buried him.”

Jonathan Stride’s best friend, Steve Garske, makes a shocking deathbed confession: he protected Stride by covering up a murder. Hours later, the police dig up Steve’s yard and find a body with a bullet hole in its skull.

Stride is pretty sure he knows who it is. Seven years ago, an out-of-town reporter disappeared while investigating anonymous allegations of rape against a prominent politician. Back then, the police believed that the reporter drowned at a dangerous swimming hole called the Deeps ... but the discovery of the body changes everything. Now Stride’s partner, Maggie Bei, is forced to ask Stride an uncomfortable question: Did you kill him?

Stride is obviously hiding things. He was the last person to see the reporter alive. And he admits lying to Maggie about that meeting, but won’t tell her why. With suspicion in the murder pointing at him, Stride finds himself off the case and on leave from the Duluth Police.

His only ally in clearing his name is his wife, Serena, who retraces the reporter’s investigation into the explosive allegations. The clues all point to a hot Duluth summer years earlier that everyone in town would prefer to forget.

Someone was willing to kill rather than let those long-ago secrets come out, and the suspect with the strongest motive ... is Stride.

Ratings and reviews

Jonathan Stride’s best friend, Steve Garske, makes a shocking deathbed confession: he protected Stride by covering up a murder. Hours later, the police dig up Steve’s yard and find a body with a bullet hole in its skull. The victim ... a reporter looking for the woman who made an anonymous claim of rape against a well-known politician. Stride was the last known person to see this man ... but he's lied to protect someone. Stride is off the case and he is a prime suspect in the man's murder. His partner, Maggie Bei, is now lead investigator ... and that includes questioning Stride. His only ally in clearing his name is his wife, Serena, who retraces the reporter’s investigation into the explosive allegations. The clues all point to a hot Duluth summer years earlier that everyone in town would prefer to forget. Someone was willing to kill rather than let those long-ago secrets come out, and the suspect with the strongest motive … is Stride. As with all this author's books, this is a well-written crime thriller, an action-packed page turner with twists and turns that keep on coming. There are plenty of suspects to watch .. and many buried dark secrets. Although 10th in the series, it can be read as a stand alone. However, I strongly recommend starting at the very beginning of this series for some serious 5-star reading. Many thanks to the author / Blackstone Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime thriller/fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This book is frikken amazing. The way it is written plot-wise and grammar-wise is up there where it assisted me to build my atmosphere using the generous blocks. It's so exciting and never frustrating or insulting to the intelligence of the reader. Thank you. Really.

About the author

Brian Freeman is a New York Times bestselling author of psychological suspense novels including Spilled Blood, winner of the ITW Thriller Award for best novel.