Alter Ego

Starred review from March 19, 2018
Thriller Award–winner Freeman’s excellent ninth Jonathan Stride novel (after 2017’s Marathon) finds the Duluth, Minn., police lieutenant revisiting difficult memories when a movie based on a serial killer case that left Stride emotionally scarred begins filming in Duluth. Stride only caught the killer, reporter Art Leipold, after he starved three women to death inside a cage. An intern on the film set, Haley Adams, disappears, only to be found shot to death, apparently by an unidentified hit man who himself has been killed in a freak accident. The mystery deepens when Stride and his team learn that Haley was using a stolen identity and spying on Hollywood megastar Dean Casperson, who’s playing the role based on Stride. The dramatic developments unfold naturally, and Freeman doesn’t shy away from giving his lead character feet of clay. A cleverly constructed, page-turning plot and fleshed-out primary and secondary characters make this a winner. Agent: Deborah Schneider: Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents.

May 15, 2018
Freeman's ninth Jonathan Stride novel finds the Minnesota detective caught up in investigations past and present. A Hollywood crew is in Duluth filming a movie based on a case Stride wrapped up more than a decade ago. Local reporter Art Leipold was accused of murdering young women after keeping them in a cage, and Stride rescued the fourth victim, Lori, from the brink of death. The cast and crew cause a lot of turmoil: Leipold's son is producing the film, the lead actress is bothering Lori for acting tips, and the famous actor playing Stride is a known sexual predator. Stride is busy dealing with the fact that two young women have died under mysterious circumstances since filming began. And he's on his own?longtime partner Maggie Bei has headed to Florida, investigating one of the dead girls, and is swept off her feet by a handsome PI. There's a lot happening here, but it all showcases Freeman's great talent for juggling multiple plotlines. They fit together with his rich characters like finely honed gears, producing an intriguing and timely tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)