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kaylovestoread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jmj697mn's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this...the ending felt a little too final. There will be more, right Brian Freeman???
shelfreflectionofficial's review against another edition
5.0
“They had two dead strangers in town. One killer. One victim.”
The newest Jonathan Stride novel, The Zero Night, just released Nov 1 so I had some catching up to do before I read that one.
I started this series on book 8 (Marathon) and really enjoyed it. But when I went back to the Las Vegas part of Stride’s story it was bad.
Las Vegas Stride= Don’t Read
Duluth Stride= Read
Other than the aforementioned book, I’ve loved every Brian Freeman book I’ve read. You can always expect a good thriller from him. And most of them are pretty clean.
In Alter Ego, a Hollywood movie is being shot in Duluth about a case from years back that involved Stride (who’s a detective). He had rescued a girl from a serial killer. (As far as I can tell, that case was not a previous book in the series).
The A-list actor playing Stride (his alter ego) in the movie is Dean Casperson. Casperson is the golden-boy of Hollywood and can do no wrong.
But when a hired killer is found dead and the body of a young woman found buried in the woods, the evidence starts pointing at Casperson, maybe he’s not so good after all.
Going after such a beloved public figure can have major consequences. Stride and his team have to navigate the case and deal with the collateral.
Annnddd… there’s snow everywhere, all the time. Living in Iowa, I’ve gathered it’s par for the course in Minnesota. Which is why I won’t live there.
A fun part of this book is the crossover with Cab Bolton, a different Freeman series.
Basically Freeman’s series are like CSI: Las Vegas, Miami, New York etc. Frost Easton is in San Francisco. Stride was Las Vegas and now Duluth. Cab is in Florida (Miami I think?).
The case in Alter Ego has overlapped with a murder in Florida that Cab is very familiar with. He joins Stride in Duluth to help out.
Plus he and Maggie Bei hit it off. Freeman teases Maggie moving to Florida and teaming up with Cab which I think would be cool to shift characters around in different series. But only time will tell if that will come to fruition.
I haven’t read any of the Cab Bolton books but it kind of made me want to start that series too!
I would definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to the next two in the series!
[Content Advisory: I don’t think there are any f-words, language is mild, not much sexual content; trigger warning for rape—talked about but not described]
Shelf Reflection Book Review Blog
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The newest Jonathan Stride novel, The Zero Night, just released Nov 1 so I had some catching up to do before I read that one.
I started this series on book 8 (Marathon) and really enjoyed it. But when I went back to the Las Vegas part of Stride’s story it was bad.
Las Vegas Stride= Don’t Read
Duluth Stride= Read
Other than the aforementioned book, I’ve loved every Brian Freeman book I’ve read. You can always expect a good thriller from him. And most of them are pretty clean.
In Alter Ego, a Hollywood movie is being shot in Duluth about a case from years back that involved Stride (who’s a detective). He had rescued a girl from a serial killer. (As far as I can tell, that case was not a previous book in the series).
The A-list actor playing Stride (his alter ego) in the movie is Dean Casperson. Casperson is the golden-boy of Hollywood and can do no wrong.
But when a hired killer is found dead and the body of a young woman found buried in the woods, the evidence starts pointing at Casperson, maybe he’s not so good after all.
Going after such a beloved public figure can have major consequences. Stride and his team have to navigate the case and deal with the collateral.
Annnddd… there’s snow everywhere, all the time. Living in Iowa, I’ve gathered it’s par for the course in Minnesota. Which is why I won’t live there.
A fun part of this book is the crossover with Cab Bolton, a different Freeman series.
Basically Freeman’s series are like CSI: Las Vegas, Miami, New York etc. Frost Easton is in San Francisco. Stride was Las Vegas and now Duluth. Cab is in Florida (Miami I think?).
The case in Alter Ego has overlapped with a murder in Florida that Cab is very familiar with. He joins Stride in Duluth to help out.
Plus he and Maggie Bei hit it off. Freeman teases Maggie moving to Florida and teaming up with Cab which I think would be cool to shift characters around in different series. But only time will tell if that will come to fruition.
I haven’t read any of the Cab Bolton books but it kind of made me want to start that series too!
I would definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to the next two in the series!
[Content Advisory: I don’t think there are any f-words, language is mild, not much sexual content; trigger warning for rape—talked about but not described]
Shelf Reflection Book Review Blog
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest
kylieeason's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my word!
So I received a paperback ARC of this book, so it took me almost 2 months to read. During that time I read multiple ebooks, but every time I came back to Alter Ego I knew exactly what was happening.
That’s really rare. Especially when I was reading anywhere from 2-5 books between bouts of AE!
Brian Freeman is a phenomenal author, and just found himself a new lifelong fan.
This book is about a detective who’s “big break” gets turned into a movie, but then evil shows its ugly head and things get intense.
My favorite part about this book is the ending, when you finally get all the answers. I don’t want to go into detail too much on this, because I mag accidentally spoil the book for you.
Just know, this is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a very, very long time!
So I received a paperback ARC of this book, so it took me almost 2 months to read. During that time I read multiple ebooks, but every time I came back to Alter Ego I knew exactly what was happening.
That’s really rare. Especially when I was reading anywhere from 2-5 books between bouts of AE!
Brian Freeman is a phenomenal author, and just found himself a new lifelong fan.
This book is about a detective who’s “big break” gets turned into a movie, but then evil shows its ugly head and things get intense.
My favorite part about this book is the ending, when you finally get all the answers. I don’t want to go into detail too much on this, because I mag accidentally spoil the book for you.
Just know, this is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a very, very long time!
laneylegz's review against another edition
5.0
Hollywood is in Duluth to film a movie about one of Stride's previous cases. The Caged Girls still haunt him. Three women died and he saved another from death while the killer sent tapes of the women saying "Save Me Jonathan Stride". Guilt still plagues Stride. He and Maggie worked the cases years ago that brought on the deaths of more than just the women. Hollywood royalty for forty years, Dean Casperson is playing Stride and his co star Aimee Bowe is playing the survivor. Stride wants no part of the movie but has to question the players when a murder of a local girl and the discovery of a hit man dead in a car wreck are connected to the set along with a missing intern. Stride, Maggie, & Serena start piecing together connections when evidence keeps pointing to Florida, where Casperson, his stunt double Jack, & the intern live. You don't mess with Hollywood so Maggie takes a trip to Florida to further investigate and meets up with Cab Bolton (from Freeman's other series) Together they find more evidence of Casperson and Jack and their nefarious ways. Cab has been investigating for years but knows how Hollywood works and they are hard pressed to find anyone to speak out and speak up. Cab comes with Maggie back to Duluth to help with the investigation. Meanwhile, Cat is trying to help with the only way she knows how when another woman turns up missing. Gripping, suspenseful, and finally another story with CAB BOLTON! Keeps you guessing to the end. Stride is at his finest and I hope for more Cab.
11khauer's review against another edition
5.0
Freeman’s Alter Ego does not disappoint! Cleverly written, the book is immediately captivating and intriguing. Stride, Serena and Maggie Bei are solving their latest round of murders after a movie crew has temporarily descended upon Duluth to film the story of Stride and a previous case he solved. As usual for Freeman, professional detective work and personal relationships intersect beautifully, creating complex, realistic, and well-developed characters. Promoted as #9 in the Jonathan Stride series, a set of characters from another of Freeman’s series pop up in a most satisfying way! While it’s most entertaining and fulfilling to read all the books in the series, Freeman crafts his novels so well that a reader could start at any point- critical connecting points and explanations are concisely and swiftly included in each new book so the reader moves forward with an understanding of the characters and their history. Another great win for Freeman!
nickieandremus's review against another edition
5.0
*** I received an advanced copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review
In this latest Jonathan Stride novel, a movie studio is in town making a movie based on one of Stride's past cases. Not only does this bring up bad memories for all involved, but it sets off a chain of events that will leave fans everywhere shocked and wondering if everyone from Hollywood has a dark side.
I could not put this book down. Every time I thought I knew "whodunnit", it threw a new twist in the mix. I have been a huge fan of Brian Freeman's book ever since the first one he wrote, and they seem to get better every time.
In this latest Jonathan Stride novel, a movie studio is in town making a movie based on one of Stride's past cases. Not only does this bring up bad memories for all involved, but it sets off a chain of events that will leave fans everywhere shocked and wondering if everyone from Hollywood has a dark side.
I could not put this book down. Every time I thought I knew "whodunnit", it threw a new twist in the mix. I have been a huge fan of Brian Freeman's book ever since the first one he wrote, and they seem to get better every time.
jessicamap's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to Quercus Books for the advanced copy!
A thriller set in the tundra that is Minnesota, you say? This is a no-brainer! It's so rare that books are set in Minnesota, so whenever I find one I need to grab it. ALTER EGO by Brian Freeman takes place in Duluth, MN and he does a fantastic job putting the reader in the awful freezing temperatures that we endure every year.
Jonathan Stride takes on a case of a freak car accident that killed one of the drivers. Seems like a pretty simple case, but the victim isn't who their ID claims they are. With a ghost identity, Stride has his work cut out for him - and to complicate things there is a gun found in the trunk. When a college student in Duluth goes missing, he worries that these two cases are potentially related.
To complicate things, his investigation brings him to the film set. The movie is one about a case in Stride's past and he discovers that an award-winning actor is portraying him. As he digs deeper to find the missing college student, he begins to hear more about his alter ego and dark secrets he wouldn't want getting out.
I know all of us book lovers really enjoy a book within a book, but I will say that I enjoyed this movie within a book just as much. Having the two Jonathan Strides made for an interesting read and it helped build the suspense throughout! Who is the victim of the car crash? Where is the girl? How is his "alter ego" involved in all of this?
I really enjoyed Freeman's writing style - he pulls you in from the first chapter and the pacing stayed consistent throughout the mystery. He does a fantastic job dropping the reader into the cold winters of Duluth, MN (a place I know very well!). I will be picking up books 1-8 to get to know Stride more and see his old cases - maybe even the one the film is about??
I give this 5/5 stars!
A thriller set in the tundra that is Minnesota, you say? This is a no-brainer! It's so rare that books are set in Minnesota, so whenever I find one I need to grab it. ALTER EGO by Brian Freeman takes place in Duluth, MN and he does a fantastic job putting the reader in the awful freezing temperatures that we endure every year.
Jonathan Stride takes on a case of a freak car accident that killed one of the drivers. Seems like a pretty simple case, but the victim isn't who their ID claims they are. With a ghost identity, Stride has his work cut out for him - and to complicate things there is a gun found in the trunk. When a college student in Duluth goes missing, he worries that these two cases are potentially related.
To complicate things, his investigation brings him to the film set. The movie is one about a case in Stride's past and he discovers that an award-winning actor is portraying him. As he digs deeper to find the missing college student, he begins to hear more about his alter ego and dark secrets he wouldn't want getting out.
I know all of us book lovers really enjoy a book within a book, but I will say that I enjoyed this movie within a book just as much. Having the two Jonathan Strides made for an interesting read and it helped build the suspense throughout! Who is the victim of the car crash? Where is the girl? How is his "alter ego" involved in all of this?
I really enjoyed Freeman's writing style - he pulls you in from the first chapter and the pacing stayed consistent throughout the mystery. He does a fantastic job dropping the reader into the cold winters of Duluth, MN (a place I know very well!). I will be picking up books 1-8 to get to know Stride more and see his old cases - maybe even the one the film is about??
I give this 5/5 stars!
dragonreader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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