Thief River Falls

unfamiliar but so incredibly well done, youll feel like a character inside the story. Brian Freeman has a gift, for sure and hes delivered a big one in the pages of Thief River Falls

Every literary nuance is ticked: characters are highly developed, dialogue is cracking good, the plot lines and storytelling weave together at such a pace that these 300 pages feel like a short story and race by at break neck speed; Im exhausted. Rarely do I reread a book but this one would be on the list – even knowing the outcome, it would be worth it just to take the ride!

Lots of tension, minimal violence, 3 soft expletives and zero sexual content give this volume a PG rating. This is the best First Reads Psychological Thriller in a very long time

I wasnt expecting the ending…at all. I downloaded this book this afternoon as one of Amazons First Reads. From the moment I began reading, it had me. I could not put it away. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a clean well written thriller. I must admit I was a bit confused at the end because I was completely sucked into the story. So as I wipe away my tears and close the book Im thinking its not one Ill soon forget.

When I started reading this book I could not shake off the impression that I read it before. But this was just because the general idea of the plot was very familiar. A lonely child witnessing a crime and being hunted by the villains was used as a basis for many thrillers, starting from (already classic) the Client by J. Grisham and ending with one of the last February First Reads book; When the Forest Meets the Stars by G. Vanderah. But every basic story can be told in multiple ways and being told by B. Freeman, with new protagonists and new twists, made it very interesting.

The pacing was great, the good guys were likable, the bad guys harbored intriguing secrets and the few side plots were interesting and not distractive to the main story. Once I started reading it was difficult to put this book down. It was a perfect thriller that I was going to award a glowing 5 stars review. That was until I read last 20 % of the book. I just hated the ending! I felt cheated and all joy from reading through first 80% of the book evaporated. I felt like I just wasted my time. Single star for the ending! But I cannot tell why without the spoilers. You have to read book yourself to find out what happened. And do not take my word for it, you just may love the ending (as most reviewers seem to do).

I first discovered Brian Freeman through his Frost Easton series and quickly became a fan of his thrillers. Hes one of the writers whom I know to rely on for a riveting, unputdownable story, so as soon as I saw his newest creation, I not only picked it up at once but read it literally in one sitting. Yes, it was that good.

This time, the central character is female and one that I connected with instantly. More than anything I love level-headed protagonists, who dont lose their presence of the mind even in the most extreme situations and dont make it even worse for themselves through rushed decisions, and Lisa Power was just that kind of a protagonist. When she has just discovered an injured boy on her property, she could have taken the easy way out and called the police despite the boys protests (I mean, how many adults in a similar situation would have believed a child claiming that the police are the ones who would harm him?); yet, Lisa decides to listen to the boy and investigate his claims about the police being involved in something sinister. What starts off as an innocent inquiry, soon turns into a veritable cat and mouse game with Lisa and little Purdue (as she nicknamed him) in its center. From that point on, I couldnt turn pages fast enough – the deeper Lisa was digging, the more she realized that the boy wasnt imagining things and some tragedy indeed occurred which he had the misfortune to witness. The creepiest part about this entire mystery was the fact that what happened to the boy basically imitated what Lisa described in her latest bestseller – seriously, I couldnt imagine suspense getting better than that!

The small town full of secrets; the ghosts of the past that come alive to haunt Lisa; the murderer who could be someone familiar; a totally unexpected ending that you’ll never see coming – all this made Thief River Falls a truly fascinating read! Dark and haunting, this psychological thriller/suspense is a perfect choice for all fans of the genre! Highly recommended!

The story was good but it all turned out to be nothing….it was all fiction and in her mind…… What a waste of my time reading a story that turned into no ending. There was no satisfaction in a quality ending…..unbelievable! I am really irritated that I got fooled by this author….never again.