Bird's-Eye View

Freedman has six prior novels, but was unknown to us until a friend insisted we read "Bird's-Eye". We weren't sorry, as our author combines solid writing skills with the ability to capture our interest immediately and keep us turning pages in a hurry with mystery and suspense. Already in Chapter One, we meet our leading man, Fritz Tullis, but have no idea why this thirty-something high-achiever, from a land-owning family wealthy for generations, is living in a shack on his mother's property in the swampish backwoods of the lower Chesapeake Bay. He spends his days doping, drinking, and enjoying ready sex partners, with occasional forays into the swamp to photograph birds (hence the title) with long telephoto lenses. By chapter's end, his camera catches a murder on a nearby property with a private air strip from a concealed, on the water, vantage point no one would ever know about.Tullis spends much of the first half of the story staying uninvolved - but as he learns more about the potential culprits, or at least the conspirators involved, he cannot resist doing the right thing (solving the crime) while seeking little help from the authorities, with whom he knew he would have little credibility. Meanwhile, another new lady friend takes just a little too much interest in both the birds, one of which is a rare whooping crane, as well as the murder mystery; and we readers get enough info to smell a rat much sooner than does Tullis. Corruption and politics soon enter the fray as an Assistant Secretary of State, James Roach (presumably no pun!) turns out to be the neighbor who owns the air strip. Along the way, another murder or two adds to the intrigue and the dangerous nature of the chase, with the action and affairs of the heart reaching crescendo pace by book's end.Freedman develops a fine plot without engaging so many characters we lose track. The suspense is realistic, as are the players and their thoughts and feelings. In sum, we not only enjoyed this novel immensely but will seek out his earlier works soon. Enjoy!

Freedman's latest is a good edge of your seat thrillerWhen Fritz Tullis is fired from the University of Texas for having an affair with the wife of a prestigious donor, (It seems that every woman he meets, falls in love with him. Hmmmm.) he has nowhere to go but back to the estate of his family in southern Maryland. While living in a shack that's located on the estate, he partakes in his hobbies of drinking, smoking grass and photographing. While out in the swamp photographing his favorite secret pet-Ollie the whooping crane-he notices his neighbor's plane landing in a private airfield. Much to his surprise, he witnesses and photographs a cold-blooded murder. The victim turns out to be a Russian Senior Counselor. The property belongs to James Roach, an assistant Secretary of State. Eventually Fritz decides he should do something about this murder, or at least find out who's responsible. As Fritz soon learns, he's in way to deep. One would think that Fritz is smart, but being a professor of history does not make him a good detective. He seems to lack the ability to read people well. His way with the ladies seems a little too lucky. Fritz also seems to carry a lot of emotion around with him. One wonders why.The story moves at a brisk pace. With a couple of surprises and yet some predictable plotting, this was still a very good book. I look forward to your next one Mr. Freedman. Oh, by the way, a King Air is not a jet.Highly recommended

As a mystery author with my debut novel in its initial release, I genuinely enjoyed J.F. Freedman's tale of Fritz Tullis. Fritz is a man who was born on third base and who is in danger of getting picked off before he scores. His roots are as establishment as they can get. His mother is a Maryland patrician, and he was, until he had an affair with the wrong woman, a respected history professor at the University of Texas. After losing his job, he returns to his family's Maryland estate, drinks too much, chases convenient skirts, and takes up birdwatching. He becomes fascinated with a whooping crane. One hungover morning, as he is searching for his favorite member of that endangered feathered species, he witnesses a murder on a neighboring airstrip. It turns out the airstrip is owned by an undersecretary of state with a checkered past. The victim turns out to be a Russian diplomat. Fritz decides something has to be done, and he finds his efforts assisted by a beautiful Harvard academic with a famous film star's name yet her own deep secrets. BIRD'S-EYE VIEW is an enjoyable read on many levels. I recommend it highly.

I love this book. Freedman puts the reader into the head of yet another otherwise inscrutable character who is fascinating in his predicament and complexity. While reading his books, I find myself wondering what the people in my life are really thinking -- and doing! The confluence of characters and events in Bird's-Eye View makes for a compelling story and a big-surprise ending you won't see coming. Worth the price of the trip.

Thirty-four years old Fritz Tulley is a tenured professor at a prestigious Texas university. The teachers and students at the college consider the daredevil a bit of a golden boy not just because of his youthful academia success, but because he is a maverick risk taker. His future is rosy until he meets and falls in love with Marnie, whose husband uses his clout with the university to get Fritz fired. Fritz returns home to his family?s isolated Maryland estate, but resides in a ramshackle cottage doing [...]himself into oblivion. His one passion is bird watching in the swamp adjacent to his shack. He?s busy taking pictures of the birds when he sees a plane land nearby with three men exiting before one is shot. He later finds out the victim is a Russian stationed in Washington DC and the corner of the land where he was shot belongs to James Roach, an Undersecretary of State with a very shady reputation. Although Fritz does not report the shootings to the police he has done some investigating on his own, which places him and those he cares about in danger. Even though BIRDS EYE VIEW is a very serious thriller, J.F. Friedman has a breezy light-hearted style of writing. Thus, when something actual happens to one of the characters, the audience feels shock and disorientation. Although Fritz is no saint he is a decent person caught between a rock and a hard place. Even so, he is trying to do the right thing by bringing a criminal to justice. He is the kind of character that readers want in a series.Harriet Klausner