Stripped

Stripped starts up a few months after "Immoral" left off. Stride is now in Las Vegas with the police department & Serena. A fish out of water compared to being in Minnesota, he is paired with a partner who no one else will partner with. Numerous murders and a chameleon killer that ties to an old Vegas 1960's murder with the players still playing & scheming. Stride learns that secrets, politics, scheming, murder,betrayal and sleight of hand is Vegas, baby!

Brian Freeman--just "found" him a few months ago. REALLY enjoy his writing and was afraid #2 wouldn't be as good as #1. No worries--I enjoyed this as much as his first book and have since read his 3rd which continues to not disappoint.

I finally got around to reading "Stripped" after having read Freeman's initial novel, "Immoral" some time earlier and all I could think was, what took me so long. I enjoy Freeman for his believable characters, his sense of place, and his ability to turn a plot in unexpected directions...all while keeping me breathlessly turning page after page. He can handle violence and sex as plot devices in such a smooth manner that you never feel outraged or imposed upon. In "Stripped", Jonathan Stride and Serena Dial have relocated from Minnesota (his home) to Las Vegas (her home). While initially assigned to different partners, their cases eventually intertwine and pick up a head of steam. A series of seemingly unrelated murders eventually reveal possible connections to a 40 year old murder that may or may not have been solved. Before the novel runs its course, we are treated to a hodgepodge of bigger than life mobsters, strippers, prostitutes, hit men, retirees hiding secrets, and a transsexual cop, among others, who all have a part to play in this investigation of a crime in the past to solve a crime in the present. The plot is complex, winding, and fast paced. There are more than a few unexpected twists and turns as the story unfolds. Even after the apparent climactic confrontation, there are surprises in the denouement that will add to the reader's enjoyment. As is typical of Freeman's efforts, there are numerous psychological aspects to this novel, both in character development and plotline implementation. There are multilayered issues regarding loyalty, familial love, power, corruption, and different ways to love different people. What his characters feel and why they feel that way is always a background element of Freeman's novels. I like this complexity and feel it contributes greatly to why I am attracted to his psychological thrillers.

I had the good fortune to find out about Brian Freeman, just before going off on a short vacation, so I managed to take both this book and his first one, IMMORAL with me which provided some really riveting reading. In this novel, Jonathan Stride, former Duluth Police Lieutenant has become a Las Vegas Metro Detective, joining his love interest, Detective Serena Dial. If you thought there were twists and turns in the first book, set in Minnesota, you can imagine what the writer is able to to with a story set in Sin City, Nevada. Now, if a book which features mystery, violence, sex, intrigue isn't your cup of tea, you want to give this one a wide berth because Mr. Freeman has an abundance of all of the above in the chapters of this book. He is also one helluva writer and he has not disappointed yet in his first two efforts. I am waiting anxiously for his next one.

Stripped is Brian Freeman's second novel and builds on the personalities we first encountered in Immoral. It is a remarkably believable and powerful study in violence and how past events can come back thirty years later to haunt you. The personalities are totally believable, the action is on-going and at no point do I figure out how the novel would end. I strongly recommend it.

This book is the rare breed of action, love, and suspense...all rolled into one. It was a real page turner! I never wanted the book to end so I read it a piece at a time. I'm definitely recommending it to my friends.