Brian Freeman does an amazing job in writing this twelfth entry in the Jonathan Stride series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the previous entries. I cared about the characters and was hooked in this from the beginning and enjoyed the overall feel that I was expecting. It worked well and was invested in what was going on. I'm glad I was able to read this and hope to read more from Brian Freeman.

A great addition to the Jonathan Stride series. I got a little scared when it seemed like this was the end, but hopefully they will continue to be written. I always enjoy Brian Freeman's books, but particularly the Stride series.

Where the Road Ends, the latest in Brian Freeman’s Jonathan Stride series, is an excellent addition. It begins with the usually unstoppable Maggie Bei being stopped by having shot and killed a man she believed murdered a judge and his wife, but he was unarmed. Intertwined with these murders is the case of a student of the judge’s wife who everyone believes died by suicide. And another thread belongs to a girl who has been missing and presumed dead for six years, Emma Strong. It falls to Stride, his wife Serena, and their (as good as) daughter Cat to try to figure out who killed the judge and his wife, who killed the alien-obsessed man initially assumed to have been the murderer, and what happened to Emma Strong and the dead boy Deacon.
Maggie, barred from helping, helps anyway. So does a boy named Loring, severely autistic but brilliant. He claims to have an invisible friend named Emma whose description seems uncomfortably close to the missing Emma. Freeman is so good at introducing these twists and turns and resolving them by the end without stretching our credulity. He’s also extremely good at keeping us emotionally connected to the characters. Several are at a crossroads in their lives and careers. I can’t wait to see where they land in what I hope will be the next chapter in the Jonathan Stride universe. Many thanks to Blackstone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read another book in one of my favorite series.

Brian Freeman masters the art of creating and expanding upon compelling human characters that feel like people you can look up to, yet at the same time feel flawed. From the very first chapter, there’s an air of mystery and suspenseful horror that felt very surprising to experience in a thriller. Combining an on-the-grounds investigative detective narrative with a surreal mystical and darkness that is most commonly found in Stephen King-esque stories, I found Where The Road Ends to be an enthralling read. The thrills just keep on adding with each new chapter as the investigation unravels with finesse and apt suspense.

Freeman's 12th Jonathan Stroud mystery is a barn burner of a novel. Freeman juggles two storylines with precision and emotional depth with characters his readers have come to care for. To top off its' a good mystery that had me guessing to the very end. This series just keeps getting better.

Wow just wow. Another great book in the Jonathan Stride series. Lots of twists and turns and a few tears from me. Cat was featured more in this book and I absolutely loved that storyline and the little boy she befriended. I was afraid this was going to be the end of the series but the ending left me with hope for more. I highly recommend this book and this series.

Excellent addition to the series. All of the gang is back as a bunch of plots have to be straightened out and solved. Maggie, protagonist Stride’s partner starts the story with a (literal) bang as she shoots a thief following a murder. When it turns out he was unarmed, that plot thickens. Illegal card games, aliens, kidnapping, child prodigy, politics, and more are woven expertly.

Riveting Freeman 5 star read.
A judge is murdered in his bed along with his wife and the first on scene detective shoots the killer, as he fires the scene and points a gun at her.
Or so she thought.
Until it turns out he was not the killer and he did not have a gun.
Stride takes over the investigation while his team, I clouding his wife try to understand exactly what happened and how if it may be be tied to an earlier killing, while his wife, Serena, looks into the possible connection between a young girl, abducted years before, and a current autistic student at the high school.
Great mysteries with intriguing suspense and creeping threads in all directions.
Really enjoyed the unraveling.
Great read.

I haven’t ever read any of this series, but his writing allows you to start right in and become absorbed. The book involves Stride and his partner Maggie. Maggie stumbles upon a crime that has interlocking impact on multiple people past and present. Freeman really develops well written characters. I throughly enjoyed this book!

The Jonathan Stride series is my favorite of all time. The title of this one brings concern for the series as Stride is aging and the job does take a toll on a person especially from this wonderful author. This book is packed with some unexpected surprises for the true fans and reads as a page turner for all. The plot was the typical standard of creative, woven, and driven by all the characters. I love the Duluth setting and hope to get back there soon. I won’t show any cards on how this book wraps up other than saying what I’ve said for years: Stride Rocks!

Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review