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

My timing is impeccable. What a time to join in on Brian Freeman’s Jonathan Stride series. Better late than never. You see, I have always depended on my brother-in-law to give me a heads-up about a mystery/thriller series to check out. Let’s just say that he failed me in never mentioning this series and he may be getting lumps of coal this year for Christmas.

This book is heavy. There is some tough issues that Brian Freeman addresses in this novel and we get to join in with Stride and his team as they have to wrestle with them. Any time you involve kids, your heart is going to race as you just beg the deity of your choice they make it. What makes it worse is that you don’t need an imagination. You know some of these horrors are real. Now, to Freeman’s credit, he doesn’t get so dark that the book should come with a trigger warning. But understand the heaviness weighs on the good guys and you feel it take its toll.

The process of getting to the end of this novel is so well written and is a great read. So, once again, I find myself thinking that I need to go back and read all the previous 11 entries in this series. My summer reading list just got full.

There are a lot of relational dynamics played out that I know I missed some of the emotions long time readers must have felt. However, you are able to read this as a newcomer to the series.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for an eARC of this book. The Jonathan Stride series, this is number 12, is one of my favourites and it was a real privilege to read and review it.

The story starts out with a bang as one of the team, Maggie Bei, confronts a possible murderer, shooting and killing them when it appears the suspect draws a weapon. Maggie is suspended from her position as the rest of the team investigates, but she doesn't let it go. Her investigation leads her towards a teenage abduction cold case. Meanwhile Stride's investigation is taking him closer to an old nemisis, a Duluth crime lord.

As always, it's very well written with interesting characters, a well developed and fast moving plot. The end will surprise you. I highly recommend this entire series. 5 out of 5 stars for this book.

I’ve enjoyed Brian Freeman’s take on Bourne and I appreciated this trip into his world of tension and suspense. One of my favorite contemporary writers in this genre.

You cannot go wrong reading any of Brian Freeman's books, especially his Jonathan Strider series. I have read all of the books in this series and honestly, this is one of Freeman's most suspenseful - it will leave you breathless until the end. Thanks for the ARC!!!

I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

I am late to the Brian Freeman and Detective Stride series. It makes me want to go back for the first 11 in the series. What it does tell me is that this is a stand alone. I am sure there were things I might have missed without the first books, but it catches you up to what you need to know.

The basic premise is of a police involved shooting. Within that there are a number of subplots. The story really shows the putting together of pieces of the puzzle to solve a couple of crimes to resolve the officer related shooting.

Very well done and it has a bit of a hook at the end. I really need to go back and read more of Mr. Freeman and Stride.

I am definitely not okay after reading this latest and possibly greatest entry into Brian Freeman's EXCELLENT Jonathan Stride series. Oh my gosh, the emotions are high with this one! Something wicked this way comes, indeed. This is a long-running series featuring detective Jonathan Stride and his fellow detectives and family in Duluth, Minnesota. All the usual characters are here, as well as a few welcome surprises for long-time fans. A huge thank you to the author for that! I love Stride and Serena's evolving relationship with Cat and also learning what happened to Elton from the previous book. The story opens with detective Maggie Bei driving home from a party. A call goes out for a murdered judge and his wife. Maggie is close by, so she heads over to investigate. She ends up shooting and killing a possible unarmed man. The fallout from that is one plot point. We also have a missing girl, a dead high-school student, an illegal gambling operation and a truly evil and highly entertaining bad guy, just to name a few other points. Stride and friends are on the case, or cases. Make no mistake, this is a gritty and dark series that touches on some heavy topics. I love the setting and atmosphere. It is COLD in Duluth, Minnesota and this Texas girl loves reading about it! As excited as I was to receive this ARC, I went into it nervously. The title suggests an end to the series, but I feel so many doors were opened with this book. At least I hope so. The last few chapters are just WOW!!! So many feels! These characters are old friends and when they are happy, I am happy. When they hurt, I hurt. I cried at the end. Happy tears and sad tears. Please, please bring Stride and company back quickly!! I would also love to see a continuation of the Cab Bolton series. Just throwing that out there!
For newbies to this series, yes, Where the Road Ends can definitely be read as a standalone but take my advice and immediately go back and catch up with Book 1, Immoral and go from there. You can thank me later. I also feel this series is perfect for Karin Slaughter/Will Trent fans looking for something comparable. And I don't say that lightly. This series is PHENOMENAL!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, Brian Freeman and Blackstone Publishing for this much appreciated ARC. I was honored to be given the opportunity to read this early copy. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of October 6, 2026.

This latest edition of the Jonathan Stride series moves into fourth gear almost immediately. In this case, after Stride’s partner is called out to the scene of a late night shooting in the home of a judge, she discovers two bodies and kills an intruder when he appears to be raising a gun in her direction. However, as there is no gun to be found, she finds herself suspended and facing murder charges. As Stride attempts to solve the murders, he uncovers a connection to a a 15-year old boy who went missing months earlier. Along with roller coaster twists and turns the novel is filled with an array of fascinating characters.

All in all, this 12th book of the series was nearly impossible to put down, as the suspense was on high-octane and the underlying mystery of the murders became deeper with each new discovery. In addition, it was nice to see how Stride and his cohorts aged in real time, to the point that he made a number of reference to possible retirement. Fortunately, for the readers of this series, the novel ended with an unexpected bang…which laid the promise of another book involving Jonathan Stride and his team. In any event, this is a 5-star read and definitely recommended.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I don’t usually jump into a series this far down the road, but I had recently read my first Brian Freeman book, The Deep, Deep Snow, and enjoyed it so much I wanted to sample another. When I first started this one, I thought I’d really made a mistake in bypassing the previous Jonathan Stride books. I knew I was missing the depth of understanding one gets from getting to know characters over several years. It didn’t take long, though, to forget all about that.

The main story lines were engaging from the start—the murder of a judge and his wife, the disappearance of a young girl six years ago, and the apparent suicide of a high school boy. Though this is the latest installment in the Stride series, Stride wasn’t the focus of the story. The stars were Maggie, a police colleague; Serena, his wife; and Cat, his adopted daughter. They shone brightly by unraveling tangled webs of obsession, revenge, and family ties to solve the cases and save themselves with only a few assists from Stride.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even with a couple of plot points that strained credulity. Who cares when it’s this entertaining. But I haven’t decided whether I’m going back to the beginning of the Stride saga, or just take it from here since I’m confident Stride has more cases to solve, and Maggie, Serena, and Cat each have new horizons to explore. No matter what I decide, I will definitely keep reading Freeman’s work.

Thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Brian Freeman for providing a copy of this book for review. Where the Road Ends is scheduled for release October 6, 2026.