The Night Bird – Frost Easton Series Book #1

Author: Brian Freeman
Genre: Crime Thriller, Psychological Thriller
346 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer, 2017

Synopsis
Homicide detective Frost Easton doesn’t like coincidences. When a series of bizarre deaths rock San Francisco—as seemingly random women suffer violent psychotic breaks—Frost looks for a connection that leads him to psychiatrist Francesca Stein. Frankie’s controversial therapy helps people erase their most terrifying memories…and all the victims were her patients.

As Frost and Frankie carry out their own investigations, the case becomes increasingly personal—and dangerous. Long-submerged secrets surface as someone called the Night Bird taunts the pair with cryptic messages pertaining to the deaths. Soon Frankie is forced to confront strange gaps in her own memory, and Frost faces a killer who knows the detective’s worst fears.

As the body count rises and the Night Bird circles ever closer, a dedicated cop and a brilliant doctor race to solve the puzzle before a cunning killer claims another victim.

My review
The Night Bird by Brian Freeman is quite a ride! This psychological thriller focuses on the psychological trauma of the main characters and the inner demons each must struggle with while racing to solve the main mystery of the story. This isn’t dark, gritty crime fiction, but it does offer a highly entertaining and fast-paced reading experience with a creative storyline. While the premise may seem far-fetched, I found it fascinating to ponder how easily our memories can be manipulated and what it would be like to erase negative, traumatic memories.

The story is set in San Francisco, and Freeman masterfully establishes the scene, creating an eerie and foreboding atmosphere. It’s the perfect book to curl up with for a night, cup of tea in hand, and your favorite blanket.

Frost Easton is an immediately engaging main protagonist. He’s suffered a huge personal loss and is thrown together with Dr. Frankie Stein, a psychiatrist whose patients seem to be suffering horrific psychotic breaks due to her innovative but controversial treatment. Together and separately they struggle to discover the truth and then race to find the villain. I found it a bit odd that Easton works solo throughout most of the book and we rarely see him at the police station or with other officers. I appreciated that Easton lives in a house owned by a cat, Shack, and I hope to see more of Shack in subsequent books in the series. Stein has an icy, distant relationship with her husband and live-in sister, and she struggles to cope with the recent death of her father.

This is my first Brian Freeman novel, and I look forward to reading the next installment in the series. If you can suspend disbelief, I think you’ll find The Night Bird an entertaining and fast-paced read with interesting characters and a creative, fun storyline.

My recommendation: read it!