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Jonathan Stride Books in Order

Part ofBrian Freeman Books in Order

Explore the Jonathan Stride series by Brian Freeman in order, with book summaries, Duluth setting details, and practical advice on where to begin.

Last updated: July 15, 2026

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Jonathan Stride books in publication order

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15 books

1

Immoral

by Brian Freeman

2005

Two teenage girls vanish from the same Duluth high school, and Lieutenant Jonathan Stride refuses to accept the easy serial-killer explanation. A murder trial without a body exposes ugly secrets, then sends the case in a far darker direction.

2

Stripped

by Brian Freeman

2006

In Las Vegas, Jonathan Stride and Serena Dial investigate a celebrity murder and a brutal hit-and-run that seem unrelated. Their cases lead toward an old showgirl killing and a predator who is not finished hunting.

3

Stalked

by Brian Freeman

2007

An escaped killer targets Serena Dial, the woman who helped send him to prison. At the same time, Stride's partner Maggie becomes a suspect in her husband's death, leaving Stride to protect both women as the cases converge.

4

In The Dark

by Brian Freeman

2008

5

In The Dark / The Watcher

by Brian Freeman

2008

A writer returns to Duluth to revisit the unsolved murder of Jonathan Stride's late wife's sister. As Stride digs into the thirty-year-old crime, present-day violence suggests someone is still desperate to keep the past buried.

6

The Burying Place

by Brian Freeman

2009

Jonathan Stride investigates the kidnapping of an infant from a prominent Minnesota family's home while Maggie Bei pursues a killer stalking women nearby. The two cases uncover private betrayals, and danger closes in on a rookie officer.

7

Spitting Devil

by Brian Freeman

2012

Alison Malville fears her husband is a serial killer after murdered women are found wearing pieces of her clothing. As nightmares and suspicion consume her home, Jonathan Stride searches for the truth behind a chilling pattern.

8

The Cold Nowhere

by Brian Freeman

2013

A half-frozen teenage girl arrives at Jonathan Stride's Lake Superior cottage, asking protection from a stalker. Her mother was a woman Stride once failed to save, and helping her may uncover a new, deadly danger.

9

Turn to Stone

by Brian Freeman

2014

While visiting his mother's grave in rural Wisconsin, Jonathan Stride witnesses a young deputy's suicide. The deputy's widow asks him to investigate, leading Stride into the dark aftermath of an old kidnapping and a town determined to stay silent.

10

Goodbye to the Dead

by Brian Freeman

2015

A gun recovered after a new murder reopens the case of a respected doctor convicted of killing her husband years earlier. For Jonathan Stride, the investigation is personal because his late wife was the doctor's closest friend.

11

Marathon

by Brian Freeman

2017

A viral social-media post falsely identifies a Muslim taxi driver as a terrorist, turning him into the target of a furious public hunt. Jonathan Stride races to find the real threat before fear and misinformation claim more lives.

12

Alter Ego

by Brian Freeman

2018

A Hollywood film crew arrives in Duluth to dramatize one of Jonathan Stride's old cases, stirring up fresh trouble. When a local murder and an attack on a young survivor collide, Stride faces secrets that fame has made more dangerous.

13

Funeral for a Friend

by Brian Freeman

2020

Jonathan Stride's dying best friend confesses to burying a body to protect him. When the body is found in Stride's yard, the detective becomes a murder suspect and must uncover the secret his friend took to the grave.

14

The Zero Night

by Brian Freeman

2022

Back from a long medical leave, Jonathan Stride helps Maggie Bei investigate a woman's apparent kidnapping after her husband pays ransom. The case is full of lies, while Serena faces painful memories triggered by her mother's death.

15
New

Where the Road Ends

by Brian Freeman

2026

After a Duluth judge and his wife are murdered, Maggie Bei shoots an intruder she believes is the killer. Jonathan Stride discovers the man was unarmed and must find the real murderer before Maggie's life is destroyed.

Jonathan Stride books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Immoral"

    Immoral

    by Brian Freeman

    2005Jonathan Stride, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Stripped"

    Stripped

    by Brian Freeman

    2006Jonathan Stride, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Stalked"

    Stalked

    by Brian Freeman

    2007Jonathan Stride, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "In The Dark / The Watcher"

    In The Dark / The Watcher

    by Brian Freeman

    2008Jonathan Stride, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The Burying Place"

    The Burying Place

    by Brian Freeman

    2009Jonathan Stride, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Spitting Devil"

    Spitting Devil

    by Brian Freeman

    2012Jonathan Stride, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "The Cold Nowhere"

    The Cold Nowhere

    by Brian Freeman

    2013Jonathan Stride, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Turn to Stone"

    Turn to Stone

    by Brian Freeman

    2014Jonathan Stride, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Goodbye to the Dead"

    Goodbye to the Dead

    by Brian Freeman

    2015Jonathan Stride, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Marathon"

    Marathon

    by Brian Freeman

    2017Jonathan Stride, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Alter Ego"

    Alter Ego

    by Brian Freeman

    2018Jonathan Stride, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Funeral for a Friend"

    Funeral for a Friend

    by Brian Freeman

    2020Jonathan Stride, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Zero Night"

    The Zero Night

    by Brian Freeman

    2022Jonathan Stride, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Where the Road Ends"

    Where the Road Ends

    by Brian Freeman

    2026Jonathan Stride, Book 14

Series background & context

The Jonathan Stride novels follow a Duluth, Minnesota, homicide lieutenant whose cases keep colliding with old grief, hidden lives, and the harsh weather off Lake Superior. Jonathan Stride is steady under pressure and stubborn when a victim has been ignored, but he is not a clean-slate detective. He carries the loss of his first wife, Cindy, and the weight of investigations that did not end the way he wanted.

The series starts with Immoral, when two teenage girls disappear from the same high school. The case introduces Stride's patient, questioning style and the way Freeman builds suspense from conflicting accounts. What seems obvious at first is usually not the whole story. The early books also establish Maggie Bei, Stride's longtime partner, and Serena Dial, a former Las Vegas detective whose relationship with Stride develops across the series.

Duluth matters as much as the cases.

The city and its surroundings provide more than a backdrop. Lake-effect snow, lakefront homes, empty stretches of road, old neighborhoods, and the chill of a northern winter shape how people move through these stories. Stripped takes Stride and Serena to Las Vegas, while Stalked puts the women closest to Stride in immediate danger. By In the Dark, a decades-old murder tied to Cindy's family forces him to revisit his own past.

Later books broaden the emotional stakes. The Burying Place links a child abduction and a series of killings. The Cold Nowhere brings a troubled teenager from Stride's past into his isolated life. In Goodbye to the Dead, an old gun reopens questions surrounding Cindy's friend. Cases may be complete by each ending, but the people solving them do not return to the same place.

That continuity is the point.

The series has room for short fiction, including Spitting Devil and the novella Turn to Stone, but the main novels form the clearest path through Stride's changing relationships and career. Marathon and Alter Ego bring contemporary public pressure and media attention into the mix, while Funeral for a Friend and The Zero Night push Stride, Serena, and Maggie into cases with painful personal connections.

These are psychological police thrillers rather than cozy puzzles. The crimes can be dark, and Freeman spends time on the fear, guilt, loyalties, and bad decisions surrounding them. Start with Immoral and read forward for the fullest picture of Stride's life, his colleagues, and a city where the cold often hides more than it reveals.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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