The Bone House

In a touristy part of Wisconsin, a girl witnesses a tragic fire, setting into motion horrific events that unfold over several years. Wrapped up in the story is a couple who become outcasts in a quiet community that relies more on rumors than facts. When a local sheriff butts heads with a Florida detective, the result is powder keg waiting to ignite. Joe Barrett is an enigma as narrator. He doesn't distinguish between two of the major characters, but his secondary characters, who are important to the story, are well done, especially a gravelly voiced lawman and a not-so-confident teen. As tension mounts, Barrett quickens the pace, unfolding a riveting whodunit with a suspenseful narration. M.B. 2012 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

February 21, 2011
At the start of this solid stand-alone from Freeman (Immoral and three other titles in his Duluth, Minn., crime series), former high school teacher Mark Bradley is on vacation in Florida with his wife, Hilary. The previous year, accusations of an affair with a female student ruined Mark's teaching career in Wisconsin's Door County, where he and Hilary had moved to escape Chicago. Even though Tresa Fischer insisted that her crush on Mark was nothing more than that, the tight-knit community shunned the Bradleys and labeled Mark a predator. When 16-year-old Glory, Tresa's wild-child younger sister, turns up dead on a beach near Mark and Hilary's hotel, Mark becomes the number one murder suspect. Det. Cab Bolton, who isn't one to jump to conclusions, travels from Florida to Wisconsin to unravel Mark—and Glory's—complicated lives. Well-developed characters and a thrilling climax help compensate for a plot that relies on too many coincidences.

May 30, 2011
Past crimes, hidden secrets, mysterious murders, unknown villains, a plucky heroine, an innocent man condemned by circumstance, and a likable, witty, eccentric detectiveâall the ingredients for a propulsive page-turner are present in Freeman's new thriller. The frequent surprises are smartly enhanced by the crisp, slightly satiric delivery of narrator Joe Barrett, whose smooth, slightly wise-guy twang is nearly a voice double for film star Christian Slater's. Protagonist Mark Bradley, an ex-schoolteacher fired without cause for a rumored affair with teenager Tresa Fischer, is on vacation with his wife when he becomes the main suspect in the murder of Tresa's younger, wilder sister, Glory. Freeman has designed a complicated puzzle, and while all the pieces fit, keeping track of them could have been a challenge to the listener. Fortunately, Barrett's emphatic rendering of the events, along with his distinctive character voices, makes the ordeal of audio backtracking totally unnecessary. A Minotaur hardcover.