Goodbye to the Dead
Goodbye to the Dead
by Brian Freeman
Quercus Publishing Inc. • ISBN: 978-1-62365-911-0 • $26.99 Hardcover
Can it really have been 10 years since Brian Freeman introduced his Duluth police detective Jonathan Stride to the world?
This latest novel brings the troubled detective back in time, to relive a murder, a trial and an unexpected event at the mall before returning to the present. Stride wants to correct what he thinks is a wrong from the past that pitted his beliefs against his late wife’s.
The fun is so much Duluth in Brian’s series. Characters go to UMD hockey games, read the Duluth News Tribune (where the murder victim worked), eat at the Duluth Grill and interact with others who may seem familiar even to our readers (“You never know who might show up in my books,” Brian says). His dark themes, though, pull on today’s headlines of mass shootings and human trafficking.
This is the best time of year for a great mystery, when the wind howls and it’s better to stay inside to learn more about an old friend you’ve known for a decade.
Tracks in the Wild
Tracks in the Wild
written & illustrated by Betsy Bowen
University of Minnesota Press • ISBN: 978-0-8166-9883-7 • $19.95 Hardcover
It’s also perfect timing for the rerelease of this timeless picture book by Grand Marais, Minnesota, artist Betsy Bowen. The delightful guide teaches about our northwoods critter neighbors while showing their tracks, lifesize, on the page. This is the best time of year to get the children out to look at the tracks in the snow – an easy way to identify what’s traveled the pathways and to learn about nature. While Brian Freeman’s mystery is a good reason to snuggle by the fire inside, Betsy’s book will inspire you to bundle up and enjoy the outdoors.