Brian Freeman Books In Order – Complete List

Brian Freeman is the New York Times bestselling author of the Jonathan Stride psychological suspense series, the Cab Bolton crime mystery series, the San Francisco homicide inspector Frost Eaton series, the Shelby Lake series, and the Jason Bourne books in the popular spy thriller series.

Here are the Brian Freeman books in order for his crime mystery series, his espionage series, and his standalone novels written under his own name and other pen names. The series publication order is usually the same with the chronological order.

Latest Brian Freeman Books

Jonathan Stride Books In Publication Order

The series features Jonathan Stride, a homicide lieutenant, Maggie Bei, his partner working on the coast of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota, and Serena Dial, a fellow detective and love interest.

1. Immoral (#1), 2005
2. Stripped (#2), 2006
3. Stalked (#3), 2007
4. The Watcher (#4), 2008 (also titled In The Dark)
5. The Burying Place (#5), 2009
6. Spitting Devil (#5.5), 2012
7. Turn to Stone (#5.6), 2014
8. The Cold Nowhere (#6), 2013
9. Goodbye to the Dead (#7), 2015
10. Marathon (#8), 2017
11. Alter Ego (#9), 2018
12. Funeral for a Friend ( #10), 2020
13. The Zero Night (#11), 2022

Cab Bolton Books In Publication Order

The series features Cab, a quirky Florida detective

1. The Bone House, 2010
2. Season of Fear, 2014

Frost Easton Books in Publication Order

Frost Easton is a homicide detective in San Francisco with very rigid moral codes that, at times, causing him quite a bit of trouble. He is a sympathetic and honorable character.

1. The Night Bird, 2017
2. The Voice Inside, 2018
3. The Crooked Street, 2019

Shelby Lake Books in Publication Order

1. The Deep, Deep Snow, 2020
2. The Ursulina, 2022 (prequel story)

Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne Books In Publication Order

series originally written by Robert Ludlum

1. The Bourne Evolution (#15), 2020
2. The Bourne Treachery (#16), 2021
3. The Bourne Sacrifice (#17), 2022
4. The Bourne Defiance (#18), 2023
5. The Bourne Shadow (#19), 2024
6. The Bourne Vendetta (#20), 2025

Standalone Novels in Publication Order

• Spilled Blood, 2012
• Thief River Falls, 2020
• Infinite, 2021
• I Remember You, 2022
• Break Every Rule, 2024
• Photograph, 2025

Novellas and Short Stories

• The Souls of the Ships, 2013 (novella)

Written as B.N. Freeman

• West 57, 2015

Written as Ally O’Brien

• The Agency (Tess Drake books), 2009

Brian Freeman Biography

Brian Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1963 and grew up in the Bay Area of California in San Mateo. He attended Carleton College in Minnesota from where he graduated in English in 1984 with magna cum laude.

Brian started writing from an early age, as he always wanted to write books for a living. Noticing his love of the craft, his middle-school teacher encouraged him to simply sit in a corner and write his story, rather than follow the class curriculum. He finished his first book at the age of 13. He also loved reading. He probably got his love for mystery novels from his grandmother, who loved reading crime mystery novels.

Brian married his wife, Marcia, there and decided to settle down with his family in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Before starting his author career at the age of 41, he worked as a database systems manager, communication strategist and business writer in Minnesota, after which became director of marketing and public relations for the international law firm Faegre & Benson.

Before getting his debut novel, Immoral, a courtroom drama, published, the author wrote five novels now sitting in his drawer as practice books.

So far the Brian Freeman books have been sold in over 50 countries and translated into 20 languages.

Reading the Brian Freeman books in order starts with his debut novel, Immoral, published in 2005, which won the Macavity Award for Best First Novel. It was also a finalist for the popular Edgar Awards, Dagger, Anthony, and Barry Awards. The book is the first in his popular Jonathan Stride mystery series.

The author has three additional series, Cab Bolton, Frost Easton, and Shelby Lake. In addition, there are new books in the Robert Ludlum Jason Bourne series, which Brian Freeman now co-authors after Eric Van Lustbader left the franchise.

The author also wrote a few romantic novels, including West 57 under the pseudonym B.N. Freeman, and The Agency under the pseudonym Ally O’Brien.

The latest Brian Freeman book is The Bourne Vendetta, book #20 in Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series, published in January 2025.

The Jonathan Stride series features Homicide Lieutenant Jonathan Stride and his partner Maggie Bei, working in Duluth, Minnesota. In Marathon, published in 2017, a bomb explodes at the Duluth Marathon, and a Muslim man is invariably found as the criminal. But did he really do it?

When the bomb exploded, Stride, his wife Serena, and his partner, Maggie, were right in the middle of it all, as Serena had just completed the race. As the police are clearing the area and the ambulances and medics are there to try to help the injured, many think this was an act of terror, and  Islamic radicalism is in the minds of many. When American Muslim Khan Rashid is pointed a finger at as being a suspect, things turn dire for the poor man, especially when the entire Duluth is looking for him.

The author brings a complex mix of real-life events and people’s feelings about these events and racial differences that are so prevalent in the minds of so many people today.

In Alter Ego, Jonathan Stride is called to work an accident case that is stranger than fiction. During a car accident on the remote road outside of Dulluth, the driver is killed. When Jonathan investigates, he learns that the person doesn’t exist.

When, the next day, a college girl at Dulluth disappears, Jonathan fears the worst. But he also starts to put the dots together. Could the two cases be somehow related? And what do both cases have to do with the movie that is made based on an older Stride case where several women were kept in cages and then killed?

This book also brings Cab Bolton’s appearance, although not as a main character.

Reading the Jonathan Stride books in order is not necessary, although recommended. The author mentioned in an interview that whenever he starts a new book, he is very careful in introducing the story and new character, so newcomers can dive right in.

Brian Freeman’s contribution to the Jason Bourne series began in 2020 with The Bourne Evolution, picking up after Eric Van Lustbader released the previous novel, The Bourne Initiative in 2017. In various interviews, the author mentioned that he felt it was very important to stay true to Ludlum’s original intention and vision, while at the same time bringing in contemporary elements that would resonate with modern readers.

He always felt that continuing the Robert Ludlum legacy was a major intimidating task. After all, he would step in the shoes of a legend who brought us the classic Jason Bourne, being popular not only among book readers but moviegoers alike.

Brian Freeman mentioned that prefers including the usual character complexities including the well-known themes of identities and memory along with action-packed stories and strong emotions. When he first wrote The Bourne Evolution, he felt it was easier to do so than the sequel, because the first was a direct follow-up with a well-known character. However, with The Bourne Treachery, the author realized that he needed to make the character truly his own. This time, it was no longer just about staying true to Robert Ludlum’s creation but it had to reflect his own personal vision as well.

What Are the Main Differences in Writing the Bourne and Jonathan Stride Series?

The differences in writing the Jonathan Stride and Bourne novels lie not only in the characters but also in the writing styles. The Jonathan Stride books are gritty police procedurals, focusing more on the investigative aspects of crime and solving the crimes, whereas the Bourne novels are fast-paced adrenaline full spy stories.

The Stride novels give us a full and rich experience of the complex, engaging characters, where we can basically start the series wherever, without feeling lost. They focus on the characters’ emotional journey within the context of a detective story with twist-filled plots. This makes the books also psychological thrillers.

However, Bourne is a very complex character who has to deal with complex questions related to his identity and issues of morality. Every few books, Brian Freeman introduces new characters to keep the series fresh, while at the same time giving us the continuity that we are already familiar with when we read a Bourne franchise novel.

In addition, the Stride novels can be also read as standalone stories, making the series accessible to pretty much anyone. But when it comes to Bourne, since he is the main character of the entire series focusing on his identity journey, this approach is simply not possible. Thus the author has to include references to Bourne’s past, giving us a main focus on Bourne’s psychological complexity.

Brian Freeman Awards and Nominations

• The Burying Place was nominated for the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel in 2011
• Spilled Blood won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel in 2013
• Immoral was shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in 2006
• Immoral was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 2006
• Immoral was nominated for the Barry Award for Best First Novel in 2006
• Immoral was nominated for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel in 2006
• Immoral received the Macavity Award for Best First Novel in 2006
• The Deep, Deep Snow was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original in 2021