Brian Freeman

Everyone keeps secrets in Vegas. Especially about murder...Detective Jonathan Stride discovers that there are only two ways to go in Las Vegas: you can hit the jackpot or you can get Stripped... Sure to enthral fans of Freeman's thrilling Thief River Falls, The Nightbird and The Voice Inside.'This guy can tell a story' Michael Connelly'A strong narrative, rife with sex and violence' Publishers Weekly Elonda's seen most things working the streets. But it's a first when her client is shot dead in the act. Detective Jonathan Stride quickly establishes that the victim is M.J. Lane, son of a reclusive millionaire film producer. Any number of people might have wanted to kill M.J. Another death is troubling the Vegas force - that of a little boy, killed in a hit-and-run incident involving a stolen car. Then the body of a woman is found in a remote farmhouse. Could the murders be linked? It seems the killer wants to send a message about the brutal slaying decades earlier of a nightclub dancer. That case was wrapped up quickly. Too quickly? Someone certainly thinks so - and he's set on murderous revenge for the sins of the past.What readers are saying about Stripped:'I couldn't put this down. Breath-taking, brilliant, talented''This story has everything: greed, power, corruption, murder, love, revenge, desire, family feuds dating back forty years. There are a lot of very good thrillers out there, but Stripped is in a class above''Full of twists and turns - it's an exciting read, gripping from the very first page'

In a riveting debut thriller, Brian Freeman's Immoral weaves obsession, sex, and revenge into a story that grips the reader with vivid characters and shocking plot twists from the first page to the last. Lieutenant Jonathan Stride is suffering from an ugly case of d j vu. For the second time in a year, a beautiful teenage girl has disappeared off the streets of Duluth, Minnesota--gone without a trace, like a bitter gust off Lake Superior. The two victims couldn't be more different. First it was Kerry McGrath, bubbly, sweet sixteen. And now Rachel Deese, strange, sexually charged, a wild child. The media hounds Stride to catch a serial killer, and as the search carries him from the icy stillness of the northern woods to the erotic heat of Las Vegas, he must decide which facts are real and which are illusions. And Stride finds his own life changed forever by the secrets he uncovers. Secrets that stretch across time in a web of lies, death, and illicit desire. Secrets that are chillingly...immoral.

IN A MORAL WORLD, MURDER IS THE ULTIMATE CRIME . . .A powerful thriller woven with obsession, sex and revenge, from the author of Jason Bourne novels including Robert Ludlum's™ the Bourne Evolution and Robert Ludlum's™ the Bourne Escape. 'Breathtakingly real . . . page-turning psychological suspense' Jeffery DeaverIn Duluth, Minnesota, a young woman, Rachel Stoner, has gone missing. Cop Jonathan Stride, a sharply focused detective despite the stresses of his troubled personal life, is quick to suspect her stepfather Graeme of murder. And yet, he has his doubts. Even for a man accustomed to power, the accused seems remarkably convinced he'll go free. Could he be telling the truth? While Stride endeavours to make sense of the conflicting pieces of evidence, a young woman's body lies half-buried deep in the woods. But if it's not the body of Rachel, where is the missing girl? Is she dead, or is the terrible fate that awaits Graeme Stoner one he does not deserve?In this dark, involving mystery, nothing is as it seems, and readers will be gripped to the very last page as the shocking truth gradually emerges.What readers are saying about Immoral:'Fast-paced and plenty of action - he had me guessing up to the final pages. A first rate thriller''If you like crime fiction, especially the novels that really twist your mind in knots while you try to figure out what's going on, then you need to buy Immoral''The facets of the book are beautifully drawn into vivid creations as the story progresses and the drama of the investigation is only emphasised by the brilliantly timed flashbacks. I wanted to re-read it straight away!'

SQL Server 2000 is the leading relational database in the Windows market. The increased manageability of SQL Server 2000 has "lowered the bar" with regard to the people that can use it – anyone can use a SQL Server database. However, this book recognizes that aspiring DBAs need more than just a basic knowledge of the available features in order to be considered "a safe pair of hands" for the database and the mission-critical data that is stored in it. They require direction and advice from an expert mentor who not only understands the features available and how they should be used, but also knows what it takes to be a good and effective DBA. In essence, this book is that "mentor", and this is why the book stands apart from the "feature overview" competition.The book teaches a database novice the core job and roles involved in administering a SQL Server database. It follows the lifecycle of the database, from installation, design and modeling, through development, tuning and securing to growth and migration. It provides practical advice ("How to..."), answers typical questions that they'll encounter from managers and developers ("How do I..."), and offers practical steps to overcome issues with which beginners traditionally struggle. At every stage, it establishes a range of tried-and-tested practices and techniques that will establish and maintain the health of a DB system ("How to be a good DBA").