It's 1956. A plane bearing a mysterious cargo takes off from a small airport outside Los Angeles and disappears into a raging storm. Nearly 60 years later, while flying over California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, retired military assassin-turned-civilian flight instructor and would-be Buddhist Cordell Logan catches a glint of sunlight on metal and spots what appears to be an aircraft wreckage. His life will never be the same.
Logan and his beautiful ex-wife Savannah, plan a reconciliation in posh Lake Tahoe. But upon landing in the Ruptured Duck, his beloved aging Cessna, Logan agrees to put those plans on hold when he's asked to help guide a search and rescue team to the remote, mountainous crash site. The team finds not only a long-missing airplane, with the mummified remains of its pilot still at the controls, but something much more recent and far more sinister: the body of a young man, shot to death only hours earlier. Someone has beaten the rescuers to the site and will clearly stop at nothing to profit from what the plane was carrying - including kidnapping and threatening to kill Savannah if Logan refuses to help them carry out their getaway plans. With the clock ticking and the love of his life in peril, Logan is drawn into a vexing vortex as personal and potentially deadly as any he's ever known.
Voodoo Ridge is a fast-paced adrenaline-fueled thrill ride filled with the kind of unexpected twists, full-throttle action and wry humor that won Freed's Flat Spin and Fangs Out, the first two installments in the Cordell Logan mystery series, rave reviews and a legion of loyal fans.
David Freed's Voodoo Ridge: Available Now
"This is minimalist thriller writing at its best. The words have a lean and hungry look as they lope across the page and chase you on to the emotionally powerful ending. This is a must-read!"
— The San Francisco Book Review
"The tension-packed plot and the fine prose, including well-drawn characters and vivid portraits of the natural landscape, are just what fans have come to expect from this author."
— Bruce DeSilva, the Associated Press (read full review)
"Tightly plotted with twists, filled with emotionally charged sequences, it’s a page-turner in the manner that coined the term. Start reading early. It’s hard to put down."
— Ann Snuggs, Noir Journal
"Freed has a serious surprise in store for the reader this time, and he skillfully builds up to the shocker. The unusual pilot-sleuth premise, the jaunty style, and the genuine suspense combine to make this one a thoroughly entertaining installment in what has become a fine series."
— Bill Ott, Booklist
"In Freed’s engaging third Cordell Logan mystery (after 2013’s Fangs Out), Logan, a struggling flight instructor and wannabe Buddhist, is trying to forget the skills and memories that he acquired as a government antiterrorist agent. Unfortunately, his sighting of a decades-old plane wreck while flying to Lake Tahoe from his home in Rancho Bonita, Calif., puts him and his fiancée, Savannah, in jeopardy, as the downed plane’s cargo attracts murderous predators. When Savannah is kidnapped, Logan must revert back to his former mindset as a government agent to try to save her…What makes this entry stand out, though, are the settings in the nonglamorous areas around Lake Tahoe and the sharply drawn, oddball supporting characters."
--Publishers Weekly
"David Freed has written a great cast of characters. All of which you can just see and really feel like they exist. He writes in such a way that you feel isn't fiction at all but something that is happening while he's telling you about it. Not only is it serious in parts, but it also has great humor in it too. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery."
--Joanna Lee-Wilson, Reading is a Way of Life
“This novel is not your classic mystery. The days of Conan Doyle and Christie are long past. The modern reader of mysteries expects more grit, suspense, and thrills mixed in with the classic elements of who-done-its or police procedurals—discovering the perp through possibly multiple crimes and may misdirects. Author Freed has delivered, and it’s a fun read.”
--Steve Moore, Book Pleasures
"...An economically told thriller which makes the simplicity of a linear plot a delight to watch. The tension is skillfully maintained as we watch Cordell’s sense of duty collide with his love for his ex-wife. Needless to say, there can only be one outcome. My delight in Voodoo Ridge is not saying I want all my books to be grim, but there does come a point when the endless sunlight of modern fiction becomes tiring and a healthy dose of reality is appreciated. If you enjoy thrillers with a darker edge, this is a superb example of the form and you should snap it up."
--David Marshall, Thinking About Books
Available Now: Order on Amazon.