Photograph
Photograph
By: Brian Freeman
“That’s why my mother is dead. It started with a photograph.”
This is a biography of Nickelback.
Just kidding. Their song isn’t even referenced. Just Charlie Robison’s song.
Anyway, it’s my 14th Brian Freeman book so I guess you could say I enjoy his books.
I liked this book too but there is an element to this book that wasn’t my favorite.
The cover shows an image of a woman with one blue eye and one green eye— a condition called heterochromia. In the book her name is Maro. The main character, Shannon, has an encounter with her where Maro helps Shannon ‘regress’ and sees a memory of a woman being killed in a home invasion. But it’s not her memory. It’s someone else’s.
I would say that’s the side plot of the book, not necessarily the main drive, which I’m glad for. Shannon is having recurring nightmares about this vision and it becomes this question of— are these past lives of hers? does she believe in reincarnation? does she have a ‘twin shadow’ that will continue to try to kill her in every life?
This is not a theme I’m interested in in this context and I’m still not sure what significance the one green eye, one blue eye has to the story other than it makes Maro stand out. In that sense, the cover image is misleading to the main plot of the story.
Without giving any spoilers, I will say that I liked how the story came around and how it all gets wrapped up. Other than the cat— but I’m sure there will be some readers who will appreciate that tiny mystery.
[And if you like this idea of ‘someone else’s memories, you may also enjoy Brian Freeman’s book I Remember You]
So if heterochromia and ‘misplaced’ memories aren’t the main plot, what is?
Thirty-year-old Shannon Wells lives in Florida offering her own private investigator services. As a survivor of sexual assault, her customers are women who need her help.
“Fate had shown me who I was and what I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. I’ve been in self-defense classes ever since. I learned to fight. I learned to shoot. You come at me? I will kill you. I got my private investigator’s license. My clients are women, all women, only women.”
One day the daughter of a previous client, Kate, shows up asking about her mom, Faith. Her mom had asked Shannon to ‘find who she [Faith] was.’ Shannon says she discovered Faith most likely changed her identity around the time Kate was born but could never find anything prior to that.
Turns out Faith was just murdered. So whatever previous life she had, it caught up to her in the worst way.
Shannon feels like she owes it to both Faith and Kate to find out who Faith was and what happened to her. The investigation revolves around a photograph that Faith took of a rainy motel in Michigan many years ago.
“It was one obscure photograph in one obscure book that only sold a few hundred copies.”
Whoever killed Faith will kill again to keep their secret and Kate and Shannon are walking right into the danger. Add to that the mystery and potential danger in Shannon’s head with the home invasion memories and the suspense doubles.
I like the tough yet emotionally empathetic character of Shannon. I liked the relationship that Freeman developed between Shannon and Kate. I’m not sure there’s really a likeable male character— I can enjoy an empowered woman type of book but I wish he would have had at least had one primary male character that was likeable.
Freeman wrote a good suspenseful story that kept me guessing and threw in a few good twists. I liked the concept of a photograph being a catalyst for the investigation.
The contrast of Florida and the Midwest made for good movement in the story and good settings— to leave the carefree sunshiney Daytona Beach for the more atmospheric moody climate of Michigan definitely helps draw the reader in.
Recommendation
It’s not my favorite Brian Freeman book but still one I would recommend. Even though it had a weird element of possible reincarnation, Freeman connects everything well and has written a good suspenseful novel about an unsolved murder, hidden identity, and friendship.
I would also advise you to check out all the other reviews on Brian Freeman books I’ve written so you can find one of his other books to try as well!
[Content Advisory: 1 f-word, 22 s-words; reference to sexual assault but not a graphic recounting]
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
This book releases in October, 2025. You can pre-order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.
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