A spellbinding psychological thriller set in a small American town in Illinois. This is very special indeed. It concerns the relationship between a 15-year old committed murderer, David Marion, and his lawyer, Hugh Freyl. After 15 years in jail, Freyl orchestrates Marion’s release. When Freyl dies the finger points at Marion and the book really takes off.
So badly do you want Marion to be cleared, so uncertain are you as to the outcome, and so intriguing is the writing that you really cannot put it down. It is the author’s first crime novel. She won the Whitbread prize for Theory of War (1993) and I think she is terrific.
Similar this month: Henning Mankell, Jodi Compton.
Comparison: Barbara Vine, Scott Turow, John Grisham.
Joan Brady's "action-packed, densely woven" (Publishers Weekly) novel is an ingeniously layered psychological thriller about a family corrupted by a violent death and the shadow of a complicated friendship.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Win a Pair of Tickets to Agatha Christie’s The Hollow at a Venue of Your Choice.
Closing date: 15/10/2026
the best psychological thrillers · the best thriller audiobooks
Joan Brady's "action-packed, densely woven" (Publishers Weekly) novel is an ingeniously layered psychological thriller about a family corrupted by a violent death and the shadow of a complicated friendship. The victim: An invincible attorney.
Bleedout features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, eBooks of the Month, Crime and Mystery, Debut Books of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
Bleedout was written by Joan Brady and published by Touchstone Books
Bleedout has 384 pages
