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Free to Die
Brad Ashton fled three years ago to avoid a conviction for murder. Now he's back. And his hope for freedom appears to be within reach. Unfortunately there are those who have no interest in his legal status; they only want him dead or on the run once more. But for Brad, running is no longer an option. It's a table stakes game in which the risks are high. But he puts everything he has, including his life, on the table, then settles in, determined to win every hand.
471 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2009
329 people are currently reading
975 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
October 24, 2012
So dumb. The whole story was filled with these trite contrivances, like the stupid red jewel in the killer's ring. Ugh. Also, I want to see if the author is British, because all his SoCal characters kept saying "I've an idea," and that sort of thing and it was SO distracting. Not a one star because I wasn't constantly disgusted, but need to stop downloading all these free snooks cause they all suck.
December 6, 2013
I got this book for free as an ebook download. Didn't hate it, but didn't enjoy it either. I felt the characters were not well written and were often unrealistic. The story was very jumpy and hard to follow. The romance was contrived and awkward. In fact, most of the book felt contrived and awkward, it definitely needed more editing before going out. Sooo many typos and grammar mistakes that it was distracting.
I finished it maybe a week ago and I've already forgotten all the character names and how the story is resolved in the end. I couldn't post spoilers even if I wanted to, because I don't remember them!
I finished it maybe a week ago and I've already forgotten all the character names and how the story is resolved in the end. I couldn't post spoilers even if I wanted to, because I don't remember them!
April 17, 2019
After reading 40% of this book, I decided it was no longer worth my time. I found too many minor characters not sufficiently developed that I could recall who they were when they appeared in later chapters. I lost interest.
June 8, 2011
i picked this book up because it was a free doenload on my nook and was surprised at how good it was. very well written with awesome characters. it made me want to read more by mcelwain.
February 15, 2012
It was a good story and I was impressed that he hinted at sex, but there was never EVER a sex scene. Just talked about it. For that its getting a 4.
July 19, 2023
Brad Ashton, a returned Viet Nam veteran, is an ordinary man caught in a spider's web of intrigue. He is accused of a crime, and all he really knows is that he is not guilty. This novel is a hard-boiled thriller of the classic style. The book reminds me a bit of the work of John Buchan. The plot twists and turns as the truth slowly emerges. What also emerges is that Brad is not quite an ordinary man. Yes, he has faults and weaknesses, but backed into a corner he has the power of desperation.
As you can tell the author had me hooked to the very end. This is certainly an action novel. Yes, there is some character development, namely a hint of a romance, but this is really a shock and thrill novel. Other than crime, the theme is really brotherly friendship: one could say brothers in arms.
I don't want to say much more because it will spoil the book. I certainly can say that I really enjoyed the story, and I am happy to award it 5 stars.
As you can tell the author had me hooked to the very end. This is certainly an action novel. Yes, there is some character development, namely a hint of a romance, but this is really a shock and thrill novel. Other than crime, the theme is really brotherly friendship: one could say brothers in arms.
I don't want to say much more because it will spoil the book. I certainly can say that I really enjoyed the story, and I am happy to award it 5 stars.
May 23, 2020
It was ok enough in that I finished it, but there were two issues. First - it sounded like it was written by a 65 year old man. Every sexual nuance and action scene was like someone watched Die Hard too many times and wrote a book about it. The action scenes were so complicated I often had to read them twice to get what really happened. Normally I dont hesitate to read Male-written books with Male-dominant characters, but this one was rough.
July 4, 2018
This was a free nook book, and it wasn't bad at all. I was surprised by the twist at the end, which was nice. There was a bit more repetition of a lot of things than I really dealing with (yes, we know he keeps looking up the road for his father to return), but like I said, not bad - a good enough story.
April 10, 2020
I received this book as a free download.
I enjoyed the book and read it quite quickly. The characters were realistic and the plot interesting.
It was an easy read and did keep my attention, I wanted to know what happened.
All in all a good read and I will definitely be reading more of Bob McElwain.
I enjoyed the book and read it quite quickly. The characters were realistic and the plot interesting.
It was an easy read and did keep my attention, I wanted to know what happened.
All in all a good read and I will definitely be reading more of Bob McElwain.
February 28, 2023
It was nice to read something grittier, since I've been reading so many cozies lately. That said, I didn't like any of the characters, except the bail bondswoman. Can't remember her name, but I think she was awesome and we should have books written about her instead of gentle yet murderous Vietnam vets.
December 28, 2016
I'm sure people who love thrillers will be attracted to this story. A man is on the run. He needs to clear his name and becomes even more involved in mystery and murder.
A good story plot although I prefer other writing styles when it comes to thrillers.
A good story plot although I prefer other writing styles when it comes to thrillers.
June 21, 2020
I liked to characters in this book. An ex-marine was accused of killing his ex-wife and then others began to die. He had friends in the police department but that didn't seem to help since another cop kept providing more witnesses/evidence. Fast read, good plot. I rate this a 5.0.
March 28, 2018
Good story but telegraphed ending...
Although he has good style, no big surprise in the ending. I will check writers others books for another good one.
Although he has good style, no big surprise in the ending. I will check writers others books for another good one.
May 3, 2019
I knew I shouldve stopped after the first chapter...How many times can you use the word He in a page?
May 16, 2019
Didn’t finish reading it
October 5, 2019
Was ok, just felt it was a bit slow paced until the last few chapters. Nothing intrinsically wrong with it, just drifted along a bit.
June 6, 2020
Excellent read!!
September 7, 2023
WOW
This is a fantastic read. I love a book that has it all. Romance, crime, adventure, etc. Was excited to read and get to the end
This is a fantastic read. I love a book that has it all. Romance, crime, adventure, etc. Was excited to read and get to the end
May 17, 2024
For a free book, it was very good.
September 10, 2025
Typical Story
It was a story that's been done a thousand times. Different names. Different people. Same story. Very predictable. Nothing new.
It was a story that's been done a thousand times. Different names. Different people. Same story. Very predictable. Nothing new.
June 5, 2013
Free To Die is about a man, Brad Ashton, who is wanted by the police because he suspected of murder. He decides to stop running from a crime he didn't commit but the only way to end it is to find who's really guilty. With the help of a few close friends a private investigator, Josie Bosworth, Brad finds himself digging himself a deeper whole. More murders occur while he's on his own private crusade and he looks good for each one of them. As he and Josie dig deeper into some tangled webs they question whether they should continue searching for the truth or if they'd be better off disappearing together and starting anew.
This book has lots of action and lots of twists and turns. But more often than not, especially in the first half of the book, I found myself not following the plot. Not only are there a lot of characters but they sometimes are referred to using multiple names. Between the intentional mystery of some scenes and the confusing cast, I had a hard time keeping up. By the end, things had unclouded {as they always do with mysteries} but I didn't have any "ah-ha!" moments so to speak. It wasn't like things I misunderstood clicked into place and were all of a sudden explained. It was more like the confusion was just chaos prior to clarity.
All in all I'd call this book fine. It did it's job as a thriller but it wasn't quite good.
This book has lots of action and lots of twists and turns. But more often than not, especially in the first half of the book, I found myself not following the plot. Not only are there a lot of characters but they sometimes are referred to using multiple names. Between the intentional mystery of some scenes and the confusing cast, I had a hard time keeping up. By the end, things had unclouded {as they always do with mysteries} but I didn't have any "ah-ha!" moments so to speak. It wasn't like things I misunderstood clicked into place and were all of a sudden explained. It was more like the confusion was just chaos prior to clarity.
All in all I'd call this book fine. It did it's job as a thriller but it wasn't quite good.
January 9, 2012
This my first ebook and I have mixed reactions.
First the format. I enjoyed the format having read this free ebook on my ipad. I like the fact that you can look up definitions of words just by highlighting them and reading the definition from the built-in dictionary. However, I was confused about how long the book was. If I held the ipad in portrait mode, the book contained 290 pages. In landscape mode, there was over 500 pages. I liked reading in the landscape mode because it responded more like a real book. Also, the progress indicator down at the bottom is a nice feature.
It is also possible to make notes (just like writing in the margins). I made several notes until I got tired of noting misspelled or missing words. I realize this book was probably "rushed to print" to take advantage of the new format and to supply books for the iBook reader, but there is really no excuse for the lack of proper grammar, missing words, etc; those are a real turn-off.
Second the content of the book. The story was fairly interesting, but it seemed to lose its way somewhere along the line. The character development was not up to par and characters just appeared and were killed off without contributing much to the story.
Overall, a three star rating at best.
First the format. I enjoyed the format having read this free ebook on my ipad. I like the fact that you can look up definitions of words just by highlighting them and reading the definition from the built-in dictionary. However, I was confused about how long the book was. If I held the ipad in portrait mode, the book contained 290 pages. In landscape mode, there was over 500 pages. I liked reading in the landscape mode because it responded more like a real book. Also, the progress indicator down at the bottom is a nice feature.
It is also possible to make notes (just like writing in the margins). I made several notes until I got tired of noting misspelled or missing words. I realize this book was probably "rushed to print" to take advantage of the new format and to supply books for the iBook reader, but there is really no excuse for the lack of proper grammar, missing words, etc; those are a real turn-off.
Second the content of the book. The story was fairly interesting, but it seemed to lose its way somewhere along the line. The character development was not up to par and characters just appeared and were killed off without contributing much to the story.
Overall, a three star rating at best.
January 15, 2012
Free to Die is a murder/thriller book that I received as a free download at Barnes and Noble.
The main character of the book was Brad Ashton who was on the run. He was found by a private eye who convinced him to return to California and the judge for the murder he was accused of three years before. Brad is hesitant but finally agrees to go. This is where everything starts to fall apart...
There were some parts of this book that were enjoyable. I thought the author had some great ideas with the story line and participating characters. However, I don't think the ideas were well executed. The story did not have a good flow, nor were the characters highly developed. The scenarios were choppy and did not transition well from one to the next. The romantic scenes were just plain awkward!
When I read thrillers, I like to be "encouraged" to guess the finale but in this one, it was so clumsy it felt like a let down. I haven't read this author before and I'm not sure when I will again.
The main character of the book was Brad Ashton who was on the run. He was found by a private eye who convinced him to return to California and the judge for the murder he was accused of three years before. Brad is hesitant but finally agrees to go. This is where everything starts to fall apart...
There were some parts of this book that were enjoyable. I thought the author had some great ideas with the story line and participating characters. However, I don't think the ideas were well executed. The story did not have a good flow, nor were the characters highly developed. The scenarios were choppy and did not transition well from one to the next. The romantic scenes were just plain awkward!
When I read thrillers, I like to be "encouraged" to guess the finale but in this one, it was so clumsy it felt like a let down. I haven't read this author before and I'm not sure when I will again.
January 20, 2016
The only thing stopping me from rating "Free to Die" five stars is that it isn't the very best book I have read; however, it comes quite close. This book, categorized as susepense or mystery, was exceptionally unique. Bob McElwain was able to create lifelike characters without the lengthy descriptions an author like John Steinbeck may include. The plot was engaging because it was different. "Free to Die" is not your typical 'someone-died-let's-solve-the-mystery' type of book; protagonist Brad Ashton is being charged with two murders, and potentially four more, yet he is as innocent as they come. Instead of focusing on the cases, as most suspense stories would, the focus is entirely on Brad's struggle to (a) find the true killer, and (b) find freedom from court convictions and live a normal life. The characters are appealing in many ways, but mainly because there are so many sides to them that any type of reader would be attracted to them.
Overall, a page-turner... really great book!
Overall, a page-turner... really great book!
September 28, 2015
I'm not sure what possessed me to download this book. This was a very intense book. And a lot longer than I normally read. It took me several days to finish it, (which is never a plus for me,) despite the fact that it read at a fast clip. However, It was kind of hard for me to stay on track reading this book, maybe because I very rarely read thrillers, but this one was a pretty good one, as far as that goes. The characters felt real and the plot was written tightly and fast. The "sex" scenes were hinted at, but nothing was revealed. That was not something I was expecting. However, I don't think I'll read any more books by this author. The writing style was just not something that I cared for. It felt like it was written more for men.
Three stars.
Three stars.
February 27, 2014
Title: Free to die by Bob McElwian genre: suspense
The main character are josie, Amanda, Brad, georgio, Gerald Allison. Brad has been running from something that he hasnt done. After a while of running josie convinces Brad to come back home and turn himself in and that he would be free. After he comes back he has to wait for his trial and for now hes free. But he gets himself in a bigger mess than he was in. My favorite part is when josie finds enough evidence to free Brad from all the charges. I would give this book a five stare rating. I would recommend this book. The readers whobwill like this book would be if they like mystery and suspense.
The main character are josie, Amanda, Brad, georgio, Gerald Allison. Brad has been running from something that he hasnt done. After a while of running josie convinces Brad to come back home and turn himself in and that he would be free. After he comes back he has to wait for his trial and for now hes free. But he gets himself in a bigger mess than he was in. My favorite part is when josie finds enough evidence to free Brad from all the charges. I would give this book a five stare rating. I would recommend this book. The readers whobwill like this book would be if they like mystery and suspense.
September 28, 2015
The main characters of this story are Brad, Josie, Amanda, Gerald, and Georgio. After 3 years of running, Josie convinced Brad that if he comes back home and turns himself in, then he would be free and no longer have to stay on the run. When brad came back, he turned himself in and had to wait for a trial. He was set free because he was not the murderer that they wanted to convict but other people were not convinced with the results and were not interested with his legal status. All those people wanted was for Brad to be dead.
I enjoyed this book because it was entertaining but at the same time it was a little hard to understand some of the conflicts.
I enjoyed this book because it was entertaining but at the same time it was a little hard to understand some of the conflicts.
July 18, 2012
This book is a little hard to get into the first chapter or so. You don't really know what is going on and you just hope things clear up, and SOON. Which they do after awhile. Brad Ashton is a good lead character, very relate-able, especially if you know active/retired military. The plot line has quite a few twists and turns, which keep you wondering how long he's going to live. Have a little patience in the beginning, for soon it will turn into a fast paced novel that you'll stay up late to finish.
June 16, 2013
"Free To Die" by Bob McElwain is an entertaining thriller. Brad Ashton is on the run from the law but gets persuaded by bounty hunter Josie to turn himself in and accept a court deal. He is so close to freedom when he becomes prime suspect in another murder and decides to solve the crime with help of Josie.
The book is rich in plot and has intriguing characters which have great dynamics between them. In parts formulaic but well done in style and execution I would recommend this to all fans of the genre.
The book is rich in plot and has intriguing characters which have great dynamics between them. In parts formulaic but well done in style and execution I would recommend this to all fans of the genre.
October 16, 2013
I enjoyed reading this book. I did however find that at some stages I was slightly bored.( That's just me).
I have to say, that it was a different look at a thriller/suspense novel, it did not follow the usual route and this made for some really interesting contemplation on what this whole story is about. Just as you think you know it is about one specific thing, it takes a whole new direction. I also enjoyed the love relationship that developed between Brad and Josie.
The author's writing style is refreshing and I would read more of his work.
I have to say, that it was a different look at a thriller/suspense novel, it did not follow the usual route and this made for some really interesting contemplation on what this whole story is about. Just as you think you know it is about one specific thing, it takes a whole new direction. I also enjoyed the love relationship that developed between Brad and Josie.
The author's writing style is refreshing and I would read more of his work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews