Joan Brady’s Bleedout is a psychological tale of evil and the reader is assailed with insights into treachery and envy.
Even though Hugh Freyl had lost his sight, he was still an invincible person. However, when he is found beaten to death in the library of the prestigious law firm that bears his name, David Marion his protégé is assumed to be most likely suspect. Freyl was the scion of the richest and most influential family in Springfield and he had upset those close to him by arranging for Marion, a convicted killer, to be released. However, why would David kill someone who saved him from death? With no one to fight for him, Marion finds himself battling not only for his life but for all that Freyl stood for. What was Freyl really up to and how deep was his firm involved in the shady financial dealings that come to light?
Stuart Milligan is a very good narrator of Joan Brady’s Bleedout. He manages not only to evoke a sense of evil but also the desperation felt by Marion as he tries to unravel the mess that he finds himself in. Sometimes narrators don’t really get the essence of the story right and you find yourself pulled out of the story because it does not engage you. This is not the case with this audio version of Bleedout. Stuart Milligan has done a brilliant job of narrating this taut psychological tale.
-----
Ayo Onatade