Brian Freeman's "The Crooked Street"

Brian Freeman is a bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Frost Easton and Jonathan Stride series.

Here Freeman dreamcasts the latest Frost Easton thriller, The Crooked Street:

I’ve written the entire Frost Easton series – starting with The Night Bird and The Voice Inside and now continuing with The Crooked Street – with television and movies in mind. Yes, I mean you, film agents. Get busy.

So what would that look like?

Start with the fact that I love the romance and drama of the San Francisco setting in the books. I was a huge fan of Hitchcock’s Vertigo growing up, and I think you’ll find echoes of that tone in how I approach the city. I like to play up its natural beauty and also take advantage of its mystery: the fog, the crazy-steep streets (remember Bullitt?), the high bridges and the cold depths of the bay. I try to give readers a “you are there” feel in all of my settings, and that would play out perfectly in bringing these books to the screen. The scenes are written visually to make them come alive in your head.

Who would play the leads?

Okay, I’ll let you in on a secret. I actually wrote the character of Frost with Justin Timberlake in mind. Read the descriptions, and I think you’ll picture him in your head. (JT, are you listening? Time to pick up a copy of the books.) There’s something about his combination of youthfulness, sex appeal, and “Boy Scout” charm that fits naturally with Frost. I’d love to see him tackle the character.

And the other characters? Well, Frost’s love interest is a redhead named Tabby Blaine, and I can’t imagine a better redhead to play the part than Emma Stone. She’d have a lot of chemistry with JT, too, don’t you think? Sounds like a good combination to me.

Those are my ideas. Now you tell me yours! I know readers always have ideas of their own about which actors should play their favorite characters. Plus, I deliberately paint my characters in watercolors, so that readers can fill in the gaps with their own imagination. As a result, your perfect Frost may look very different than mine. That’s okay.

Don’t tell Justin, though. I really want him to tackle the movie.

Visit Brian Freeman's official website and follow him on Facebook.

--Marshal Zeringue