Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Crime & mystery fiction

HEART OF STONE

James W. Ziskin

James Ziskin’s fourth mystery novel featuring the lead character, Ellie Stone, set in the 60’s – its sort of Historical Noir mystery.

In the waning days of a lazy August holiday, Ellie Stone is enjoying a bright Adirondack-lake morning. Nearby, two men plummet to their deaths on the rocks below, just a few feet short of the water of a dangerous diving pool. A tragic accident, it seems. But the state police quickly establish that the two victims--one, a stranger to the lake and, the other, a teenaged boy from a nearby music camp--surely didn't know each other. That anomaly is strange enough, but what really perplexes Ellie is the out-of-place station wagon parked twenty yards from the edge of the cliff.

Wading into a slippery morass of fellow travelers, free-love intellectuals, rabid John Birchers, and charismatic evangelicals, Ellie must navigate old grudges and Cold War passions, lost ideals and betrayed loves. She sticks her nose where it's unwanted, rattling nerves and putting herself in jeopardy. But this time, it's her heart that's at risk.

James W. Ziskin is the author ofthe Ellie Stone mysteries Styx & Stone, No Stone Unturned, Stone Cold Dead, and Heart of Stone?a 2017 Edgar®Award nominee. A linguist by training, Ziskin was director of New York University's Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò for five years, where he collaborated with an impressive catalogue of writers, journalists, and academics on cultural and educational events.

Available products
Book Published 2016-06-07 by Seventh Street Books
Book Published 2016-06-07 by Seventh Street Books

Comments

Ellie is one of [our] favorite characters in the genre. Her intelligence and fearlessness belie her youth. She’s at once vulnerable yet self-assured, intelligent yet impulsive, liberated yet yearning for a romantic connection. But what really sets Ziskin’s books apart is the poetry of his writing… he excels at poetic and evocative descriptions of the fascinating characters and the nostalgic 1960’s upstate New York setting.

Ellie Stone can hold her own (and her Scotch) against anyone, but what happens to a tough girl reporter on vacation when her defenses are down? When a lakeside accident doesn’t add up, Ellie takes on the story. Heart of Stone is a big-hearted crush of a novel, brimming with rekindled kinship, forgiveness, love, and characters who will make readers feel true heartbreak.

James Ziskin has written another great read, imbued with a rich cast of characters and a tight plot that bristles with tension. Ellie Stone is the perfect protagonist—extraordinary but with enough girl-next-door charm in her that she instantly becomes a friend. This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, and it belongs on every mystery lover’s to-be-read list.

Armed with her camera, wits, and a reporter’s persistence, Ellie Stone navigates through the 1961 Adirondacks and does what she does best: asking questions and digging up the truth whether anyone likes it or not. When two strangers plunge to their deaths, and a prisoner escapes from a nearby prison, time on the lake quickly turns from pleasure to a mystery that demands to be solved. Ellie Stone has quickly become one of my favorite sleuths as she careens into the modern world, demanding her rightful place—and getting it—no matter how hard anyone tries to deter her or how much jeopardy she puts herself into.

Heart of Stone is the best Ellie Stone mystery yet, and that’s saying something. The plot rockets along, fueled by colorful characters, intriguing clues, and Ellie herself, who is witty, vulnerable, and one of the finest and most fun amateur sleuths in crime fiction. I’ve read every Ellie Stone mystery, and I can’t wait for the next.

HEART OF STONE is one of InStyle (UK)'s The 9 Most Unputdownable Books Of 2016 Read more...

The novel has just been nominated as a finalist for the 2017 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.

Ziskin’s expert plotting, living, breathing characters, and beautiful command of the language make Heart of Stone one of the best books I’ve read this year. You must read Heart of Stone.