Stone Cold Dead by James Ziskin / Reviewed by Jonathan Thurston
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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James Ziskin
Ellie Stone is back!
In James Ziskin’s third installment in the Ellie Stone Mystery series, Ellie Stone appears to have not received the fame she expected from her previous case. But Stone has quite a reputation in New York as a bothersome and nosy female reporter.
And, when teenage girl Darleen Hicks goes missing right before Christmas, the cops don’t want Stone involved. After all, the girl probably went off with her boyfriend or a close friend, right? Darleen’s mother is far from convinced and seeks out Stone herself, enlisting her help in finding the missing girl. What Stone finds, however, is more than she probably bargained for. This time, she could be out of a job, out of luck, and out of time.
James Ziskin, as always, brings out amazing characters that defy the stereotypes and archetypes readers will try to place on them. However, Ziskin brings something new into his third installment: he brings a deeper level of his own linguistic studies into the text itself, making each word full of intent and meaning, reminiscent of the mystery icon Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. The characters are given unique life with their words, and Ziskin’s descriptions come alive. The plot itself hinges on the meanings of words.
Stone. The very word itself can make the rocks that pound us, or it can form the steps that lead us out of the pit. Find out if Ellie Stone’s nature will bring her salvation or suffering in this must-read series for any mystery lover.
Jonathan W. Thurston is a literary studies graduate student. Aside from his studies, he owns a small publishing house called Thurston Howl Publications and serves as its editor-in-chief. He has written several books on his own and always enjoys reading a good horror novel. When he’s not busy with grad school or his business, he is often found reading a good book with hot tea in one hand and his dog Temerita curled up at his feet (she often thinks she is a cat, you see).
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