5+ stars for The Stone Hex by Jo A. Hiestand #bookreview #crimefiction #britishmystery #mystery #mustread
- N. N. Light
- May 2
- 3 min read
Title: The Stone Hex
Author: Jo A. Hiestand
Genre: Crime Fiction, British Mystery
Book Blurb:
Things seem comfortably routine one Ash Wednesday evening in the English village of Hollingthorpe. The regulars have come together to turn the Devil’s Stone, the age-old custom of shifting a one-ton boulder in the churchyard. An odd, back-breaking custom that defies logic – except that to dispense with it always brings misfortune on the villagers during that year. Yet within minutes of shifting the great boulder that evening, misfortune – or someone – does strike. One of the participants lies beside the stone, very dead and very bloody.
Detective-Sergeant Brenna Taylor and the CID team quickly become embroiled not only in the problems of the villagers but also in a web of deceit.
When a red rose is found near the crime scene and WPC MacMillan goes to the wood to investigate, she is attacked, left for dead, beaten in the same manner as the original murder. Has she discovered something in the wood or close to the rose that identifies the killer?
In the midst of the murder and missing child investigations Brenna steals a few precious moments with her new boyfriend and begins to wean her emotions from Graham. But in a midnight, rain-lashed forest, a heart-wrenching episode with Graham threatens to destroy her resolve. And through it all the killer silently slips into and out of their lives, thumbing his nose at her and the entire CID team, ready to strike again.
My Review:
Every Ash Wednesday in the village of Hollingthorpe, a tradition in the churchyard occurs. People gather and turn a giant stone known as the Devil’s Stone. If the stone isn’t turned, a hex befalls the villagers. It’s unexplainable but it happens.
When a dead body is found near the stone, the CID is called. Det. Sgt. Brenna Taylor and her team investigate. As the murders increase, Brenna is determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on. It can’t be a stone hex, certainly not, but someone is using it to torment and kill people. Will Brenna catch the criminal before she’s next?
The Stone Hex is a gripping mystery I couldn’t put down. Jo A. Hiestand is brilliant when it comes to writing mysteries and this is a gem. The descriptive narration details every scene. The foreshadowing and world-building are intricate and had me reading late into the night. The cast of characters is large but most of them are suspects trying to throw shade on others.
The investigation is my favorite part of The Stone Hex. I tried to unravel the clues and solve the mystery right along with Brenna.
If you love British crime fiction, The Stone Hex is your next binge read.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
Trade paper editions --
Amazon - https://amzn.to/30s2Np8
Barnes and Noble - https://bit.ly/2LdO7qm
E-book editions --
Amazon - https://amzn.to/2G23Y6Y
iBooks – https://apple.co/2Xzjr4F
KOBO- https://bit.ly/2YLfnPY
NOOK- https://bit.ly/2LGsOND
Author Biography:
Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes a British mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries) as well as a Missouri-based cozy mystery series that is grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots out of scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.
Social Media Links:
Booklisti: https://booklisti.com/johiestand
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishandUS/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AnglophileJo
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/joahiestand
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/JoHiestand
Website: http://www.johiestand.com
Reviewed by: Nancy
