Sunday, June 29, 2014

No Stone Unturned: An Ellie Stone Mystery-James W. Ziskin

No Stone Unturned: An Ellie Stone Mystery
James W. Ziskin
Prometheus/Seventh Street, Jun 10 2014, $15.95
ISBN 9781616148836

In 1960 popular and beautiful twenty-one years old Jordan Shaw attends Tufts University in Massachusetts.  However, just after Thanksgiving, Fast Jack Donovan tripped while hunting a rabbit in the woods only to find Jordan’s naked corpse half buried next to him.

Her hometown New Holland, New York residents are shocked that the high school homecoming queen and daughter of a judge died so ignominiously while in denial that the paragon proved not to be the perfect daughter.  The New Holland Republic sends twentyish reporter Ellie Stone to take pictures to accompany stories written by reporter George Walsh.  Still grieving her father’s death earlier in the year, Ellie investigates the homicide starting with locating the victim’s car at the Mohawk Motel and learning from the ME that Jordan had an intrauterine device installed in her.  Ellie wonders if one of the fallen from grace female’s classmates or professors especially in the French Department include a killer; but who remains out of reach as the deceased’s horde of admirers take out their rage on the intruding journalist.

The latest Ellie Stone journalist investigation (see Styx & Stone) is a great whodunit as the ambitious reporter leaves No Stone Unturned to learn the truth; while an angry Jordan fan club assaults her for daring to taint the image of their ideal woman.  This is a strong entry with a deep cast as the intrepid reporter deals with those who reject the aftermath of “When the statue on the pedestal comes crumbling to the ground …” (Brooklyn Bridge’s Blessed Is The Rain).

Harriet Klausner

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