The Dead Stone [Mass Market Paperback]

Vicki Stiefel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Homicide counselor Tally Whyte, last seen in Steifel's Body Parts, travels from Boston to her hometown of Winsworth, Maine, to clear her father's name and to stop some bad things from happening in this disappointing mystery. Soon after arriving in Winsworth, Tally encounters a crazy-seeming man on the road who tells her he has witnessed a murder. The next day, when she learns that the victim was the sister of a childhood friend, Tally decides to solve the crime to help her friend. As Tally weasels her way into every crevice of Winsworth life, using homicide counseling to open doors, she's sure to baffle readers with her non sequiturs and her apparent immunity to fear. "Just peachy," she assures the sheriff in her typical brusque style after dodging a bullet. A dizzying array of local figures, strange discoveries, red herrings and bona fide clues muddle more than entertain, but it's Tally's ill-defined identity as detective, counselor and prodigal daughter that hopelessly tangles the threads of this poorly constructed tale.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843955201
• ISBN-13: 978-0843955200
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,561,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong psychological suspense, February 26, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dead Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

Tally Whyte is a psychologist and a homicide counselor who helps the friends and families of murder victims cope with their loss. One night Tally receives an anonymous phone call from her hometown of Winsworth, Maine telling her to return because the trouble that drove her and her father way is starting up again. Tally and her father escaped their house that was on fire and fled the town.

In Winsworth, Tally finds people believe that her father ran off with money from a housing development he conceived and managed. She notices that the development is half built under another name but before she can inquire further, the sister of her best friend is murdered and she intends on helping the family out. Two more murders shortly follow and one of the victims is the person responsible for the housing development not being finished. Since this somehow involves her father, Tally investigates the homicides that were made to look like suicides unaware that she is intended victim number four.

The heroine of THE DEAD STONE is a very likeable character who goes the extra mile for people in trouble and puts her own concerns about her father on the back burner to find a killer. There are a lot of suspects who could have committed the murders so readers will find it impossible to guess who the perpetrator is. Vicki Stiefel is a talented writer of psychological suspense who grips her audience from the moment Tally returns home and never lets go until the climax as befitting the work from one of tomorrow's superstars.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, March 9, 2005

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Dead Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

I was not a fan of this author's previous book. I thought it was somewhat juvenile.

Dead Stone came out and I thought I would give the author another try.

I am glad that I did. While the main character can be a little silly, I loved the whole plot line in this book.

Her interaction with the townspeople (who do not realize she is "one of them") is priceless. I especially liked her connection with Hank.

The writing is somewhat basic, but the story is told at a fairly good pace and you end up really liking this book. The main character's relationship with her dog also adds to this book.

Buy it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE YOU CAN'T PUT DOWN, February 22, 2005

By 

Scott H (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dead Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

Vicki wastes no time wrapping you into the net of Tally's past and present. By page 12 I couldn't put the book down. Don't even attempt to figure out the ending as I'm sure you'll be wrong! This book was all I needed to make me a devoted fan of Vicki. I can't wait for her next one!!