A Likeness in Stone [Mass Market Paperback]

J. Wallis Martin (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Canada (1981)
• ASIN: B000P0W77E
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining story..., May 15, 2000

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Likeness In Stone (Hardcover)

Opting for a fair amount of character development and a solid plot, the author has created a thoroughly enjoyable book that I completed in one sitting. Avid mystery readers will probably ID the killer about half way through the book.

The supposed similarity of this book with those written by Minette Walters must be owing to plot elements such as: three suspects and a body found in water (the Breaker); or, a long dead body that brings a formerly frustrated cop back to harass the main suspects (The Ice House). However, the depth of character development found in Walters' better books is missing. And, the reader probably won't learn much from this book, unlike those by Deborah Crombie (last two), Minette Walters, or P.D. James -- or even Elizabeth George for that matter.

The book reads like a screenplay -- which should be appreciated by TV buffs. Each chapter is an act, containing a 'scene or two. The set descriptions are good, although are a bit misplaced, i.e. the setting sun as mango hanging in the sky dripping juice at the soon-to-be death scene might have worked better in the scene where Cora was thinking about her long-dead RAF lover.

The writing in "Likeness in Stone" is not as rich as text by P.D. James, however, the plot moves along at a reasonable clip to a solid ending. In some of her books, James lingers over detail at the expense of a tangled ending, although she seems to have overcome that in her last two books.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Minette who? Julia Wallis Martin is incomparable. . ., March 10, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Likeness In Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

What a neat book. I was browsing through Amazon's ". . .customer's also bought. . ." portion of the book reviews and found this book. I couldn't put it down and in fact read it in one marathon sitting on a long flight. Julia Wallis Martin has managed to write a dark and compelling mystery with an ending (and I usually guess who did it) that was in hindsight sort of obvious but so well masked in ambiguity that I wasn't really sure. Now that's a mystery! On top of that I realized that none of the characters were at all likeable, (except for maybe the intrepid Detective Driver) yet I really could not stop reading or caring about the outcome. I highly recommend this book---and am looking forward to reading her next book asap.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can a debut be this good ?, October 26, 1999

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Likeness In Stone (Mass Market Paperback)

A review compared "A Likeness in Stone" to Minette Walters fantastic psychological suspense novels, so I thought I'd give it a try. The reward was more than I had hoped for.

Twenty years ago a student had gone missing. The police suspected murder but weren't able to prove anything. Now the body has surfaced and with it the old allegations and suspicions.

This is not a classical 'Whodunit'. The focus is less on finding the culprit (though that happens in the end as well) than on how the three student under suspicion at the time have dealt with the disappearance of their friend and lover and how it has influenced their live since. Joan and Ian especially were portrayed so well that their actions even if questionable became understandable.

If you like psychological suspense, I encourage you to read Julia Wallis Martin. She may be the coming star if her first novel is any indication.