Customer Reviews

No Stone Unturned

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The characterizations are excellent. Not only do they bring the characters alive, they make you want to be part of their lives. The plot, when it gets going, does not stop. I stayed up until midnight to finish this book.
The heroine's work area and job are so well defined I have to think this is the start of a series.
If so it will be a first. A probation officer as the protagonist. Very good idea.
Good Job

This novel was a very interesting read for me. It was the first time I've seen a mystery told in a more literary style, and to me, it was the kind of scenario that fit real life - when we discover something amiss and we go about setting it right. It was the kind of mystery that could happen to any one of us, minus the high-speed car chases and gun fights that so few of us (thankfully) experience in reality. I enjoyed tasting the atmosphere in the story and being able to really visualize the setting as I read.

The author worked in the field of probation for twenty-six years, and so when she writes about her character becoming a probation officer, she really knows what she's talking about. She explains the system well and helps the reader to understand the process of training to work in this field.

If I were to point out one thing about the book that I felt might have been tweaked, I would say that I might have liked to see the mystery brought to the forefront a little sooner. We did spend a lot of time discussing the character's training, etc, and it seemed as though the mystery was an afterthought, more of a side plot rather than the main theme. And there's nothing wrong with having the mystery be the subplot - it's just a bit of an unusual balance, that's all.

This novel was clean, not relying on crass language to put the story across. There were a couple of bed scenes, but each were alluded to, rather than described, and I never felt uncomfortable reading them. That's a major thing for me, and I appreciated the author's approach.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read and one that I recommend.

What appears to be an introspective combining both fictional and nonfictional elements, the author, J. Fratto, moves us along on a realistic journey most of us take: Moving from our humble beginnings to the adventure of a challenging outer world; transferring from the Midwest to California suites this theme.

The ordeal of one "leaving the farm" should be suspenseful enough, but to toss in a murder mystery seals the deal towards the readers' enthrallment. Each page is captivating as, actually, each is a part that leads through the journey but is also and investigative page towards the plot's resolution. The book was void of dull spots as each page was entertaining and intriguing. It has been a while since I have been able to interpret and enjoy a book in this way.

Part love story, part a novel of starting over, and part a compelling, page-turning tale of mystery and suspense, No Stone Unturned, the debut novel by Jeanette A. Fratto, is one you won't want to put down. It's told from the perspective of the first-person narrator, Linda Davenport, who leaves behind her old boring life and her old job as an English teacher in Michigan when she's offered a new job in California as a copy editor of children's books for Grenville Publishing. She meets a woman on the plane trip, Carol Alder, who is very friendly, and is a probation officer in California. They hit it off, and later, after they meet and go shopping together and eat at an Italian restaurant in Brentwood, Carole suggests that Linda would make a good probation officer, herself.

"Orange County is heading for a real hiring frenzy in the next few months. They need good people. People with backgrounds like yours."

Linda's career seems to headed in a different direction, though. She has moved into a huge house that she shares with its owner, a very nice older woman named Edith, and Edith's cook and maid, Charlotte. Edith's told her that if she wants, she can even eat meals with herself and Charlotte, because she always buys too many groceries and often there's too much to eat and a lot of it gets thrown away. Also, Linda's new job is within easy walking distance, so she doesn't have to think about getting a car anytime soon.

Everything is going fine for Linda, but she sometimes reminisces about her days in college, and her boyfriend then, David Wyndham, how much they loved each other, and what caused their eventual breakup. Their split was due to the demands David's controlling parents put on him, and to their displeasure that their son wasn't interested in a young woman from a higher social class. David's father told him that after graduation, when he joined the same law firm as his father, he'd have to work long hours. Then, when his father suffered from a heart attack, David had to work that much harder, and time seemed to get away from him and he and Linda lost contact with each other. His promises to write her were empty ones.

When Carol's car plummets off of a treacherous curvy road, the Ortega Highway, and Carol dies in the crash, it's devastating to Linda. Carol's brother, Gregory, contacts Linda and tells her that he thinks the car wreck wasn't an accident, and he asks to meet with Linda and talk about it. Linda is dubious at first, but comes to believe that Carol's death might have had something to do with a Grand Jury hearing going on, and missing adult case files of criminals involved dealing drugs.

The subsidiary Linda is supposed to begin working for as a copy editor gets bought up by a larger company, and there is no longer a job opening for her at Grenville. Linda decides to try to go through the lengthy and arduous process and testing required to become a Probation Officer, seeing it as both a new and interesting career path since her copy editing job fell through, and also as a way to investigate further into Carol's death and help Gregory find out who, if anybody, was responsible for his sister's car crash.

No Stone Unturned involves Linda Davenport's efforts to leave no stone unturned in her quest to discover who was behind her friend Carol's death. Her investigation takes her to the houses of dangerous probation violators, and eventually she begins to put together more and more pieces of the puzzle. She reunites with her old boyfriend, David, who is overseeing a local drug program funded largely with the Wyndham's money. But, will she be able to complete the puzzle, or will she become the next target of whomever was behind Carol's death? Check out No Stone Unturned, Jeanette Fratto's brilliant novel full of rekindled romance and plot twists and turns today to find out more!

I am compelled to write this review because I am not a fan of fiction, but this book held my interest from beginning to end. The story and characters are well formed and Author Jeanette Fratto has managed to put together just the right mix of murder mystery, political intrigue and romance. This combination should be enough to please anyone. The main character is thrust into a murder mystery after a chance meeting on a flight from Detroit to Orange County, California. After additional twists and turns, our main character lands a job that she could not have imagined just weeks before. With a backdrop of Southern California locals, my interest never waned. Well Done!

This novel is a murder mystery in the classic sense: a fictional account of efforts to resolve a crime, but more focused on the detective work than what I consider the sensational format full of gory crimes. Many of the people in this novel are wholesome folk. The plot is brisk and engaging. The setting is in a Probation Department. It has the feel of authenticity: the author was there and does a good job of telling how probation officers do their work. I recommend it.

What a unique book - a great mystery, political conflict, and a little romance all thrown together and set in the world of probation officers (a setting rarely explored by mystery writers). Ms. Fratto has a gift for interesting description and realistic dialogue that engage the reader and move the plot along through various unexpected twists and turns. Mystery and romance fans alike will enjoy this book. Bravo!

No Stone Unturned is one of the best books I've read all year. Rarely do I find a book that I cannot put down until the last page is read, but No Stone Unturned had me spellbound from beginning to end. It's a well crafted mystery novel by a skilled writer who, with this book, captures and holds the readers attention.