Echoes Among the Stones

GIVEAWAY

WRIGHT, JAMIE JO
ECHOES AMONG THE STONES

After Aggie Dunkirk's career is unceremoniously ended by her own mistakes, she finds herself traveling to Wisconsin, where her grandmother, Mumsie, lives alone in her vintage, though very outdated, home. Aggie didn't plan for how eccentric Mumsie has become, obsessing over an old, unsolved crime scene -- even going so far as to re-create it in a dollhouse.

Mystery seems to follow Aggie when she finds work as a secretary helping to restore the flooded historical part of the town's cemetery. Forced to work with a puzzling yet attractive archaeologist, she exhumes the past's secrets and unwittingly uncovers a crime that come will go to any length to keep hidden -- even if that means silencing Aggie.

In 1946, Imogene Grayson works in a beautify salon but has her sights set on Hollywood. But comeing home to discover her younger sister's body in the attic changes everything. Unfamiliar with the burgeoning world of forensic science and, as a woman, not particularly welcomed into the investigation, Imogene is nonetheless determined to stay involved. As her sister's case grows cold, Imogene vows to find justice...no matter the cost.

My Review:

I'm in a post-read I-can't-believe-that-happened / I-didn't-see-that-coming daze. Accompanied by a serious case of the 'boohoo-it's-all-over blues. In short -- I am stupefied so if this review doesn't make sense blame Jaime Jo Wright not me! :-)

First -- the dual timeline -- honestly, this author knows how to make it work! The pacing between the present and the past -- the way she builds both storylines until they explode in a frenzy of 'aha' moments that rocked my reading socks right off. Phew! And the way she jumps from 1946 to 2019, always leaving me hanging. I'd be like "Nooooo, you can't leave it there!" as I recalibrated my head and heart into another time frame only to be sucked in and then -- wham -- we're time traveling again. Blissfully discombobulated, that was me the whole read.

The mystery is so well done. Complex and confusing and a tad creepy. I had more theories than there were chapters in the book! LOL In the end, this armchair sleuth got it partially right. But I was also flabbergasted by certain revelations.

I didn't take to either heroine immediately. They both had some prickly characteristics that kept me at arms' length. It wasn't long before I realized they were deliberately holding back -- barricading their hearts behind protective walls to stave off further hurt. And protect themselves from grief.

And here's what really surprised me about this novel -- it is a study of grief. How it inspires action...or inaction. How it takes hostages. Suppresses joy. Binds hope. And most importantly, how grace can burst open grief's prison. So many stunning passages. Profound. Words I really took to heart. I listened to the audible edition so I don't have any quotes to share here but you can be sure I'll be buying a paperback copy so I have the words in print to cherish.

An indescribably awesome novel that belongs on keeper shelves everywhere!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Echoes Among the Stones, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday December 14 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!