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lovelymisanthrope 's review for:
Stone Maidens
by Lloyd Devereux Richards
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked up this book after hearing about the author on Tik Tok, and I wanted to give a smaller known author a read.
"Stone Maidens" is a crime story that follows Christine Prusik, the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI’s Chicago field office. There is a serial killer murdering young women in Indiana and leaving a small stone figurine with their bodies. These stones are linked to primitive tribes of Papua New Guinea, tribes that Christine knows more than she cares to remember.
Overall, I felt like this book was written pretty well and read much like an episode of Law and Order. This type of "true crime" feel in a book is not typically the type of book I gravitate towards, but objectively I could see the enjoyment of a book like this and I felt the heart the author put into this story.
One of my biggest hang ups about this book was with Christine. Christine as a character did not feel like a real woman, meaning I could tell that this was a woman character written by a man. Her interactions with the sheriff especially felt very staged and unrealistic. Her dialogue felt robotic and like she was written to say what a cliche FBI woman would say, not what felt true to her character.
The ultimate "why" behind the serial killer's actions and the resolution that was reached felt satisfying and I did like the twist to the story.
I am happy I picked up this book, but I am not convinced this author is for me, and I am not ready to jump into another of his books right away.
"Stone Maidens" is a crime story that follows Christine Prusik, the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI’s Chicago field office. There is a serial killer murdering young women in Indiana and leaving a small stone figurine with their bodies. These stones are linked to primitive tribes of Papua New Guinea, tribes that Christine knows more than she cares to remember.
Overall, I felt like this book was written pretty well and read much like an episode of Law and Order. This type of "true crime" feel in a book is not typically the type of book I gravitate towards, but objectively I could see the enjoyment of a book like this and I felt the heart the author put into this story.
One of my biggest hang ups about this book was with Christine. Christine as a character did not feel like a real woman, meaning I could tell that this was a woman character written by a man. Her interactions with the sheriff especially felt very staged and unrealistic. Her dialogue felt robotic and like she was written to say what a cliche FBI woman would say, not what felt true to her character.
The ultimate "why" behind the serial killer's actions and the resolution that was reached felt satisfying and I did like the twist to the story.
I am happy I picked up this book, but I am not convinced this author is for me, and I am not ready to jump into another of his books right away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent