Thrillers & Suspense
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Stone Maidens
From TikTok sensation Lloyd Devereux Richards comes the heart-pounding story of FBI agent Christine Prusik as she attempts to unmask a serial killer who leaves a calling card with a terrifying connection to her own haunted past.
As the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI's Chicago field office, Christine Prusik has worked her fair share of bizarre cases. Yet this one trumps them all: a serial killer is strangling young women and dumping their bodies in the steep, forested ravines of southern Indiana.
With each victim, the killer leaves a calling card: a stone figurine carved like the spirit stones found among the native tribes of Papua New Guinea―the same tribes Prusik worked with a decade earlier while doing field research. The personal nature of the similarity is eerie and, frankly, terrifying; Prusik still carries trauma from her time in the field.
As the dark details continue to surface, Prusik has to wonder if the connection is real or if her nightmares have finally wormed their way into her waking life.
As the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI's Chicago field office, Christine Prusik has worked her fair share of bizarre cases. Yet this one trumps them all: a serial killer is strangling young women and dumping their bodies in the steep, forested ravines of southern Indiana.
With each victim, the killer leaves a calling card: a stone figurine carved like the spirit stones found among the native tribes of Papua New Guinea―the same tribes Prusik worked with a decade earlier while doing field research. The personal nature of the similarity is eerie and, frankly, terrifying; Prusik still carries trauma from her time in the field.
As the dark details continue to surface, Prusik has to wonder if the connection is real or if her nightmares have finally wormed their way into her waking life.
Readers Top Reviews
hattieReaderSe
I'm so happy Lloyd is getting the recognition he deserves! Always been a huge fan of crime stories!
Brenda hattieRe
Like almost everyone else I found this through tiktok. I never would have found it either way because murder mystery/procedural is not my genre. This is a first for me. With that being said…..: The writing style of the author is captivating. The greatest example of it has to be the prologue and the epilogue. After I read the prologue, I was curious. And throughout the book I kept trying to tie what happens in the prologue but I couldn’t get it. And the Mr. Richards tied it for me in the epilogue and I just was mind blown. Definitely recommend!
SmileyfordBrenda
I love this book. It was incredible. I admin I was one of the people who bought the book because of the TikTok post from the authors daughter. I love thrillers, and am always hard pressed to find a new one with enough reviews that I’m willing to give it a try. This book was more than well written and intriguing. It was a great reminders that, just because there aren’t a lot of reviews does not mean it won’t be an amazing read. Thanks to the daughter and the author for bringing magic back into reading for me. Taking this “risk” and purchasing this book reminded me to go back to my childhood ways of going into a bookstore and just grabbing any book - author unknown - from the shelf and giving it a read.
Colleen Fitzgeral
I almost always leave a star rating on the books I read or listen to, however, I rarely leave a written review. Like many people here, I learned about this book through the heartwarming video the author’s daughter posted on TikTok. I read a lot of reviews before purchasing and was a little hesitant to buy the book due to some of the more negative reviews. However, I am glad that I ultimately purchased the book and listened to it despite the negativity. I found it to be a fantastic story that I didn’t want to stop listening to. In my opinion, this book is just as good as other best selling authors in this genre. The only negative thing I have to write, is that I am disappointed there are no more books to read from this author. If you are a fan of murder/mystery fiction, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy this book.
Sebastian VoColle
I was initially drawn to this book through a viral TikTok video where the author's daughter shared his years-long dedication to the story, which only further fueled my curiosity. The book follows FBI agent Christine Prusik as she leads the investigation into a serial killer who is leaving a chilling calling card at the scene of the crime. The victims are all young women who are being strangled and their bodies dumped in the forests of southern Indiana. What makes this case particularly unnerving is that the killer leaves behind a stone figurine that is carved in the image of the spirit stones of a Papua New Guinea tribe that Prusik had researched a decade earlier. As the investigation unfolds, the killer's connection to Prusik's past becomes increasingly disturbing. She begins to question whether the similarities between the killer's calling card and her research are mere coincidence or a deliberate attempt to target her. The personal nature of the case triggers Prusik's own traumatic memories from her time in the field and her ability to remain objective and focused on the case is tested. The character development in this book is phenomenal, and Richards expertly portrays the depth of Prusik's struggles with trauma and how it affects her work. The plot is brilliantly written and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as the mystery unravels, and the tension steadily builds to an explosive finale. Overall, Stone Maidens is a captivating and suspenseful novel that I would highly recommend to any crime thriller enthusiast. It is a well-crafted story that is brought to life through the compelling characters and intricate plot. Lloyd Devereux Richards has crafted a masterpiece that is a testament to his dedication and hard work over the years. I look forward to reading more from this talented author in the future.
