Stone Certainty, by Simon R. Green (Severn House)
The stone
circle at Chipping Amesbury has been the subject of stories going back
centuries. It’s said to be a gateway to the Other Place, abode of monsters and
demons. When the stones were moved, the circle became quiet. Now the new
landowner is restoring them to their original gate-like configuration, and he
wants to film a documentary about the re-placing of the last stone. Besides a
production crew and two newscasters, he’s enlisted Alistair Kincaid, the youngest ever bishop of All
Souls Hollow, is an expert in Britain's ancient stone circles, and
actress Diana Hunt. The two
became notorious in their last encounter, when the pair of them hunted ghosts
and solved a murder. Of course, spooky things happen: mysterious mists,
bloodthirsty sounds…and a dead body, pinned to the ground in the center of the
circle with a pitchfork.
The story resembles a “haunted house” mystery, with a fixed
location and a limited number of people who vary in their susceptibility to
belief in ghosts, demons, and the horrors of the Other Place. But Alistair and Diana learned from their
previous adventure that there is usually a rational explanation for weird
events but murder is very real. Without giving away too much, Green masterfully
creates expectations, allows the reader to interpret events, and always plays
fair with what he reveals. The result is a brilliant, nuanced exploration of
belief, superstition, and persuasion.
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