What do you think?
Rate this book
Ellie Stone Mysteries #2
No Stone Unturned
2015 ANTHONY AWARD FINALIST for Best Paperback Original
A dead girl in the woods. Three little oil spots on the dirt road. A Dr. Pepper bottle cap in the shallow grave. And a young reporter, armed with nothing but a camera.
Evening is falling on a wet, gray, autumn day in upstate New York. Ellie Stone, twenty-four-year-old reporter for a small local daily, stands at a crossroads in her career and in her life. Alone in the world, battling her own losses and her own demons, Ellie is ready to pack it in and return to New York a failure. Then she hears the dispatch over the police scanner.
A hunter, tramping through a muddy wood north of the small town of New Holland, has tripped over the body of a twenty-one-year-old society girl half-buried in the leaves. Ellie is the first reporter on the scene. The investigation provides a rare opportunity to rescue her drowning career, but all leads seem to die on the vine, until Ellie takes a daring chance that unleashes unintended chaos.
Wading through a voyeuristic tangle of small-town secrets, she makes some desperate enemies, who want her off the case. Dead if necessary.
A dead girl in the woods. Three little oil spots on the dirt road. A Dr. Pepper bottle cap in the shallow grave. And a young reporter, armed with nothing but a camera.
Evening is falling on a wet, gray, autumn day in upstate New York. Ellie Stone, twenty-four-year-old reporter for a small local daily, stands at a crossroads in her career and in her life. Alone in the world, battling her own losses and her own demons, Ellie is ready to pack it in and return to New York a failure. Then she hears the dispatch over the police scanner.
A hunter, tramping through a muddy wood north of the small town of New Holland, has tripped over the body of a twenty-one-year-old society girl half-buried in the leaves. Ellie is the first reporter on the scene. The investigation provides a rare opportunity to rescue her drowning career, but all leads seem to die on the vine, until Ellie takes a daring chance that unleashes unintended chaos.
Wading through a voyeuristic tangle of small-town secrets, she makes some desperate enemies, who want her off the case. Dead if necessary.
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2014
42 people are currently reading
987 people want to read
About the author
James W. Ziskin
12 books157 followers2021 Barry Award WINNER TURN TO STONE for Best Paperback Original
2021 Macavity Award WINNER for Best Historical Mystery TURN TO STONE
2017 Anthony Award WINNER of Best Paperback Original HEART OF STONE
2017 Macavity Award WINNER of Sue Feder Memorial Best Historical Novel HEART OF STONE
2021 Edgar Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Anthony Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Agatha Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Macavity Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Sue Grafton Memorial Award finalist TURN TO STONE
2021 Lefty Award finalist for Best Historical Mystery TURN TO STONE
2019 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original A STONE’S THROW
2019 Lefty Award finalist for Best Mystery A STONE’S THROW
2018 Macavity Award finalist for Sue Feder Memorial Best Historical Novel CAST THE FIRST STONE
2018 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original CAST THE FIRST STONE
2018 Lefty Award finalist for Best Mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE
2017 Anthony Award winner of Best Paperback Original HEART OF STONE
2017 Macavity Award winner of Sue Feder Memorial Best Historical Novel HEART OF STONE
2017 Edgar Award finalist for Best Paperback Original HEART OF STONE
2017 Lefty Award finalist for Best Mystery HEART OF STONE
2016 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original STONE COLD DEAD
2016 Barry Award finalist for Best Paperback Original STONE COLD DEAD
2016 Lefty Award finalist for Best World Mystery Novel STONE COLD DEAD
2015 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original NO STONE UNTURNED
2021 Macavity Award WINNER for Best Historical Mystery TURN TO STONE
2017 Anthony Award WINNER of Best Paperback Original HEART OF STONE
2017 Macavity Award WINNER of Sue Feder Memorial Best Historical Novel HEART OF STONE
2021 Edgar Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Anthony Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Agatha Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Macavity Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”
2021 Sue Grafton Memorial Award finalist TURN TO STONE
2021 Lefty Award finalist for Best Historical Mystery TURN TO STONE
2019 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original A STONE’S THROW
2019 Lefty Award finalist for Best Mystery A STONE’S THROW
2018 Macavity Award finalist for Sue Feder Memorial Best Historical Novel CAST THE FIRST STONE
2018 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original CAST THE FIRST STONE
2018 Lefty Award finalist for Best Mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE
2017 Anthony Award winner of Best Paperback Original HEART OF STONE
2017 Macavity Award winner of Sue Feder Memorial Best Historical Novel HEART OF STONE
2017 Edgar Award finalist for Best Paperback Original HEART OF STONE
2017 Lefty Award finalist for Best Mystery HEART OF STONE
2016 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original STONE COLD DEAD
2016 Barry Award finalist for Best Paperback Original STONE COLD DEAD
2016 Lefty Award finalist for Best World Mystery Novel STONE COLD DEAD
2015 Anthony Award finalist for Best Paperback Original NO STONE UNTURNED
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
June 29, 2016
Find all my reviews on my blog: https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.com
Date Read: 06/28/16
Pub Date: 06/10/14
5 STARS
A dead girl in the woods. Three little oil spots on the dirt road. A Dr. Pepper bottle cap in the shallow grave. And a young reporter, armed with nothing but a camera.
Evening is falling on a wet, gray, autumn day in upstate New York. Ellie Stone, twenty-four-year-old reporter for a small local daily, stands at a crossroads in her career and in her life. Alone in the world, battling her own losses and her own demons, Ellie is ready to pack it in and return to New York a failure. Then she hears the dispatch over the police scanner.
A hunter, tramping through a muddy wood north of the small town of New Holland, has tripped over the body of a twenty-one-year-old society girl half-buried in the leaves. Ellie is the first reporter on the scene. The investigation provides a rare opportunity to rescue her drowning career, but all leads seem to die on the vine, until Ellie takes a daring chance that unleashes unintended chaos.
Wading through a voyeuristic tangle of small-town secrets, she makes some desperate enemies, who want her off the case. Dead if necessary.
I’m definitely starting to fangirl over this series a bit. The covers (gorgeous!!!), the main character (sass and class people!), and the writing are all superb. I know I said it in the last review, but there is something so classic about these books; it is chocked full of mystery, suspense, and heavy subjects while lighter on the gore and violence. The subjects are well researched and fit together with the evidence of a great amount of care on the author’s part. I truly can’t say enough good things about this series and I’m already feeling anxious that there are only 2 more before I’m part of the crowd waiting for more Ellie Stone.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever;
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.”
– John Keats
If you read the above blurb, then you know the general plot for the book, so I won’t rehash it here. We have taken a leap from the last book forward almost 1 year in time, and Ellie still isn’t recouped from her last investigation involving her father (No spoilers here; you’ll just have to pick up Styx & Stone to find out for yourself). We finally get to see what her daily life is like and what all her job requires of her. From the very beginning we’re drawn in; Ellie has a police scanner installed in her vehicle (what self-respecting woman in the 60’s doesn’t?) and catches a huge tip on a body recovered in the woods. Frank Olney (whom we met in the last novel briefly) decides to utilize Ellie’s photography skills and have her take the investigative photos of the crime scene, which plants the need to investigate in Ellie’s core. She fights George tooth and nail to be the reporter on the highest profile murder the city has seen in recent history and, lucky for us, we get to be a fly on the wall and join in Ellie’s journey in finding the murderer.
While book 1 had a good bit of character development and focus, this one was a little more action and suspense. I simply could not put this book down; I drug it to the gym with me (twice a day for 2 days), read during my kid’s nap time, and picked it up again as soon as they were in bed. As you may have guessed, my house is a pig sty and we all have no clean clothes or fresh food.:) When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. These are traditional detective style mysteries, so I was picking apart the clues in my head and trying to piece together who was a part of what scenario. Needless to say, as was the case with the last book, I was wrong with all my guesses and Mr. Ziskin stumped me again. I think the reason these books are so satisfying to me is that nothing pleases me more than being completely unable to put together an investigation on my own and having to have it spelled out for me. Think Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, etc.; these books give you complete closure and do not rely on some huge cliffhanger to leave you desperate to read the next one. You simply want to continue the series because they are THAT good and you want to follow Ellie on another clever adventure.
*Many thanks again to James Ziskin, Seventh Street books, and Angelle Barbazon for providing me copies of all the current Ellie Stone mysteries in exchange for honest reviews.
Date Read: 06/28/16
Pub Date: 06/10/14
5 STARS
A dead girl in the woods. Three little oil spots on the dirt road. A Dr. Pepper bottle cap in the shallow grave. And a young reporter, armed with nothing but a camera.
Evening is falling on a wet, gray, autumn day in upstate New York. Ellie Stone, twenty-four-year-old reporter for a small local daily, stands at a crossroads in her career and in her life. Alone in the world, battling her own losses and her own demons, Ellie is ready to pack it in and return to New York a failure. Then she hears the dispatch over the police scanner.
A hunter, tramping through a muddy wood north of the small town of New Holland, has tripped over the body of a twenty-one-year-old society girl half-buried in the leaves. Ellie is the first reporter on the scene. The investigation provides a rare opportunity to rescue her drowning career, but all leads seem to die on the vine, until Ellie takes a daring chance that unleashes unintended chaos.
Wading through a voyeuristic tangle of small-town secrets, she makes some desperate enemies, who want her off the case. Dead if necessary.
I’m definitely starting to fangirl over this series a bit. The covers (gorgeous!!!), the main character (sass and class people!), and the writing are all superb. I know I said it in the last review, but there is something so classic about these books; it is chocked full of mystery, suspense, and heavy subjects while lighter on the gore and violence. The subjects are well researched and fit together with the evidence of a great amount of care on the author’s part. I truly can’t say enough good things about this series and I’m already feeling anxious that there are only 2 more before I’m part of the crowd waiting for more Ellie Stone.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever;
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.”
– John Keats
If you read the above blurb, then you know the general plot for the book, so I won’t rehash it here. We have taken a leap from the last book forward almost 1 year in time, and Ellie still isn’t recouped from her last investigation involving her father (No spoilers here; you’ll just have to pick up Styx & Stone to find out for yourself). We finally get to see what her daily life is like and what all her job requires of her. From the very beginning we’re drawn in; Ellie has a police scanner installed in her vehicle (what self-respecting woman in the 60’s doesn’t?) and catches a huge tip on a body recovered in the woods. Frank Olney (whom we met in the last novel briefly) decides to utilize Ellie’s photography skills and have her take the investigative photos of the crime scene, which plants the need to investigate in Ellie’s core. She fights George tooth and nail to be the reporter on the highest profile murder the city has seen in recent history and, lucky for us, we get to be a fly on the wall and join in Ellie’s journey in finding the murderer.
While book 1 had a good bit of character development and focus, this one was a little more action and suspense. I simply could not put this book down; I drug it to the gym with me (twice a day for 2 days), read during my kid’s nap time, and picked it up again as soon as they were in bed. As you may have guessed, my house is a pig sty and we all have no clean clothes or fresh food.:) When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. These are traditional detective style mysteries, so I was picking apart the clues in my head and trying to piece together who was a part of what scenario. Needless to say, as was the case with the last book, I was wrong with all my guesses and Mr. Ziskin stumped me again. I think the reason these books are so satisfying to me is that nothing pleases me more than being completely unable to put together an investigation on my own and having to have it spelled out for me. Think Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, etc.; these books give you complete closure and do not rely on some huge cliffhanger to leave you desperate to read the next one. You simply want to continue the series because they are THAT good and you want to follow Ellie on another clever adventure.
*Many thanks again to James Ziskin, Seventh Street books, and Angelle Barbazon for providing me copies of all the current Ellie Stone mysteries in exchange for honest reviews.
May 10, 2017
No Stone Unturned by James W. Ziskin is a 2014 Seventh Street Books publication.
This is the second book in the Ellie Stone mystery series and picks up about eight months later, with Ellie’s career as a small town newspaper reporter on life support.
However, when a popular local girl is found dead, Ellie gets the scoop of a lifetime when the girl’s prominent father asks her to personally investigate the case.
Ellie’s sadness over the loss of her father is palpable and his ghost still haunts her dreams, but this puzzling murder case she is covering keeps her mind from drifting into painful territory too often, but she could also be putting herself in serious danger by asking too many questions.
I think this author found a very quick rhythm with Ellie’s character as she begins to embrace her role as an investigative reporter and amateur sleuth.
The sixties era highlights the attitudes towards women in predominately male careers. Ellie is often told she is ‘just a girl’ or ‘step aside and let a man handle it’. But, we know Ellie is a woman well ahead of her time and I enjoyed watching her blaze a few trails, while working the case like a real detective would, only with a journalist’s keen eye for detail.
Ellie's first case, in book one, was personal, so this case is her first professional shot as an investigator, and although she has a pretty rough time of things on occasion, I think she is gaining confidence in her natural detecting skills.
However, she remains a flawed, pensive character, one that is perhaps a little too hard on herself, wanting to make personal connection, but at the same time, intent on punishing herself for past mistakes.
The mystery is certainly twisted and dark, with a slight psychological element thrown into the mix. I am happy to see the series begin to gel and really enjoyed all the attention to detail in this book.
And like in the first installment, some cryptic or seemingly trivial bits often have significant meaning later on, so you will want to make sure you are paying close attention.
Overall, this second installment builds nicely on the momentum created in the series debut, and has me excited about diving into the next chapter of the series.
4 stars
This is the second book in the Ellie Stone mystery series and picks up about eight months later, with Ellie’s career as a small town newspaper reporter on life support.
However, when a popular local girl is found dead, Ellie gets the scoop of a lifetime when the girl’s prominent father asks her to personally investigate the case.
Ellie’s sadness over the loss of her father is palpable and his ghost still haunts her dreams, but this puzzling murder case she is covering keeps her mind from drifting into painful territory too often, but she could also be putting herself in serious danger by asking too many questions.
I think this author found a very quick rhythm with Ellie’s character as she begins to embrace her role as an investigative reporter and amateur sleuth.
The sixties era highlights the attitudes towards women in predominately male careers. Ellie is often told she is ‘just a girl’ or ‘step aside and let a man handle it’. But, we know Ellie is a woman well ahead of her time and I enjoyed watching her blaze a few trails, while working the case like a real detective would, only with a journalist’s keen eye for detail.
Ellie's first case, in book one, was personal, so this case is her first professional shot as an investigator, and although she has a pretty rough time of things on occasion, I think she is gaining confidence in her natural detecting skills.
However, she remains a flawed, pensive character, one that is perhaps a little too hard on herself, wanting to make personal connection, but at the same time, intent on punishing herself for past mistakes.
The mystery is certainly twisted and dark, with a slight psychological element thrown into the mix. I am happy to see the series begin to gel and really enjoyed all the attention to detail in this book.
And like in the first installment, some cryptic or seemingly trivial bits often have significant meaning later on, so you will want to make sure you are paying close attention.
Overall, this second installment builds nicely on the momentum created in the series debut, and has me excited about diving into the next chapter of the series.
4 stars
March 20, 2021
A female character of grit, determination, intelligence and strength of the 1960s? Meet Ellie Stone, intrepid, fearless, sometimes reckless reporter who will not yield or give up in pursuing a story. This one involves a young woman brutally murdered and her father a prominent judge who asks Ellie to find the killer. At great personal risk, she succeeds.
August 11, 2014
There are several things that truly impressed me about this book. First, if you like a step back in time, Ziskin does a fantastic job of taking you there. It's a real skill for an author to be able to create atmosphere with delicate touches, just the occasional phrase and description. He's great at it, no doubt.
Second, there's something so many other reviewers have noted, his ability to make you believe in Ellie Stone, his main character. I love how ballsy she is, but also so real - she knows the world she lives in, she's sensitive to it and uses her wiles and charm to get things done. One of those characters with depth and humanity, someone that you really want to know more about.
Also, I should add that I'd not read the first when I picked this one up - and that's another skill, to pull me into the series on a book good enough to be a stand-alone.
And I've not mentioned the plot, which is fantastic. I've read some modern mysteries lately where the plot seems like an afterthought. Not here. Definitely recommend this book.
Second, there's something so many other reviewers have noted, his ability to make you believe in Ellie Stone, his main character. I love how ballsy she is, but also so real - she knows the world she lives in, she's sensitive to it and uses her wiles and charm to get things done. One of those characters with depth and humanity, someone that you really want to know more about.
Also, I should add that I'd not read the first when I picked this one up - and that's another skill, to pull me into the series on a book good enough to be a stand-alone.
And I've not mentioned the plot, which is fantastic. I've read some modern mysteries lately where the plot seems like an afterthought. Not here. Definitely recommend this book.
June 11, 2017
I have to admit I quite like this book, but there are so many things that annoyed me, most are minor criticisms, but they have affected my rating for the book.
As in the first book there are too many incidental characters that just appear and disappear.
Her family were ‘comfortably off’ and as the only surviving member after the death of her father I am not sure why the author keeps making references to her being ‘hard up’ and her meagre salary being all she has.
Also why does she keep walking into danger without taking any precautions, she doesn’t know any self-defence, she doesn’t carry a weapon, but she doesn’t seem to learn even when she keeps getting hurt.
My biggest problem with the book is that I didn't see any development in Ellie, I want my heroines to be special in some way, but it appears the author wants her to be ‘run of the mill’.
As in the first book there are too many incidental characters that just appear and disappear.
Her family were ‘comfortably off’ and as the only surviving member after the death of her father I am not sure why the author keeps making references to her being ‘hard up’ and her meagre salary being all she has.
Also why does she keep walking into danger without taking any precautions, she doesn’t know any self-defence, she doesn’t carry a weapon, but she doesn’t seem to learn even when she keeps getting hurt.
My biggest problem with the book is that I didn't see any development in Ellie, I want my heroines to be special in some way, but it appears the author wants her to be ‘run of the mill’.
April 5, 2015
Reporters as crime solvers? Having spent 20 years in the journalism business, this is one of my favorite sub-themes of the mystery genre. I have to say that in the four news organizations I worked for, I never met one reporter who solved a homicide. (Sarcasm, in case you don't recognize it.) But who doesn’t relish the idea? It makes so much sense because, well, reporters are good at asking questions, getting nosy and they have a built-in gene to be pushy. And pushier.
Ellie Stone is the reporter-protagonist in James W. Ziskin’s “No Stone Unturned,” the second in a series (I will go back and read the first very soon). She’s young (24), feisty and, well, nobody is going to out-pushy her.
She’s also smart, persistent and analytical. (Columbia School of Journalism—I mean, some of the best-trained reporters right there.) Part of the fun in “No Stone Unturned” is Ziskin whisks us back to 1960 in a somewhat rural setting—upstate New York. So the relationships between reporters and civic leaders (and others) seems much more straightforward and unencumbered. Stone is a reporter and photographer, which comes in handy, especially when her nose can tell her when a small interior space has been used as a darkroom. Those have never shot on anything but a digital camera won’t understand what a brilliant clue that is—nothing smells like darkroom chemicals.
The big problem with reporter protagonists is how much leeway they are given outside of normal daily news production to run around and solve the murder. How open is the editor to free time? Can the other reporters pick up the slack? At The New Holland Republic, let’s just say that Stone is cut ample slack, but that’s fine because she doesn’t waste a moment. She may be young, but she’s a few laps past naïve. She goes where the story takes her—to Boston and back—and Ziskin sets an energetic pace but doesn’t sacrifice depth. In fact, the complications get are rich and feel right—nothing out of left field. The story stays within the field of fair play, all based on Stone’s hustle. You’ll need your wits with you to keep up with her and her ability to keep track.
Okay, the plot—right. Emma Stone is on the scene where a dead girl is found in the woods. It’s a shallow grave. The woods are “crawling with cops” but Stone gets right up close to take photographs, both of the burial site and where cars might have been parked nearby. The victim is the daughter of a prominent couple. She was last seen at a motel—one of 'those' motels—and she didn’t have just one visitor but several. Let's just suspects are not in short supply. There’s a critical clue Stone pursues, a distinctive pattern of oil spots dripped by a certain car, and there are also threads that lead back to a trip the victim took to India. The story hinges, in part, on the moral and sexual codes of the era (a sharp historical touch) but the killer’s motivation is as old as the hills. Doesn’t matter. There are only a few reasons to kill someone. But, in fiction, it takes a nation of amateur sleuths to clean up all the mayhem out there and Emma Stone is someone we can hope is assigned the best stories, I mean crime cases, for many years to come.
Ellie Stone is the reporter-protagonist in James W. Ziskin’s “No Stone Unturned,” the second in a series (I will go back and read the first very soon). She’s young (24), feisty and, well, nobody is going to out-pushy her.
She’s also smart, persistent and analytical. (Columbia School of Journalism—I mean, some of the best-trained reporters right there.) Part of the fun in “No Stone Unturned” is Ziskin whisks us back to 1960 in a somewhat rural setting—upstate New York. So the relationships between reporters and civic leaders (and others) seems much more straightforward and unencumbered. Stone is a reporter and photographer, which comes in handy, especially when her nose can tell her when a small interior space has been used as a darkroom. Those have never shot on anything but a digital camera won’t understand what a brilliant clue that is—nothing smells like darkroom chemicals.
The big problem with reporter protagonists is how much leeway they are given outside of normal daily news production to run around and solve the murder. How open is the editor to free time? Can the other reporters pick up the slack? At The New Holland Republic, let’s just say that Stone is cut ample slack, but that’s fine because she doesn’t waste a moment. She may be young, but she’s a few laps past naïve. She goes where the story takes her—to Boston and back—and Ziskin sets an energetic pace but doesn’t sacrifice depth. In fact, the complications get are rich and feel right—nothing out of left field. The story stays within the field of fair play, all based on Stone’s hustle. You’ll need your wits with you to keep up with her and her ability to keep track.
Okay, the plot—right. Emma Stone is on the scene where a dead girl is found in the woods. It’s a shallow grave. The woods are “crawling with cops” but Stone gets right up close to take photographs, both of the burial site and where cars might have been parked nearby. The victim is the daughter of a prominent couple. She was last seen at a motel—one of 'those' motels—and she didn’t have just one visitor but several. Let's just suspects are not in short supply. There’s a critical clue Stone pursues, a distinctive pattern of oil spots dripped by a certain car, and there are also threads that lead back to a trip the victim took to India. The story hinges, in part, on the moral and sexual codes of the era (a sharp historical touch) but the killer’s motivation is as old as the hills. Doesn’t matter. There are only a few reasons to kill someone. But, in fiction, it takes a nation of amateur sleuths to clean up all the mayhem out there and Emma Stone is someone we can hope is assigned the best stories, I mean crime cases, for many years to come.
October 31, 2018
Set in the early 1960's Ellie Stone is struggling to make a living as a newspaper reporter in New Holland, New York state but struggles with the male dominated newspaper which sees women as there to do the odd jobs and fetch the coffee. Through the use of a police radio frequency scanner Ellie stumbles into a murder investigation when the naked body of Jordan Shaw, the daughter of a local Judge, is found in a shallow grave. Accepted by the local sheriff and the pathologist, a spin-off from the case of her father's death in the previous case, Ellie fights to find the clues and keep ahead of a colleague who has the support of the newspapers owner. Lots of dead ends, intrigue, college affairs and another murder make this a very good read.
A good 4star read.
A good 4star read.
September 8, 2015
Love this series! This one is even better than the first.
December 30, 2023
No Stone Unturned is book two in the Ellie Stone Mysteries series by James W. Ziskin. Ellie Stone's career was failing, and she was on the verge of returning home until she heard about finding a body in the woods outside the small town of New Holland. Ellie believes her involvement with this case will rescue her career. However, it unleashes more than she bargains for. The readers of No Stone Unturned will continue to follow Ellie to discover what happens.
No Stone Unturned is the first book I have read of James W. Ziskin. At first, I was not sure I would enjoy reading this book. However, I was wrong; I did enjoy reading this book. I love how James W. Ziskin portrayed his characters and their interaction with each other throughout this book. No Stone Unturned was well-written and researched by James W. Ziskin. I like James W. Ziskin's description of the settings of No Stone Unturned, which complements the book's plot.
The readers of No Stone Unturned will learn about the issues of people who only want to be part of a family. The readers of No Stone Unturned will learn about the role of investigative journalists.
I recommend this book.
No Stone Unturned is the first book I have read of James W. Ziskin. At first, I was not sure I would enjoy reading this book. However, I was wrong; I did enjoy reading this book. I love how James W. Ziskin portrayed his characters and their interaction with each other throughout this book. No Stone Unturned was well-written and researched by James W. Ziskin. I like James W. Ziskin's description of the settings of No Stone Unturned, which complements the book's plot.
The readers of No Stone Unturned will learn about the issues of people who only want to be part of a family. The readers of No Stone Unturned will learn about the role of investigative journalists.
I recommend this book.
February 13, 2021
Superb writing. Interesting plot. Excellent pace. Love the main character. Love the secondary characters. Enjoy the time period and setting. Appreciate her treatment as a woman in that era but gets a little overdone at every turn.
September 8, 2016
First Sentence: The story I heard was that Fast Jack Donovan was chasing a rabbit through the woods when he tripped in the wet leaves.
The body of a society girl is found half-buried in the woods. Reporter Ellie Stone hears the report on her scanner and heads to the scene with her camera. Determined to boost her struggling career, Ellie pursues the investigation on her own. The more secrets she uncovers, the greater her risk, perhaps even to her own life.
Delightful period references though the story; i.e., “Butterfield 8” and singing along with Mitch Miller, cement the sense of time, although they may not be recognized or appreciated by younger readers. They are very well done, from the smoking, and all the blatant sexism with which Ellie must deal—“Mr. Short didn’t want an assignment this important handled by a greenhorn, and a girl besides. Why don’t you go brew us a port of coffee? Then you can buff your nails till suppertime.” But the author’s wonderfully wry voice is nicely done—“For weeks, we’d been flirting through the teller’s window as he scribbled entries into my passbook and dealt me my withdrawals with the panache of a seasoned croupier.”
For all the lightness of the protagonist’s voice, there are also moments for one to consider—“I put the album down and thought with irony that the photographic record of Jordon Shaw’s life ended as it had begun. My pictures of a muddied, naked corpse—as naked as the day she was born, as naked as the day she posed on a baby blanket—closed the book on her brief, privileged existence.”
Ziskin does a very good job of ratcheting up the suspense and the danger to Ellie. One does, occasionally, wonder where the police are and that they give Ellie so much latitude and cooperation, and the story does seem a bit overly complicated at times.
“No Stone Unturned” has an excellent protagonist; a number of very interesting secondary characters, and does hold one’s interest. The plot had a few too many red herring, and seems over-thought, but the writing does merit reading the next book by this author.
NO STONE UNTURNED: AN ELLIE STONE MYSTERY (Lic Inv/Report-Ellie Stone-Upstate NY-1960s) – Good
Ziskin, James W. – 2nd in series
Seventh Street Books – June 2014
The body of a society girl is found half-buried in the woods. Reporter Ellie Stone hears the report on her scanner and heads to the scene with her camera. Determined to boost her struggling career, Ellie pursues the investigation on her own. The more secrets she uncovers, the greater her risk, perhaps even to her own life.
Delightful period references though the story; i.e., “Butterfield 8” and singing along with Mitch Miller, cement the sense of time, although they may not be recognized or appreciated by younger readers. They are very well done, from the smoking, and all the blatant sexism with which Ellie must deal—“Mr. Short didn’t want an assignment this important handled by a greenhorn, and a girl besides. Why don’t you go brew us a port of coffee? Then you can buff your nails till suppertime.” But the author’s wonderfully wry voice is nicely done—“For weeks, we’d been flirting through the teller’s window as he scribbled entries into my passbook and dealt me my withdrawals with the panache of a seasoned croupier.”
For all the lightness of the protagonist’s voice, there are also moments for one to consider—“I put the album down and thought with irony that the photographic record of Jordon Shaw’s life ended as it had begun. My pictures of a muddied, naked corpse—as naked as the day she was born, as naked as the day she posed on a baby blanket—closed the book on her brief, privileged existence.”
Ziskin does a very good job of ratcheting up the suspense and the danger to Ellie. One does, occasionally, wonder where the police are and that they give Ellie so much latitude and cooperation, and the story does seem a bit overly complicated at times.
“No Stone Unturned” has an excellent protagonist; a number of very interesting secondary characters, and does hold one’s interest. The plot had a few too many red herring, and seems over-thought, but the writing does merit reading the next book by this author.
NO STONE UNTURNED: AN ELLIE STONE MYSTERY (Lic Inv/Report-Ellie Stone-Upstate NY-1960s) – Good
Ziskin, James W. – 2nd in series
Seventh Street Books – June 2014
December 5, 2018
Technically, 2 stars means "it was o.k." I often hesitate to rate a book 2 stars unless I didn't like it much. No Stone Unturned was right on the cusp between 2 and 3 stars, but I hesitate to rate it 3 because there's too many shortcomings.
It was, indeed, an "ok" read. The whole vibe was "mystery lite" -- y'know, fewer calories, less fullness of story telling and plot, but entertaining for a brief period. The protagonist, Ellie Stone was just too unbelievable and unrealistic. We're supposed to believe that she's a hard drinking, smarter than most of the men around her, liberated 60's kind of gal who, as a reporter does more detective work than two police forces combined in solving two murders some 200 miles apart. Those poor dopey cops... they should just listen to Ellie and they'd be so much better off. But, due to the times and societal norms, they can't take her too seriously; after all, she's "just a girl."
But Ellie, undaunted, discovers three little oil spots on the dirt road near the 1st murder, a Dr. Pepper bottle cap in the shallow grave, and using her reporting instincts and camera, begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder of a beautiful 21-year-old society girl. And in so doing, manages to encounter lots of potential suspects (plenty of red herrings here) and endangers herself to boot.
The main problem with an otherwise nice plot is the storytelling itself. Too many times does Ellie plow ahead into obviously dangerous situations. Too often does she interfere with police investigations, withholding evidence, lying, misleading, etc. to be believable. The author seems to try too hard to make her special, tough, as good as any man, but still able to flirt and use her feminine wiles when that can help her get what she needs. The best parts of the story involve the author's reference to the time in which the story is set. Gleem toothpaste, Breck shampoo, glass bottles of Dr. Pepper for 15 cents from a vending machine, film cameras and flash bulbs. These are but a few of my favorite things....
So, it's an "ok" read; not great, not terrible, 2. 5 stars, rounded down.
It was, indeed, an "ok" read. The whole vibe was "mystery lite" -- y'know, fewer calories, less fullness of story telling and plot, but entertaining for a brief period. The protagonist, Ellie Stone was just too unbelievable and unrealistic. We're supposed to believe that she's a hard drinking, smarter than most of the men around her, liberated 60's kind of gal who, as a reporter does more detective work than two police forces combined in solving two murders some 200 miles apart. Those poor dopey cops... they should just listen to Ellie and they'd be so much better off. But, due to the times and societal norms, they can't take her too seriously; after all, she's "just a girl."
But Ellie, undaunted, discovers three little oil spots on the dirt road near the 1st murder, a Dr. Pepper bottle cap in the shallow grave, and using her reporting instincts and camera, begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder of a beautiful 21-year-old society girl. And in so doing, manages to encounter lots of potential suspects (plenty of red herrings here) and endangers herself to boot.
The main problem with an otherwise nice plot is the storytelling itself. Too many times does Ellie plow ahead into obviously dangerous situations. Too often does she interfere with police investigations, withholding evidence, lying, misleading, etc. to be believable. The author seems to try too hard to make her special, tough, as good as any man, but still able to flirt and use her feminine wiles when that can help her get what she needs. The best parts of the story involve the author's reference to the time in which the story is set. Gleem toothpaste, Breck shampoo, glass bottles of Dr. Pepper for 15 cents from a vending machine, film cameras and flash bulbs. These are but a few of my favorite things....
So, it's an "ok" read; not great, not terrible, 2. 5 stars, rounded down.
August 18, 2016
#2 in the Ellie Stone series. Finalist 2015 Anthony Award for Best Paperback. Ellie hears of a found body in the woods on her scanner and is the first reporter on the scene. Because the police photographer is not available she is requested to take the crime scene photos and gains an inside track on the story. The victim is college student Jordan Shaw, daughter of the prominent Judge Shaw. The judge hears that Ellie solved the murder of her father earlier in the year and asks her to find his daughter's killer. The reminder of her father is agonizing but Ellie sees this as a chance to jumpstart her career and agrees. An absorbing mystery, but as with the previous series entry Styx & Stone (2013) the case is convoluted with many suspects and red herrings.
Ellie (Eleonora) Stone - Reporter/photographer Ellie Stone finally has the story of her life. It's Thanksgiving 1960, and Jordan Shaw, a local young woman home from Tufts University, has been murdered and dumped in the woods near the small town of New Holland, NY. Jordan had broken several young men's hearts, but her current activities (a trip to India and the use of an IUD, for openers) startle even Ellie and she's not one to flinch from modern lifestyles. When Ellie heads to Boston to interview the deceased's roommate, she finds her slain also. Ellie realizes that Jordan's cryptic datebook entries can help her narrow down the suspects; she unearths a veritable minefield of professors and grad students.
Ellie (Eleonora) Stone - Reporter/photographer Ellie Stone finally has the story of her life. It's Thanksgiving 1960, and Jordan Shaw, a local young woman home from Tufts University, has been murdered and dumped in the woods near the small town of New Holland, NY. Jordan had broken several young men's hearts, but her current activities (a trip to India and the use of an IUD, for openers) startle even Ellie and she's not one to flinch from modern lifestyles. When Ellie heads to Boston to interview the deceased's roommate, she finds her slain also. Ellie realizes that Jordan's cryptic datebook entries can help her narrow down the suspects; she unearths a veritable minefield of professors and grad students.
June 11, 2017
3.5 A who-done-it . This is the first book in the series that I have read and I will keep reading the mysteries. Ellie Stone, a young news reporter for a small town newspaper in upstate New York is asked to look into the murder of the Judge's daughter home from college, found half buried in the woods by a hunter. The setting is in 1960 and the author does a good job of putting the reader into the time era. ' "Are American girls in the habit of getting tattooed? he asked after giving it some thought. "I've never seen one in this country." Neither had I, at least not outside a carnival sideshow.' I wonder if the small town police would have given her such leeway in her investigation or provided their information to her but I could overlook it as the story went quickly from one incident to another, one suspect to another. If you like murder mystery without the gore this is a great series to read.
March 7, 2015
I read an ARC of No Stone Unturned. The second Ellie Stone mystery does not disappoint. It's every bit as good as the first (Styx & Stone), and maybe even better. (I loved Styx & Stone.) Ellie is a compelling heroine. Clever, a little naughty, but so likeable, she's also flawed and sometimes troubled. But she has the guts to make it alone in a man's world. The plot is tight, and the author never cheats the reader. This is a fair-play mystery. Finally, I find the writing style to be beautiful. Rhythmic and stylized. James Ziskin always seems to find the right word. It's strong, intelligent prose. Ellie Stone is a discovery, and I look forward to enjoying many more installments in this series.
August 16, 2016
I don't remember the last time I disliked a protagonist this much. The plot was fine and I somehow finished but it was truly far-fetched that the police would more or less hand over a murder investigation to some small town reporter. Ellie's constant need to remind everyone that she can drink a lot and thinking every guy that met her was falling at her feet was perhaps even more annoying than everyone else saying "but you're just a girl!" I won't be reading more in this series.
November 30, 2017
I'm a huge fan of Ziskin's stories. I love the main character and her wit and determination, and that she's got her share of faults. This mystery doesn't disappoint, with great twists that kept me guessing. I loved discovering the story along with Ellie, and Ziskin is a master at engaging my whodunnit brain as well as delighting me with his finely crafted stories.
February 24, 2015
I truly loved this book and the main character Ellis Stone. She is a go-getter and a trend-setter. I look forward to reading more about the adventures of Miss Stone.
January 24, 2020
I really liked the first in the series, and the second definitely didn't disappoint. I'd give this series a full recommendation for fans of murder mysteries, books set in the 1960s, and books featuring strong female lead characters.
The second of the Ellie Stone mysteries finds the title heroine returned to her life in upstate New York, trying to succeed in her career as a journalist for the local newspaper only months after the events of the first book, in which she investigated and solved the murder of her father. When the daughter of a local judge is found dead in the woods, Ellie is called in by the state police to take crime scene photos, and is subsequently engaged by the girl's father to investigate the crime. The search leads to the discovery that the young woman was a lot like Ellie, in that she was a "modern" woman with a number of relationships with men who could have committed the crime. Once again, the investigation takes Ellie into the world of academia, this time at Tufts University in Boston, where the victim was an undergraduate studying French Literature, but with aspirations of getting an advanced degree in engineering. The faculty of the Engineering department provides a wealth of suspects, to pile on top of those presented by the woman's former boyfriends from her home town. Ellie manages to uncover lots of hidden secrets, and endures a few dangerous situations, as she finally tracks down the killer, all the while scooping her rival reporter on the paper.
I really like the way Ziskin writes, with a modern colloquial style with certain literary flares that stand out (like saying the dive bar called the Dew Drop Inn should be called the "Don't Drop In," or describing a bleak morning as a "dishwater daybreak"). The main character is strong and smart, but flawed, with a penchant for too much drink and questionable taste in men, yet is still quite often the smartest person in the room, no matter the snooty company that frequently surrounds her. The potential suspects are well developed and plausible, with full ranges of emotions and motivations for committing the crime, and the non-suspect cast of ancillary characters present great flavor to round out the plot. The trope of the lazy local cops might be a little tired, but at least Ziskin gives it a twist by having the indolent officers at least humor her investigative whims. All told, though, it's a well-crafted murder mystery, and should please most fans of the genre.
A few minor editing mistakes (like missing punctuation or misspelled words) aside, it was a remarkably clean read, so kudos to the author and the editor(s).
I've become a fan of the series, and am already well into book #3, so I look forward to the rest. Big recommendation for straight murder mysteries with strong female leads.
Thanks to Seventh Street Books (and my Queen of the Book Fairies) for providing me with copies of other books in this series to get me interested enough to buy this one on my own.
The second of the Ellie Stone mysteries finds the title heroine returned to her life in upstate New York, trying to succeed in her career as a journalist for the local newspaper only months after the events of the first book, in which she investigated and solved the murder of her father. When the daughter of a local judge is found dead in the woods, Ellie is called in by the state police to take crime scene photos, and is subsequently engaged by the girl's father to investigate the crime. The search leads to the discovery that the young woman was a lot like Ellie, in that she was a "modern" woman with a number of relationships with men who could have committed the crime. Once again, the investigation takes Ellie into the world of academia, this time at Tufts University in Boston, where the victim was an undergraduate studying French Literature, but with aspirations of getting an advanced degree in engineering. The faculty of the Engineering department provides a wealth of suspects, to pile on top of those presented by the woman's former boyfriends from her home town. Ellie manages to uncover lots of hidden secrets, and endures a few dangerous situations, as she finally tracks down the killer, all the while scooping her rival reporter on the paper.
I really like the way Ziskin writes, with a modern colloquial style with certain literary flares that stand out (like saying the dive bar called the Dew Drop Inn should be called the "Don't Drop In," or describing a bleak morning as a "dishwater daybreak"). The main character is strong and smart, but flawed, with a penchant for too much drink and questionable taste in men, yet is still quite often the smartest person in the room, no matter the snooty company that frequently surrounds her. The potential suspects are well developed and plausible, with full ranges of emotions and motivations for committing the crime, and the non-suspect cast of ancillary characters present great flavor to round out the plot. The trope of the lazy local cops might be a little tired, but at least Ziskin gives it a twist by having the indolent officers at least humor her investigative whims. All told, though, it's a well-crafted murder mystery, and should please most fans of the genre.
A few minor editing mistakes (like missing punctuation or misspelled words) aside, it was a remarkably clean read, so kudos to the author and the editor(s).
I've become a fan of the series, and am already well into book #3, so I look forward to the rest. Big recommendation for straight murder mysteries with strong female leads.
Thanks to Seventh Street Books (and my Queen of the Book Fairies) for providing me with copies of other books in this series to get me interested enough to buy this one on my own.
June 14, 2021
I read the first Ellie Stone mystery years ago and decided to read the second one (there are now seven) in preparation for the author's presentation at Sisters in Crime NorCal.
Ellie is a 24-year-old smoking, hard-drinking reporter for a local daily newspaper in upstate New York, striving to overcome the prejudice against working women in 1960. She doesn't have much of a social life, although she's attractive to men, and no family in evidence, so she devotes her time to investigating the murder of a beautiful young woman who had entertained three men that night at a motel and who had a slew of men seemingly in love with her. Ellie has street cred and is good at noticing clues and insinuating herself into situations--sometimes dangerous--that reveal additional clues and information.
I found the sixties setting refreshing, and Ellie is an interesting, if not endearing, protagonist.
Ellie is a 24-year-old smoking, hard-drinking reporter for a local daily newspaper in upstate New York, striving to overcome the prejudice against working women in 1960. She doesn't have much of a social life, although she's attractive to men, and no family in evidence, so she devotes her time to investigating the murder of a beautiful young woman who had entertained three men that night at a motel and who had a slew of men seemingly in love with her. Ellie has street cred and is good at noticing clues and insinuating herself into situations--sometimes dangerous--that reveal additional clues and information.
I found the sixties setting refreshing, and Ellie is an interesting, if not endearing, protagonist.
November 22, 2019
James W. Ziskin’s second Ellie Stone mystery, No Stone Unturned, is a fast-paced mystery filled with a wonderful collection of characters and locations. Like its predecessor, this novel is set in 1960. However, this time the story has moved from the big city to a smaller town in upstate New York. Don’t let the quaint locale fool you, though. Ellie is in for some rough challenges ahead while she searches for a killer.
The storytelling is tight and the dialogue both witty and engaging.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel but found myself completely engrossed in this tale. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
The storytelling is tight and the dialogue both witty and engaging.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel but found myself completely engrossed in this tale. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
February 21, 2022
3.75 - enjoyable light mystery novel series, kind of fun being set in the early 60s. The author doesn't sugarcoat the backward attitudes of the day, the racism, sexism, etc. but neither does the author try to grind in lessons. Those attitudes are treated pretty matter-of-fact-ly, which is much truer to life than some authors portray. I would like to see a little less coincidence and lucky guesses and a little more depth to characters but this is only the second of the series so that may come in the future.
November 28, 2019
Fun 60s romp. Ellie doesn't always make the right decisions, but she's always fun to follow around. Sometimes she acts a little outside the law--I think that's why I'm always rooting for her. She thinks and sometimes acts outside the box just the way I'd really like to. Ziskin presents an interesting mystery with a protagonist who's fun to be around. I especially enjoyed the depiction of the college campus scene... things in academia have changed, but not too much.
April 3, 2021
Brilliant mystery and a vivid return to the pre-hippy sixties. Our haunted heroin, filled with regrets, is again faced with a mystery. The body of a young girl is discovered in a nearby woods. I loved the time period and the setting. The mystery was top-notch and fair. The clues were there. It was hard to connect with Ellie. She is so damaged by life, and her alcoholism is heartbreaking.
November 4, 2024
I accidentally requested this book when I was trying to get the non fiction book of the same name. I figured I'd read it anyway. I enjoyed that it took place in the 1960's. I know this is the second one book in a series and I just might be curious enough about these characters to read the first one at some point.
November 30, 2023
Actually 3.5 stars.
The second in the Ellie Stone series which I read out of sequence, although it seemed to read fine as a standalone. This was a funny read for me, not a funny ha-ha, but a funny read as in I enjoyed it, but I found myself wanting it to hurry up and finish, not sure why.
The second in the Ellie Stone series which I read out of sequence, although it seemed to read fine as a standalone. This was a funny read for me, not a funny ha-ha, but a funny read as in I enjoyed it, but I found myself wanting it to hurry up and finish, not sure why.
June 29, 2020
This series has grown on me & I’ve enjoyed it more as I have gotten to know the repeating characters better. Good pacing & engaging plot turns made this a great read!
July 30, 2020
Didn’t think I’d like this series set in the 1960s, but this prefeminist era sleuth is smart, independent, and better than all the guys. A solid read even though much of it is predictable.
September 19, 2020
It was very obvious to me that this was written by a man, trying to adopt the voice and viewpoint of a woman. For me personally it falls short.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews