Review of “Echoes Among the Stones” by Jamie Jo Wright

Publisher Description:

“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 rambling old home. She 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 the dollhouse. 

Mystery seems to follow her when she finds work as a secretary helping to restore the flooded historical part of the cemetery. Forced to work with the cemetery’s puzzling, yet attractive archeologist, she exhumes the past’s secrets and unwittingly uncovers a crime that some will go to any length to keep quiet–even if it means silencing Aggie. 

In 1946, Imogene Grayson works in a local factory and has eyes on owning her own beauty salon. But coming home to discover her younger sister’s body in the attic changes everything. Unfamiliar with the newly burgeoning world of criminal forensics and not particularly welcomed as a woman, Imogene is nonetheless determined to stay involved. As her sister’s case grows cold, Imogene vows to find justice . . . even if it costs her everything.”

My Review:

In my opinion, this is Jamie Jo Wright’s best book yet.

I love mysteries.  I started reading them when I got my first “Nancy Drew’ book.  When I was in junior high, I discovered Agatha Christie’s books and realized what a well-written mystery could be.  I can’t count how many mysteries I’ve read through the years. And y’all, “Echoes Among the Stones” has every single element that an outstanding mystery should have.  This “split time’ story has the reader trying to solve both a present-day mystery and also one set in the 1940’s.  The two merge together in a way that I did not see coming.  The pacing of the development of the story and the perfect placement of clues was amazing.  I was never completely sure of the murderer until the final reveal.  

But there’s so much more to this book than just being a great story.  The characters of Aggie, Colin, and Mumsie have each had their share of deep grief.  The very heart of this book is God’s unfailing love for us as we struggle with the loss and heartache we suffer as being part of this fallen world, and the fact the only He is the source of the hope that we are desperately seeking.  This is not a “preachy” book by any means, but gently leads the reader to open up their heart to the comfort God wants to give each of us.  

I loved the characters of Aggie and Colin.  I know that this is a stand-alone novel, but I would love to read about them again someday, and I suspect I’m not the only reader who feels this way.  I’m also guessing that this book will earn another well-deserved award for Jamie Jo Wright.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

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