Review: Multi-layered characters and plot
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 19, 2013
I received Cast the First Stone free for an honest review.This is a very good mystery with just the right amount of twists and turns, hidden clues, and everything this reader likes in this genre. I did not figure out the killer or the motive in advance, always a good thing to me.Financial reporter Rebecca Stone is pulled into a murder investigation when a visiting speaker, one of her former professors at Wharton, is killed. Wharton would like her and her former fiancée (who had jilted her) to investigate to be sure nothing detrimental to Wharton is involved in the murder. It is difficult for Rebecca to work with the man, especially since she has a loving boyfriend in the background. Although I enjoyed following the investigation, there were times the flashbacks to the time Rebecca was almost raped got in the way. Although they helped define Rebecca as a person, they didn't really have anything to do with the murder. A little too much there, I think, especially emphasizing the PTSD component as much as it was. All the characters are well-drawn, even down to the unimportant ones, and that adds to the depth of the book.  I liked the bits of Jewish tradition and culture that were woven into the story. I plan to pass the book along to a Rabbi friend of mine.I'm looking forward to more books with Rebecca Stone.Although I give the book an A, I think the author needs to take another look at the cover. The front needs a do-over to catch the buyer's eye (the fonts are boring) and the back ought to have a blurb about the plot of the book, not a bio of the author. People buy books because of what's inside, not because of where the author went to school and other personal info. I know a teacher who is trying to encourage her students to read. She uses a questionnaire: Look at the front of the book. What on the cover makes you think you would like this book? Look at the back cover. What does it say that makes you think you'd like to read this book? That's a good thing for all authors to consider.