I love this beautifully written series set in the 1960s, which depicts the rapidly changing world and also the everyday sexism and still difficult place of a professional woman during this era. Ellie (Eleonora) Stone is a young journalist working for a daily newspaper in New Holland, New York, a small upstate town. Her workplace and the New Holland police district are very different from her privileged and intellectual background. Ellie is independent, brilliant, witty, and a truly decent person. Seeing herself as a reporter, not a female reporter, Ellie breaks boundaries by following her steely interest in investigating the stories that she encounters during her assignments. She excels at asking questions and puts herself at risk to fight injustice and bigotry. She isn't aiming to blaze trails for women; she just wants to find the answers and have a career as a good reporter. The plots are tight, the stories are thought-provoking and suspenseful, and Ziskin has beautiful command of the language. There are six books in this series so far: Styx & Stone (2013) , No Stone Unturned (2014) , Stone Cold Dead (2015) , Heart of Stone (2016) , Cast the First Stone (2017) , and A Stone's Throw (2018).

 

"Ellie is a refreshing, riotously funny amateur sleuth. Spot-on language and perceptions of the era are a plus."  - Publishers Weekly

 

"Ellie is one of [our] favorite characters in the genre. Her intelligence and fearlessness belie her youth. She's at once vulnerable yet self-assured, intelligent yet impulsive, liberated yet yearning for a romantic connection. But what really sets Ziskin's books apart is the poetry of his writing...he excels at poetic and evocative descriptions of the fascinating characters and the nostalgic 1960's upstate New York setting." - MysteryPeople

 

" Heart of Stone is the best Ellie Stone mystery yet, and that's saying something. The plot rockets along, fueled by colorful characters, intriguing clues, and Ellie herself, who is witty, vulnerable, and one of the finest and most fun amateur sleuths in crime fiction. I've read every Ellie Stone mystery, and I can't wait for the next."  -Mark Pryor, author of The Paris Librarian

 

"Ziskin's writing displays a remarkable command of words, building them into a complex and convincing set and cast of characters."- Suspense Magazine

 

JAMES W. ZISKIN, author of the Ellie Stone Mysteries, is winner of the Anthony award for Best Paperback Original and the Macavity Award for Best Historical Novel. His books have also been finalists for the Edgar®, Barry, and Lefty awards. From his website: "A linguist by training, he studied Romance Languages and Literature at the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his graduate degree, he worked in New York as a photo-news producer and writer ... He spent fifteen years in the Hollywood post production industry, running large international operations in the subtitling/localization and visual effects fields." (https://jameswziskin.com)