âA stunner, exquisitely plotted and characterized, with Toddâs trademark meticulous backdrop of World War I-era England.ââStrand Magazine
The Great War is still raging when Francesca Hattonâs adored grandfather dies on his estate in Englandâs isolated Exe Valley. She is his sole heir, for her five cousins are dead now on the battlefields of France. Among his effects, Francesca is stunned to find a letter cursing the Hattons. And at the funeral, a stranger publicly accuses Hatton of murder. Who was her grandfather? The kind man who raised herâor a secretive killer? For in the back garden where she and her cousins once played, there is a white stone they always called the Murder Stone. Alone, with no one to help her, Francesca is determined to clear Hattonâs good name. But when a series of ominous âaccidentsâ occur, she realizes that in her pursuit of the truth, she has crossed the path of someone who wonât be satisfied until all the Hattons are dead.
Praise for The Murder Stone
âToddâs mysteries are among the most intelligent and affecting being written these days.ââWashington Post Book World
âSeamless . . . a compelling insight into the home front during 1916.ââChicago Tribune
âA gripping novel of family secrets set against the tragedy of World War I.ââMystery Lovers Bookshop News
âMany twists and turns, angst-ridden characters, and an evocative historical setting. A gripping read.ââLibrary Journal