Stone Maidens by Lloyd Devereux Richards

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🪨 Stone Maidens by Lloyd Devereux Richards — Detailed Review & Plot (Spoilers Galore!)

⭐ 3 out of 5 stars | Serial killer thriller | Twisty, but not perfect | Rituals, twins, and a dash of romance

🚨 MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW 🚨

💭 My Take

Alright, friends — this one was okay. It had a decent mystery, but it didn’t blow me away. Some parts felt overly complex, and others had me like, “Wait...what?” Still, if you’re into serial killer procedurals with a quirky forensic angle and a hint of FBI drama, this might work for you.

📝 The Plot — In All Its Detailed, Wild Glory

👉 Christine Prusik, our FBI forensic anthropologist heroine, is on the hunt for a serial killer in Chicago. This killer isn’t just murdering young women — he’s shoving creepy little stone figurines down their throats as his sick signature.

👉 Naturally, Christine has to fight off the usual suspects at work:

  • Bruce Howard (fame-hungry rival)

  • Roger Thorne (the boss who thinks she’s not up for the job)

👉 They catch a break — or so they think.

  • A guy named David Claremont is busted attacking a woman in a parking lot.

  • A witness, Joe, IDs him as the serial killer.

  • Howard is ecstatic — case closed, right?

👉 Nope. Christine isn’t buying it.

  • She digs deeper, interviews Claremont, and the evidence doesn’t add up.

  • Fingerprints? A mirrored match.

  • Dental? Doesn’t fit.

  • Conclusion: The killer is Claremont’s rare mirror twin.

🧬 The twin twist

👉 Christine uncovers that Claremont was adopted — yep, he has a brother: Jasper (real name Donald Holmquist).

👉 The plan? Let Claremont go, knowing Jasper will come for him — and they’ll nab the real killer.

👉 Christine searches Jasper’s place and finds proof: Jasper’s the man behind the murders.

🩺 The abduction chaos

👉 Meanwhile, Jasper:

  • Disguises himself as a prison doctor.

  • Kidnaps both Dr. Walstein (the actual prison psychiatrist) and Claremont.

  • Loads them into the doctor’s car and takes off.

⛺ Girl Scout camp mayhem

👉 Christine, en route to a Girl Scout event, ends up stranded (because of course her car breaks down at the worst time).
👉 She accepts a ride from a seemingly kind stranger... JASPER.
👉 He zaps her with the doctor’s stun gun.

👉 Meanwhile, local sheriff McFaron is on the case of a missing Girl Scout.
👉 Claremont (who’s somehow escaped Jasper) heroically returns the girl to camp.

🚗 The showdown

👉 In Jasper’s car, Christine secretly calls McFaron, dropping location hints.
👉 McFaron arrives, chases Jasper off the road.
👉 Both Claremont and Jasper bolt into the woods.
👉 Christine shoots Jasper — but they both disappear.

👉 Later, their bodies are found:

  • Jasper apparently killed Claremont.

  • Jasper succumbed to Christine’s gunshot.

🕵️ The loose threads

👉 Christine and McFaron end up together. Love blooms amid murder, apparently.
👉 The book wraps on a slightly unsettling note — a reporter interviews Earl Avery, the twins’ biological father, who’s linked to other killings. Dun dun dun...

🌟 Final Thoughts

✅ Stone Maidens serves up a lot: creepy rituals, twin twists, FBI politics, and a high-stakes chase.
✅ Cool premise... but a bit overstuffed.
✅ The ending leaves a lot hanging (Earl Avery’s connection? What happens next?).
✅ Solid, but didn’t wow me.

📌 Grab Stone Maidens

👉 Buy on Amazon

📚 If you liked this, check out:

✅ The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver
✅ Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
✅ I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

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