The Dead Stone

Homicide counselor Tally Whyte, last seen in Steifel's Body Parts, travels from Boston to her hometown of Winsworth, Maine, to clear her father's name and to stop some bad things from happening in this disappointing mystery. Soon after arriving in Winsworth, Tally encounters a crazyseeming man on the road who tells her he has witnessed a murder. The next day, when she learns that the victim was the sister of a childhood friend, Tally decides to solve the crime to help her friend. As Tally weasels her way into every crevice of Winsworth life, using homicide counseling to open doors, she's sure to baffle readers with her non sequiturs and her apparent immunity to fear. ""Just peachy,"" she assures the sheriff in her typical brusque style after dodging a bullet. A dizzying array of local figures, strange discoveries, red herrings and bona fide clues muddle more than entertain, but it's Tally's illdefined identity as detective, counselor and prodigal daughter that hopelessly tangles the threads of this poorly constructed tale.