A Stone’s Throw: An Ellie Stone Mystery

In Edgar-finalist Ziskin’s suspenseful sixth mystery featuring newspaper reporter Ellie Stone (after 2017’s Cast the First Stone), set in 1962, Ellie stumbles across two bodies, burned beyond recognition, while investigating a fire at an abandoned stud farm in upstate New York. Ellie’s best friend, the bearish Ron “Fadge” Fiorello, becomes her expert guide to the sometimes seamy world of horse racing, and, armed with her newfound knowledge, Ellie digs up information that convinces her the victims are jockey Johnny Dornan and his “date of the evening,” Micheline Charbonneau. She subsequently learns that Johnny, who threw a horse race nine years earlier, ended up on the wrong side of the mob. The carefully constructed plot unfolds in unexpected ways as tough, ambitious, and dogged Ellie follows clues in the horse-racing mecca of nearby Saratoga Springs. Ziskin keeps readers guessing every step of the way. [em]Agent: William Reiss, John Hawkins & Assoc. (June) [/em]