"Even in death, you knew that Rose Stone, the fifty-two-year-old wife of psychiatrist Dr. Lesley Stone, came from money, married money, and died in a setting of wealth. Rose's petite body, a body familiar to expensive wrappings, was sprawled indecently in front of the white marble kitchen sink. Her short, ash blond hair framed a Tyrolean face, flaccid and unseeing at this hideous death scene. A trickle of blood outlined the fold of her left cheek and trailed down her carotid artery.The expensive black Guccis were not on Rose's size-six perfectly pedicured feet. Instead, one lay on the white Italian marble floor of the largest, most elaborate kitchen Lana Stahl had ever seen. The other blood-splattered shoe nestled next to Rose's lifeless body, which was clad
in a black Armani pantsuit.
“Shards of what appeared to have been a glass figurine were splayed about the floor, mingling with the cooling blood. Looking closely, one could see the glass remnants of the statue's perfectly coifed head, the pale orange and blue fragments obscenely reflecting the still moist bodily fluids of Danville's richest woman."
STONE HAVEN: Murder Along the River
By Holly Fox Vellekoop
Pushy Rose Stone, Danville’s wealthiest woman, has been found bludgeoned to death in her home. Her body is discovered by Lana Stahl, RN. Rose’s precious “Darling Diamond” is missing along with her other jewelry. Lieutenant Thomas Sheski, Pennsylvania State Police officer, and Centralia native, leads the investigation which turns up many local citizens with motives for the murder. Rose’s husband Lesley Stone, owner of Stone Haven, an elite private Danville mental health facility, is among the suspects along with their daughter Karen and Karen‘s fiancé Jess Walter.
Also included in the list of suspects are: John Deadly, a Vietnam Veteran and Stone Haven‘s security guard; former Stone Haven client, Barry Brown; Bobby Snyder, now a Mill Street developer, who served with Deadly in ‘Nam. Sheski follows a trail of bodies and clues from the past to unwind the mystery of Rose’s murder. During his investigation, he learns about one of Stone Haven’s most notorious clients, the now-deceased Oliver Pratt, famous painter and murderer of little girls, with ties to the present day murders. Sheski, a widower, also finds himself romantically involved with Lana, bringing its own complications to the case.
The fictional murder mystery plays out on many Danville and Riverside, Pennsylvania streets and includes well-known sites such as The Thomas Beaver Free Library. The author has fond memories of growing up in Danville and Riverside which prompted using the areas as the backdrop for her mysteries. The reader may well recognize their own street and home in the pages of this book. Throughout the novel, Holly incorporated some of Danville’s past into the story, weaving historic fact with fiction.
–Lee Boyland
