178 ratings | 119 reviews | avg rating:4.96

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James W. Ziskin

Goodreads Author

Website

Http://Www.jameswziskin.com

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jameswziskin

Genre

Mystery, Crime, Suspense

Member Since

February 2013

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2021 Barry Award WINNER TURN TO STONE for Best Paperback Original

2021 Macavity Award WINNER for Best Historical Mystery TURN TO STONE

2017 Anthony Award WINNER of Best Paperback Original HEART OF STONE

2017 Macavity Award WINNER of Sue Feder Memorial Best Historical Novel HEART OF STONE

2021 Edgar Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”

2021 Anthony Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”

2021 Agatha Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”

2021 Macavity Award finalist for Best Short Story, “The Twenty-Five-Year Engagement”

2021 Sue Grafton Memorial Award finalist TURN TO STONE

2021 Lefty Award finalist for Best Historical Mystery TURN TO STONE

2019 Anthony A ...more

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James W. Ziskin’s books

Average rating: 3.81 · 2,617 ratings · 549 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Styx & Stone (Ellie Stone, #1) 3.62 avg rating — 636 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Stone Unturned (Ellie Stone, #2) 3.87 avg rating — 419 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stone Cold Dead (Ellie Stone, #3) 3.96 avg rating — 333 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Heart of Stone (Ellie Stone, #4) 3.86 avg rating — 299 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cast the First Stone (Ellie Stone, #5) 3.85 avg rating — 223 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Stone’s Throw (Ellie Stone, #6) 4.07 avg rating — 178 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bombay Monsoon 3.97 avg rating — 175 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Turn to Stone (Ellie Stone, #7) 3.75 avg rating — 119 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	James W. Ziskin Ellie Stone Mystery Books No Stone Unturned to A Stone's Throw 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cast the First Stone: An Ellie Stone Mystery (Ellie Stone Mysteries Book 5) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by James W. Ziskin

Ellie Stone Mysteries (7 books)
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James W. Ziskin (Goodreads Author)

3.82 avg rating — 2,207 ratings

James is Currently Reading

James Ziskin is currently reading

Lake of Fire

by Mark Stevens (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in May 2015

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James Ziskin said: " Mark Stevens's LAKE OF FIRE should scare you. Not for the raging fire that is consuming the Flat Top Wilderness of western Colorado, but for the crazies who sparked it. And for the reasons they felt justified to do so.

The approaching conflagration su ...more "

May 21, 2015 06:55AM · see review

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James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing The Samurai's Octopus by Jonelle Patrick (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Samurai’s Octopus is a truly remarkable book, one that surprised and charmed me at every turn of the page…an enchanting, fascinating journey. You’re in for a treat
Apr 21, 2026 05:04PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Samurai's Octopus by Jonelle Patrick. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Samurai's Octopus by Jonelle Patrick <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Liz Nugent writes with complexity, nuance, and disquieting depth. Relentless and uncompromising, The Truth About Ruby Cooper weaves thorny moral challenges into an irresistible story. Truly memorable. This powerful novel will stay with you long after ...more
Mar 20, 2026 12:22PM · like · see review
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing The Raffel Ticket: Betting on America by Keith Raffel (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 10, 2025 12:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Raffel Ticket by Keith Raffel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Raffel Ticket by Keith Raffel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing Eyes to Deceit: The Company Files by Gabriel Valjan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A remarkable, fly-on-the-wall story of Cold War realpolitik, Gabriel Valjan’s Eyes to Deceit careers from Rockefeller Center to a Catskill resort to Rome and Teheran, giving readers a front-row seat to the plotting of the 1953 CIA and MI6 overthrow o ...more
Dec 10, 2025 10:54AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Eyes to Deceit by Gabriel Valjan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Eyes to Deceit by Gabriel Valjan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing Centered: Seven Practices to Build Self-Awareness, Renew Confidence, and Discover Inner Peace by Tina Henderson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A lot of wisdom in this wonderful little book. An antidote for self-doubt and negativity. Perfect advice for all, but especially for young people.
Dec 10, 2025 10:06AM · like · see review
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing Eyes to Deceit: The Company Files by Gabriel Valjan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A remarkable, fly-on-the-wall story of Cold War realpolitik, Gabriel Valjan’s Eyes to Deceit careers from Rockefeller Center to a Catskill resort to Rome and Teheran, giving readers a front-row seat to the plotting of the 1953 CIA and MI6 overthrow o ...more
Nov 06, 2025 09:02AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Eyes to Deceit by Gabriel Valjan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Eyes to Deceit by Gabriel Valjan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 31, 2025 04:34PM · like
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing Dread of Winter by Susan Alice Bickford (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
From the first page, Susan Alice Bickford’s DREAD OF WINTER grabs onto you and refuses to let go. Like a tongue frozen to a metal pole in frigid January. A harrowing, frostbitten sleighride through Central New York’s most forbidding winter landscapes ...more
Oct 29, 2025 02:05PM · 1 like · like · see review
James Ziskin is now following Stephen J. Hadden Author of BIO-DEAD: The Official Novelization
Aug 24, 2025 01:49PM · like
James Ziskin rated a book it was amazing Dante's Dilemma (A Mark Angelotti Novel #3) by Lynne Raimondo (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 20, 2025 06:07AM · like

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Quotes by James W. Ziskin (?)

“Then the tire blew. In a split second, the front wheel jerked to the left, and Elijah yanked it back, struggling to regain control. He pulled too far too fast, and the wheel jack-knifed, sending us veering to the right. The handlebars twisted from his grip, and we skidded over the edge, tearing through a phalanx of brittle branches, cartwheeling down the embankment,”
― James W. Ziskin, Styx & Stone

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“Indifference, ultimately, greases the skids for evil.”
― James W. Ziskin, Turn to Stone

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“Chancing an explosion, I lit a cigarette near her eighty-proof breath.”
― James W. Ziskin, Styx & Stone

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Polls

June 2017 Group Reads

I Found You - Lisa Jewell

6 votes, 25.0%

The Ice Beneath Her - Camilla Grebe

5 votes, 20.8%

Lying in Wait - Liz Nugent

2 votes, 8.3%

The Final Seven (The Lightkeepers, #1) by Erica Spindler

The Final Seven - Erica Spindler

2 votes, 8.3%

Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood

2 votes, 8.3%

The Stepmother - Claire Seeber

2 votes, 8.3%

Remember Me - Mary Higgins Clark

2 votes, 8.3%

Daisy in Chains - Sharon Bolton

1 vote, 4.2%

Mitigating Circumstances (Lily Forrester, #1) by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

Mitigating Circumstances - Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

1 vote, 4.2%

The Perfect Stranger - Megan Miranda

1 vote, 4.2%

Styx & Stone (Ellie Stone Mystery #1) by James W. Ziskin

Styx & Stone - James W. Ziskin

0 votes, 0.0%

The Blue Hour (Merci Rayborn, #1) by T. Jefferson Parker

The Blue Hour - T. Jefferson Parker

0 votes, 0.0%

Good Behavior - Blake Crouch

0 votes, 0.0%

Vanished in the Night - Eileen Carr

0 votes, 0.0%

A Circle of Wives - Alice LaPlante

0 votes, 0.0%

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers

The Murderer's Daughters - Randy Susan Meyers

0 votes, 0.0%

Before He Kills (Mackenzie White Mystery, #1) by Blake Pierce

Before He Kills - Blake Pierce

0 votes, 0.0%

. Follow Me Down - Sherri Smith

0 votes, 0.0%

24 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : Jan 2014 - Mini Challenge	87	221	Feb 24, 2014 05:08AM
Cozy Mystery Corner : Katherine's mixed up mystery challenge	4	68	Aug 19, 2014 07:31AM
Cozy Mysteries : Kat's Challenge Lists	34	157	Feb 12, 2015 08:46AM
Cozy Mystery Corner : Katherine's A-Z Challenge	15	89	Dec 30, 2015 02:45PM
Cozy Mysteries : Title and Author Game, Round 2	15570	1211	Mar 21, 2016 09:15AM
Cozy Mysteries : Mystery ABC's, Round 2	12168	1139	Mar 21, 2016 12:30PM
Cozy Mysteries : What Cozy Mystery are you currently reading?	6089	2190	May 23, 2016 02:06AM
The Mystery, Crim...: Currently Reading? Just Finished? 2016	1806	1021	Dec 31, 2016 02:45PM

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James’s Quotes

“The riot had taken on a beauty of its own now. Arcs of gasoline fire under the crescent moon. Crimson tracer in mystical parabolas. Phosphorescence from the barrels of plastic bullet guns. A distant yelling like that of men below decks in a torpedoed prison ship. The scarlet whoosh of Molotovs intersecting with exacting surfaces. Helicopters everywhere: their spotlights finding one another like lovers in the Afterlife.

And all this through a lens of oleaginous Belfast rain.”
― Adrian McKinty, The Cold Cold Ground

tags: beauty, bombs, helicopters, revolution, riot

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James W. Ziskin’s Followers (157)

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James W. Ziskin

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James W. Ziskin’s Followers (157)

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See a Problem?

Preview — The Samurai's Octopus by Jonelle Patrick

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