Maidens of the Cave

Stone Maidens #2

by Lloyd Devereux Richards

From TikTok sensation Lloyd Devereux Richards, author of  Stone Maidens , comes the next pulse-pounding thriller in which FBI agent Christine Prusik races to track down a serial killer who leaves a peculiar mark on his victims
Forensic anthropologist Christine Prusik has a knack for solving the most unusual cases—and for bending the rules in the process. When the bodies of young women start appearing in the caves of Indiana and Illinois, Christine immediately jumps into action. But her Chicago field office is undergoing a reorganization, and the boys’ club at the top seem more interested in getting all the paperwork in order than solving the murders. Christine isn’t going to let a little red tape stop her, and when she discovers that all the bodies have the same mysterious pin-sized bruise on the back of their necks, she realizes she’ll have to confront her own inner demons to find the killer. 

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Serial Killer, Horror

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2023

About the author

Lloyd Devereux Richards was born in New York City and traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, and Central America before attending law school. He previously served as a senior law clerk for an Indiana Court of Appeals judge, researching and writing drafts for dozens of published opinions, including the appeal of a serial killer sentenced to death. A father of three, he lives with his wife, Cameron O’Connor, and their two dogs in Montpelier, Vermont. Stone Maidens is his first novel.

Reviews

[Kailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of the combination of its cover art, title, and blurb. It did not live up to any of the three. The dialogue between characters felt clunky and there was no rhyme or reason for when the POV shifted from one character to the next, which made it difficult to be fully enagaged and drawn into the story. It had a good premise, but this one just was not for me.

[Steph Carpenter · Rating 1 out of 5]

As painful as the first - Christine is an entitled, irritating protagonist. The author loves to introduce side story lines and spend 100s of pages on these conflicts, just to wrap them up nonsensically in one sentence. Just BAD.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

We meet Christine Prusik, a feisty FBI agent, who doesn’t like to follow the rules but always solves cases.

Christine is told that she has no business investigating the deaths of two young women on a college campus because it is out of the FBI’s jurisdiction, but she doesn’t care. She cares about making sure there isn’t another victim.

She ignores orders from her supervisor to be at a meeting in person and to have some profile completed and turned in. Of course, Christine doesn’t listen...she has leads and is going to catch this serial killer.

The biggest clue is that there is a ring-sized mark on both victims which to her indicates these cases are related and that the killer is educated, clever, cunning, and very evil.

Christine is a likable character in this second book, and a book I was perfectly fine starting with. It is readable as a stand alone.

I was a little skeptical at first thinking this was going to be all about FBI procedure, but was pleased when that went on the back burner and the search for the killer took over.

True crime buffs will enjoy this book that has descriptive writing and a story line that keeps you turning the pages.

The conclusion is edge-of-your-seat. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher for an honest review.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3

I was a little nervous about jumping into this second installment of the series since I hadn’t read the first, but it was very easy to understand! There were definitely some references to the first book, but they didn’t get in the way of understanding the plot or characters.

The book started off very strong with the prologue, but just a few chapters into it, I found myself getting annoyed with Christine’s character pretty quickly. Christine is supposedly a forensic anthropologist, but throughout the entire book, she takes on roles of the entirety of the FBI. While her superiors try to tell Christine that she does not have the clearance to be interviewing those that she believes to be involved in the crime, she simply ignores them. This made it so hard for me to root for Christine’s character.

I think this book would’ve made more sense and been more enjoyable if there was more of Christine doing forensic work instead of being a Poirot-type detective. My dislike for her character just made it really hard to get through the book.

Thank you HarperCollins and William Morrow for sending me an ARC!

[Mai H.]

$6.99 @ Libro.fm

📖 Thank you to Goodreads and William Morrow Paperbacks

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good follow up

I loved the first book and this one was almost as good and still a five star read for sure. The heroine annoyed me as well as the new director, Gaston. She was all about the paperwork and meetings, instead of pursuing the killer. It was an interesting premise for sure using a deadly poison secreted from frogs as a method of murder. It was just so different. I was definitely glued to the story. I loved Joe, the sheriff/lover, and I didn't like how she was trying to throw him away. And he still loves her. Sometimes I just didn't like her but in the end, she is good at what she does. I guess it takes someone with brass...ummm, knuckles, yeah knuckles, to catch the bad guys and she definitely has a set of those. She disregarded her boss so much I can't believe she had a job. I was gobsmacked at her attitude. But she got the job done and I definitely loved the originality of the story. Thank heavens his daughter brought the first novel to the worlds attention or else this novel would never have been. I for one am very grateful. But I do believe I will steer clear of frogs for a while. Kissing one, and hoping for a prince, might be deadly.

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally read mystery books in about a week, sometimes a few days if it’s really good. This book was not that. I had to force myself to read this book after about 100 pages in. There’s so much subplot and people that are not necessary, and frankly, pull you out of the main story.

Also, the main character is so soooo dumb throughout the book. For an FBI agent, she really should have had more common sense.

I liked the idea the author had, but it seemed like he didn’t know where the story was headed. The whole plat about the new director was so unnecessary, confusing, and a real waste of pages.

[madilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the first book for the most part and love Christine’s character (and Richards’ writing in general, very talented), I found this book to be extremely overfilled with complex sentence structures and entirely too many side characters and stories that often left me confused. In addition to this, I am not a fan of books being told from more than three different perspectives and Maidens of the Cave had WAY more than three, so naturally my head was spinning. I honestly had a massively difficult time staying engaged to this book through the first 75% of it. A lot of explanations and pages spent on piddly side stories that left me bored from the start, which I hate to say because I do think Richards is a very skilled writer. 2-Stars.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you've never read a detective/mystery novel, you might like this. I love a good detective novel and this one ain't it. The whole time I was thinking "no one talks like this" "academics aren't like this" "this lady is kind of dumb". It feels like most of the problems the main character has with the higher ups are her own fault and easily fixable. Also why is she playing field detective if she's in forensics? I can't believe she didn't see all the red flags before she discovered who the killer was. I did like all the information it gave on poisons.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maidens of the Cave is a sequel to Stone Maidens, which I haven't read, but this new book works wonderfully as a standalone. I connected with the main character, Christine, right away. Christine Prusik is a forensic anthropologist working for the Chicago branch of the FBI. She is determined to catch a killer when the bodies of young women are being found in caves with similar bruising on their backs. Christine becomes frustrated when office politics create obstacles for her to do her job. Most of the story is told from Christine's point-of-view, but other points-of-view from witnesses, suspects, and members of Christine's team are also included.

This book has a complex plot that becomes more and more suspenseful as the story progresses. Christine is a flawed character who doesn't always make the right decision, which makes the story more realistic. I really hope this series continues, because I enjoyed the characters, the writing style, and the surprising twists in this thriller. Readers who enjoyed the first book, as well as fans of Kathy Reichs, will like this book. I rated it 4.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this book at no cost from William Morrow Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

[Alex Glenn]

Dnf at page 112

I think I would’ve liked this a lot more when I was younger and read more books within the genre.

There were too many pov’s, some of which felt unnecessary. There was also a lot of technical jargon that made certain parts more difficult to understand than they should’ve been.

I think this story will appeal to a wide audience, I just don’t happen to be a part of it.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Stace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maidens of the Cave is the second book in the Stone Maidens series by Lloyd Devereux Richards. I haven’t read the first book, however, I found no difficulties understanding the plot or characters, though some of the wording got a little technical.

In this sequel, we meet FBI Agent and Chief Forensic Anthropologist Christine Prusik. Christine works at the Chicago office where the powers higher up are concentrating their efforts on finding the person who is leaking private information and as such the team has been told that for the next two weeks, they are to stay at their office.

When Christine learns that a young college student may have been murdered nearby she heads out to check on the body defying her bosses. It soon becomes clear after a second college student is found dead that there is a serial killer on the loose. Going against everyone, including the college who wants to keep the matter quiet, Christine is determined to catch the murderer.

Maidens of the Cave is an edgy, raw, action-packed novel featuring one feisty, woman who doesn’t play well with others nor take orders that would mean she can’t do her job properly.

I loved the chase and the unusualness of the case, including the murder weapon. I also loved the rural setting and the harsh lands that Christine had to work in.

Overall, this forensic thriller is a sure page-turner. I was gripped the whole way through and raced through it needing to know the who and why. I wasn’t disappointed.

[AndiReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lloyd Devereux Richards, is back ! The Tiktok sensation following his young daughter plea to read his story, LDR has followed up Stone Maidens with a new story about FBI agent Christine Prusik. Prusik is a strong willed forensic anthropologist with a strong sense of justice. Nothing can stop her when she commits to solving a crime - not even a few rules. Join Christine as she has to buck the new administration to prove that her gut is correct - there is a clear connection between the bodies found in caves in Illinois and Indiana.

I especially loved the introduction of the new admin and their rules, reports and paperwork. So, so, so much like teaching these days, I am sure LDR had this experience in his own role! Great story - loved the plot and look forward to following Prusik again!
#WilliamMorroa #MaidensOftheCave #LloydDevereuxRichards

[Maria Palileo · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of character mentions and hard to track who would be relevant or just a footnote in the story. Many times these intros would include “Dr John Smith” but would switch between “John” or “Smith”

The storyline saved me a bit but honestly felt bored and considered DNF- I was pretty determined to finish. Main part of the storyline were the great facts about poisonous frogs and toxic plants.

[Blanca O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read the first book in the series but I was able jump in and understand everything for this book. I really enjoyed this read and was on the edge of my seat when the killer’s identity started unraveling. The foreshadowing was done well too. The character’s were all written well, all characters that were supposed to be disliked I would eye-roll whenever they did something funky. Christine was such a fun and well likeable MC as well! Definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive!

I was invested in the outcome of this book! It was very interesting to see the choice of deadly weapon that the murder used and I was hooked from the very beginning. Christine Prusik does not disappoint in her second installment of the Stone Maidens. Absoluteley loved it! Perfect for fans who enjoy reading police procedural and loves to solve an interesting murder mystery.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I really loved Stone Maidens and I wholeheartedly believed I was going to love this one, too. I’m sad to say I just didn’t connect with the sequel. It felt forced. I enjoyed the unique plot with the killer, though. But it seemed like overkill on the technical jargon and I found myself skimming most of the book. I felt like the characters annoyed me in this one, too. Especially Christine. It was certainly a fun read, with a wild twist, but not as thrilling as I had hoped. I’d still read a third book if it came out, though!

[Erica savage · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t even follow this book . The dialogue between the characters was so confusing and boring . I never ever give up on books before finishing them but k just couldn’t even get through this .

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very thankful William Morrow's publicity director, Sarah Falter, who reached out to me to send me a copy of this book. I had no idea who this author was, but when I read it, I know I will now look for more of his books. In fact, my next one will be his first one, Stone Maidens.

FBI Detective Christine Prusik is one determined woman. There is a serial murderer out there killing young college girls and leaving them in caves. As police hierarchy and office politics threatens to slow her down, she is more determined to find the killer before another girl is killed. Readers also follow the killer, so we see a bit of the behind-the-scenes background and mind of the killer. As the story unfolds, it is like water going through a funnel moving faster as it goes down. As the detective gets closer to figuring who the killer is, the killer is getting more dangerous. My heart literally started pounding near the end and I could not read fast enough!

I will go back and read Richards first book Stone Maidens and be on the look out for more of his books in the future. Highly recommend!

[Erika Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Co-eds found dead in caves. Very little evidence & an FBI agent tasked with investigating. The deaths appear connected, and her forensics team works to determine the cause of death. Christine is immersed in a montage of college professors, biotoxin research, and spelunking. The killer, irritated by her pursuit, sends her mother a care package intended to kill, which further motivates her to catch him.

While I figured out the whodunit, I still very much enjoyed this sequel to "Stone Maidens." The novel had vibes of Silence of the Lamb (think Clarice Starling) and tones of Iris Johnsen. While this can be read as a standalone, there is a brief mention of Stone Maidens, which you won't fully understand without reading it first.

[Marie Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christine Prusik of the FBI will stop at nothing to catch the killer targeting college women. Even defying a direct order. I did not read the first book with this character, and still was able to fly through this book with no issues whatsoever in following the story. Loved that the killer was asexual and suffered from a persecution complex, found it an interesting disorder. I like learning new things while immersed in a book. Engaging fbi procedural thriller that had spelunking as an added bonus, again I love learning about new topics while enjoying a novel.

Thanks to Harper collins and to William Morrow books for the arc of this amazing thriller.
Solid 4 stars.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting, fast paced mystery! FBI agent and forensic pathologist Christine Prusik and her team begin an investigation at the request of local authorities in a case involving the murder of a young female college student. She soon realizes that there was a second murder with the same MO. As her investigation continues, she races against both time and her boss, who insists the case belongs only to the local authorities and wants no effort or expense incurred by the FBI. But Christine persists, both to find out how the girls were killed, and capture the killer before he or she can strike again. The book is well researched, with a twisting plot, an unusual murder weapon, and excellent character development. It is the second in the series but is very good as a stand-alone. My wife received a complimentary copy from the author and publisher, and I am very glad she did. The opinions of the review are my own.

[Conny Belzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christine Prusik, a forensic scientist who works for the FBI is yet again confronted with a serial killer. Not one for obeying rules and sticking to regulations Christine starts her manhunt for a very smart killer.
Was it as good as the first book? No, and the simple reasons for that short answer is that there are too many coincidences, plus the character of Christine who is just too obnoxious?
Is it an exciting read? Yes, because the story is thrilling, told in a fast paced way with multiple narrators of which one is definitely the killer.

[Kyle Balash · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a little longer than I anticipated to finish this but life happens!

Anyway, I both enjoy and struggle with how Lloyd writes. It’s both captivating as well as dull at times. Compared to the first book I definitely found the suspense and mystery of this book a lot more enjoyable! It was a lot more interesting to finish and the ending was a bit more appeasing! The middle of the book was a bit tough to get through..

3.5 ⭐️

[Alexia Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welp this book has me floored. I was such a huge fan of Stone Maidens that I actually pre-ordered this from Amazon before I even finished it! This follow up was so incredibly good I am truly amazed. The way he weaved the characters into this so seamlessly but with a fresh new story… it had me gripped to the pages is something of true magic. I am hoping Lloyd Devereux Richards continues to share his talent with us because I am absolutely ready for the next book!

[Parijat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maidens of the Cave will grab your attention from the prologue chapter's exciting and gripping tale. The writing style is engaging and smooth. I have not read the previous book of the series but that did not create any problem. However, for a detective book, I would have appreciated it if the length of the chapters were a bit less.

Christine as a character is a very realistic person. She does not abide by the rules. She might annoy you at times but you have to give her the credits that she truly deserves by the end of the novel. Personally speaking, I was not fond of her character at all in the beginning.

The mystery part was well written. I would especially mention the poison twist. It was fascinating. The PoV shift in between did not work for me though.

Altogether, this might be a fun read for you. I admit it has the ability to attract a wide range of readers.

[Jordyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

so sweet. the pacing was better in this novel and the wording was more eloquent. Can’t wait for his third novel! I honestly was very gripped by the twists and turns and couldn’t put it down at the end.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great follow up to the first book in this series. If you like intense crime/detective stories then this is for you! Many thanks to the publisher for this copy for read and review

[Olivia McKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good follow up to Stone Maidens! I hope this is just the beginning of Richard’s novels with Prusik. I really love her character and want to see what else she can get up to.

Found 3 typos

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice, easy read. The plot was decent. I didn't read the first book, so I was missing some character development most likely. However, the ending was entirely too neat and tidy. I was a fan and would have given it 4 stars until then.