Heartstone

by D.C. Brod

"Heartstone "weaves elements of the Arthurian legend into a contemporary quest tale in which a young woman seeks the truth behind her father's disappearance and the mysterious stone he left her. Maxine Pike teaches English and folklore at a community college on Chicago's north side where she lives with an over-sized dog and vague aspirations. Shortly after learning her archaeologist father is missing and presumed dead, she becomes custodian of the strange-colored stone he left her. Immediately she begins searching for answers: what happened to her father and what is the story behind the stone? Events are set in motion that will test her courage and faith and force her to redefine her own reality. However, there are others who lay claim to the stone. There's the young man who believes he's its rightful guardian, and the wealthy psychologist and aspiring media mogul who has far-reaching plans that hinge on the stone and is willing to use anything and anyone to get his hands on it. Along the way, Max receives some unexpected help from mysterious friends of her father's and, perhaps most unexpected, from her older sister, Olivia. Max's journey will take her from Chicago to London and finally to Alyssum, a remote island off Land's End, and to the reclusive man who owns the island. It is here that she learns the stone's fate and confronts her own destiny. D. C. Brod lives in St. Charles, Illinois, with her husband, Donald, and a cat, Travis McGee.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2005

About the author

DC Brod, author of Getting Lucky, has written fiction most of her life, but didn't think she had a novel in her until she graduated from Nothern Illinois University with an MA in journalism. It was then that she decided if she could spend 120 pages discussing postal oppression of the radical press, she could write a novel. She was right.

"Caper fans will relish Brod's offbeat stand-alone thriller. Illinois freelance writer Robyn Guthrie can no longer afford to keep her elderly mother, Lizzie, in an assisted living facility. Desperate to come up with the cash somehow, Robyn considers a variety of illegal acts. In the end, she seeks to kill two birds with one stone by trying to retrieve a large amount of Lizzie's savings that were lost in a real estate scam from the con man responsible, Bull Severn. Fortunately, Robyn's shady accountant, ex-jockey Mick Hughes, has access to Bull and, more importantly, to Bull's prize possession, a racehorse called Bull's Blood. Mick, who has financial troubles of his own, takes seriously Robyn's half-baked notion of holding Sassy, a goat to whom Bull's Blood is emotionally attached, for ransom. Brod (Heartstone) expertly blends suspenseful action with characters readers will care for, in particular her sympathetic and plausible lead."
-- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

". . . In the end, though, what stands out most is the surprisingly affecting portrait of a woman caught in the midst of a parent's sad but sure mental decline."
-- Booklist

"Brod expertly blends suspenseful action with characters readers will care for, in particular the sympathetic and plausible lead."
-- Publishers Weekly on Getting Sassy

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. I stayed up to finish it. Interesting tale of King Arthur. I could not stop reading it. I hated when I had to stop and do some chores.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like so many other books in the library, this one attracted me with its cover. So I pikced it up off the shelf and opened it to read the inside sleave of the cover:

"Heartstone weaves elements of the Arthurian legend into a contemporary quest tale in which a young woman seeks the truth behind her father's disappearance and the mysterious stone he left her."

Loving Arthurian legend as much as I do, I quickly decided that I had to give this book a shot, and I'm glad I did, although for the longest time I wondered where it was going.

Don't misunderstand, the story was interesting--full of murder and bad guys and intrigue. It has avery fast pace...but it really didn't seem to be as seeked in Arthurian legend as I had hoped...until the last third of the book. And that part made it all well worth the read.
The end of the book was absolutely amazing. I can see some people not liking it--finding it too far-fetched, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Shoshana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know nothing about this book, save that my brother insists I will love it.

NB: A fast and fun bit of fluff, laced with Arthurian legend. I don't necessarily recommend that you go out and get it, but if you happen to have it on hand you might as well read it.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartstone

I just love me some King Arthur stories and this is a good one! The twists and turns are good and the updates are very well done. I didn't catch everything until after I finished the book!

[Wendopolis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very hard to get into--I only read it because I was desperate. I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't like it, but the word 'ponderous' comes to mind...

[Marya · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, really.