Stone Certainty

Holy Terrors Mystery #2

by Simon R. Green

Dare you enter the stone circle . . .? The world's most unlikely ghost-busting duo - actress Diana and handsome young bishop Alistair - are back in this spine-tingling paranormal mystery from New York Times bestselling British fantasy author

There are stories about the dilapidated stone circle at Chipping Amesbury, going back centuries. Of people going missing, never to be seen again. Of people found dead inside the circle. Of monsters, and of demons. The villagers may tell the tales with relish to visiting tourists, but a careful observer will notice that there is no transport to the stones, no tours on offer, and the locals stay well away.

Alistair Kincaid, the youngest ever bishop of All Souls Hollow, is an expert in Britain's ancient stone circles. That's why, when landowner Sir Neville Chumley announces his plans to restore the circle to its ancient glory, he agrees to take part in a documentary about the project.

Well - that, plus talented actress Diana Hunt is on board. Ever since their last encounter, when the pair of them hunted ghosts and solved a murder, the tabloids have dubbed them the Holy Terrors, and Alistair can't wait to see her again.

But soon after filming begins, Alistair and Diana are plunged into a terrifying mystery. For the repositioning of the final stone unleashes a series of blood-chilling events that threaten to make them both believe in demons - if, that is, they make it out of the stone circle alive.

The Holy Terrors novels are funny, scary and thoroughly entertaining - perfect for fans of Simon R. Green's urban fantasy novels, as well as those who enjoy American Horror Story, The Haunting of Hill House, horror novels, and murder mysteries with a supernatural twist.

Genres: Mystery, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Thriller

1 pages, Audio CD

Published February 4, 2025

About the author

Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.

His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone Certainty
By Simon R. Green
This is book #2 in the Holy Terrors series. I think I enjoyed this as much as book #1. There are some of the same characters in this book as in the first.
The "supernatural" part was mostly folklore, but a good mystery with paranormal folklore is good, too.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 3 out of 5]

My last review of a book by Simon R. Green was for his book The Holy Terrors. And I was quite underwhelmed with that. I expressed the hope that the author would soon be back with another book. And he did 😉.
Stone Certainty is the second book in this series and I'm happy to say that it is so much more fun than the first one!
Although a rather short book (192 pages) with not a lot of characters and a gloomy setting, it was a fun read.
Alistair and Diana, nicknamed 'the Holy Terrors' after their adventures in the first book, have somewhat lost contact because they were each working on their own careers. Now, they are back together because they play an important role in a film about the renovation of a stone circle. So, we get to meet the very rich owner of the land (and therefore the circle), his girlfriend (reluctantly) and the crew that you need for making a film.

I just loved the characters and their snappy dialogues. The whole story takes up only two days but a lot is happening. There are some gruesome events and some funny ones. The characters all come to life.

So, looking forward to the next one in this series!

Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this review copy.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Stone Certainty is the 2nd-installment of the Holy Terror Mysteries series, but the 3rd-book that I've read from the series. It's also my highest-rated thus far.

My reading order was the 1st-book, The Holy Terrors, followed by the 3rd-book, Which Witch?, both of which I received as ARCs, and then I was enjoying the series enough to come back and pick up this middle release.



Luckily, as with any Adult Mystery series, they can really be read in any order, with each one focusing on a completely distinct mystery. What remains the same is our two MCs: Alistair, a young bishop, and Diana, a vibrant actress.

I think the reason this is my highest rated thus far isn't because the mystery of this is better than the others, I think it's more to do with the fact that I have become quite attached to Alistair and Diana at this point.

I mentioned in my reviews for the previous books how I started this series expecting Horror, and it's definitely not that. To me this is a Cozy Mystery series, pure and simple, that just so happens to explore mysteries that have a strong, is it paranormal, is it not paranormal element.



And there's nothing wrong with that. I love Cozy Mysteries. They're one of my most read genres, I just went in with completely different expectations and it did have an effect on my initial enjoyment level.

At this point though, I know exactly what I'm getting and am enjoying it. This one in particular, set in the village of Chipping Amesbury, was especially fun. The mystery involves a stone circle, think Stonehenge, and all the local lore and legends that come along with that.

I adored the setting, in particular, how shifty the locals were being in regards to the stone circle and outsiders being there poking around it.



At the end of the day, I'm really glad that I continued on with this series, even though initially it didn't knock my socks off. I'm having a lot of fun with it now and hope that it continues on.

I would definitely be down for reading more mysteries with Alistair and Diana investigating together. Their chemistry is fabulous and I know there's so much more in store for their future together!

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, just like the first book, is like Scooby Doo for adults. When I read book one of this series, I immediately hoped for a second book because I wanted to revisit with Alistair and Diana. I'm not ashamed to say, I felt excitement when I had the chance to read this book. And I must admit, I'm a fan. It's a blend of folklore, suspense, and mystery, written with dark Gothic atmosphere, humour, and perfect characters. For a short novel, the author knows how to pinpoint what's needed to bring each character alive.

You may wonder how humour fits in with Gothic atmosphere. It may seem odd, but it works. From the first moment our two protagonists meet at the standing stones, you can sense the atmosphere build. Constant references to spooked locals, demonic doorways, old stories of warning and doom, old graveyards, and local superstitions are perfect fuel for the atmosphere to enrich this story.

Green also knows how to describe the perfect setting, whether it's outdoors at the standing stones, or inside the only local hotel. Every scene is written with two thoughts in mind. Atmosphere and characters. It's written to propel you through the story and make you turn those pages. It's also written for the reader to have fun. Something at odds with a tense story.

Enjoyed this dark tale and looking forward to book three!!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading this author for many years, so I’m always happy to read a new book by him. I have read the first book in the series and so was ready to read this second book. While this is a standard book by this author, I am not really clicking with the main characters. I don’t like them for some reason which makes it really hard to like the book. Now don’t get me wrong; this is actually a good book. It’s just hard to like a book when you don’t like the MCs. Anyway, other than that, this is a well-written, interesting, and engaging mystery, just what we’ve come to expect from this author. It’s OK. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the Bishop said to the Actress, this time was better than the last time. Or perhaps he should have said. Or I’d have said to him (as the reader and not the actress) because this second outing in the Holy Terrors Mystery series was better than the first entry, The Holy Terrors.

It helped more than a bit that we are at least already acquainted with that Bishop and that Actress, Alistair Kincaid and Diana Hunt, after their first meeting and first adventure.

What REALLY helped was that even though a whole bunch of the mystery was obviously a put up job from the off – even if we don’t know exactly how it was put up, or why – the setting was inherently a whole lot creepier than the supposedly “most haunted hall in England” in that first go around.


Stonehenge at Sunset
Stone circles are a haunting feature of the British Isles – and there are considerably more of them than people tend to think there are. Over 1,300 are scattered over England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Brittany and the Channel Islands. Stonehenge may be the largest, and certainly the best known, but it’s far, far, far from the only one.

And no, with all our science, we still don’t know for certain what they were built for. But they are fascinating, and creepy, and fascinatingly creepy all at the same time. Whatever the reason for them, the ‘monumental’ amount of effort required to build them at the time when they were built represented a HUGE drain on the society of the time. Their builders certainly thought they were important based on the amount of time and effort that was needed to build them.

Myths and legends are attached to all of them – and not just the stories of time travel between the stones that the Outlander books popularized. In the present, they also generate a lot of tourist income wherever they are located.

All of which makes the idea of this second book in the Holy Terrors series more plausible and a bit less of a joke than the first story. Which made the whole enterprise just a bit easier to get into and go along with for the ride.

That the tiny, off-the-beaten path town of Chipping Amesbury, with its even more out of the way stone circle, would like to revive the tourist industry that used to sustain them before the town becomes as derelict as the stone circle makes a whole lot of sense. That the new local squire actually has enough money to put a big push behind that desire is a bit less common but at least is plausible.

That some locals think he’s disturbing things that shouldn’t be disturbed makes a nice foil for his attempt at restoration, and provides just the right note of tension to this story about a made-to-order documentary about this particular stone circle and how much it can improve the local economy – which seemingly EVERYONE should want.

That the documentary production includes the local TV news personalities, to give it some gravitas, and the ‘Holy Terrors’ duo who caught the popular imagination back in their first adventure to give the project a bit of pizzazz seems like exactly the kind of thing that a publicity hunting squire would do to drum up the desired interest.

Which is, of course, when the entire thing goes utterly pear-shaped, and the crew is stranded in that remote stone circle, surrounded by dense fog, as the bodies start dropping. Out of the circle and seemingly into thin air – or perhaps, to some Other Place.

Escape Rating B: I liked this better than the first book, because I went into it more willing to suspend my disbelief this second time around. I’m already convinced that there is nothing real about so-called ‘Reality TV’, but I’ve been to more than one stone circle and they do have a bit of a weird vibe even if it’s only in the sense of “what they hell made these people go to all this trouble.” I’ve been to Stonehenge a bunch of times and it’s been gloomy and lowering and weird every time.

So I went into this one, well, not thinking that anything supernatural or extraterrestrial was going to come out of the stones, but that both the locals and the crew would be a bit creeped out and that everyone on all sides would have some ‘feelings’ about it all because the places do engender those feelings for real.

I was expecting a human agency behind it all – because that’s the way that all of this author’s recent paranormal-ish, supernatural-ish series (I’m looking at you Ishmael Jones) mostly work.

But I did expect to have a bit more fun along the way that I did last time because the premise had a bit more meat to it. And it did and I did. But I’m left wondering just how long the author plans to ride this one-trick pony, because there’s no real meat on those bones.

Although I certainly want the Bishop and the Actress to resolve their “will-they? / won’t they?” relationship before the ride is over!

Originally published at Reading Reality

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Green is a prolific novelist, and I’ve been a big fan for years. “Stone Certainty” – the second in a series – is a deft and enjoyable supernatural thriller, laced with a sardonic humor which I enjoyed immensely.

Green has written numerous series, and they all have one thing in common: although they’re better read in order, each book in each series also stands alone. This is particularly true of “Stone Certainty”. You can see that there’s some character development that happened in the first book, but plot-wise this one is completely independent and readable.

Alistair Kincaid and Diana Hunt rose to notoriety as “the Bishop and the Actress” after accidentally becoming caught up in a murderous haunted house. Both have used that; Diana to advance her career, and Alistair to promote his religion. Now both are in Chipping Amesbury to participate in a documentary about the restoration of a ring of standing stones.

Neither believe the stories of evil supernatural doings emanating from the stones. But they were drawn to each other in their earlier adventure, and both see the documentary as a chance to see each other again. Diana also wants a career boost, of course; and Alistair has an academic interest in standing stones.

Faced with a supernatural threat, the two will combine efforts to uncover what’s really happening around the stones.

There’s a sardonic, snarky humor to much of the dialogue which I really enjoyed – it rang true while also making me laugh. Although the main plot is fairly serious, this injection of levity was much appreciated.

Characterisation is important to this novel, and both Diana and Alistair are sharply delineated. It was easy to get very interested in what was happening around them, and what would happen to them. Other characters were also believable, although sometimes sketched rather than fully drawn.

The plot is a relatively straightforward one, but it’s cleverly constructed. There weren’t really any big surprises, but the tight construction and concern for the characters kept me interested until the last page. The narrative style is contemporary and fast, and it keeps you turning pages.

This is a relatively short novel, but it packs a lot of enjoyment into those pages. It should appeal both to readers who like mysteries and those who incline more to stories with a supernatural element to them.

I enjoyed this a lot, and recommend it very highly.

If you enjoyed this review, please visit www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog to read more.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you happen to pick up this one without having read The Holy Terrors – tuck in and enjoy yourself. This is one of those reads where you can happily dive in without your relationship with the story being compromised by not knowing the first book. While Green refers to Diana and Alistair’s previous spooky experience together, it doesn’t impact in any way on the current adventure.

Regular visitors to my blog will know that I generally don’t do horror. And while the cover and blurb gives a suitably creepy vibe – Green has a lovely line in humour, even as the body count piles up. That said, there is a masterful evocation of how it feels to sit inside a stone circle as night falls, while waiting for whatever monster to appear from another dimension and snatch people away… I was holding my breath, while turning the pages as I know only too well that Green isn’t afraid to off characters I’ve grown fond of if he thinks the story demands it.

The other strength of this book is Green’s characterisation. It takes a lot of technical skill to keep readers fully engaged in a group – and it’s a skill Green possesses. The interaction between the film crew, the TV hosts and our protagonists is often spiky and frequently funny. I like the fact that the most sceptical and analytical personality within the group is Bishop Alistair, the man of God. Which, of course, makes entire sense. As someone who gets to see humanity at its worst and most vulnerable, Alistair has a keen sense when those around him aren’t being honest in their emotions. While the gorgeous Diana gives a wry commentary on the tensions between the two co-hosts selected to present this TV special.

All in all, this is an intense, eventful read with a brilliant buildup of the menace surrounding this ancient stone circle and a cast of interesting, spiky characters – I was thinking this book would make a wonderful film or TV programme as I was reading. Any niggles? While I was fully engrossed in this one – there are just a few too many similarities with the first book, The Holy Terrors, to the extent that I knocked off a mark. That said, it wasn’t a dealbreaker and I look forward to reading the next story featuring Diana and Alistair. While I obtained an arc of Stone Certainty from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bishop Alistair Kincaid has traveled to the small town of Chipping Amesbury to take part in a documentary about its imposing stone circle, the stuff of dark myth and legend. He is delighted that actress Diana Hunt, will be there too. She had worked with him before. Several other visitors join them, including lead presenter Stewart Munroe, fellow presenter Natalie Daye, producer Kim Locke, and local historian Elspeth Montgomery. The stone circle was being put back in their original spot.. The stones had been removed and placed elsewhere in order to stop the stones from bringing monsters from another place that were causing problems. The cast of the documentary at their first time at the stones talk a lot about
The creepy stories that are made even creepier by a sudden violent storm. As darkness grows, the group returns to The Other Place. It was originally known as The Smugglers ‘ Rest. When the group go to return to the stone circle, the locals descends upon them threatening them upon returning to the stone circle. They don’t want the stones to become “alive.” After arriving at the stone circle, a corpse is discovered with a pitchfork marking the person as a witch. Elspeth , a local spreads superstitious stories for the killing. The one policeman PC John Fitzroy is inexperienced and not very skilled in dealing with this murder. He must wait for other police to investigate in a day or two. Bishiop Alister and Diana are going to investigate. Will they discover who the murderer is?

Green’s mystery follows a classic pattern, introducing a huge cast of colorful suspects before the inevitable midpoint murder. . I enjoyed the cast who were involved with the documentary but also suspected of the murder. The novel kept me interested as I wanted to know if the stone circle was the murderer or was it a person? I enjoyed this novel even though it seemed a little mysterious about the stones circle and the fearful locals. I do hope there will be another book in this series. It is a cozy mystery with a “supernatural” twist due to the stories about the stones circle.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Kate Kulig · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the actress said to the bishop...

A send-up of favorite tropes with a hefty seasoning of snark. This second book featuring The Holy Terrors, as they have been dubbed by the media, is a lot of fun. Bishop Alistair brings the logic, actress Diana the intuition, and along for the ride are a few stereotypes that in anyone else's hands might have been rather stale.

A country squire with too much money has a circle of standing stones on his land in the English countryside. These stones, however, were moved a century ago and this man with more money than sense decides to "put them back," and have a documentary made about it. Alistair and Diana are invited along because of their experience with the weirdness at Stonehaven in the first volume of the series. The documentary crew, their producer, and two presenters round out the supporting cast. The mission is simple: film the final move of the stones and talk to some of the locals about legends and lore to round out the show. Then things get strange.

Green builds tension slowly, first with dire warnings, then other weird happenings, though the pacing is steady and the reader doesn't really have time to get bored. He also balances Alistair's faith with his almost cold logic--Alistair has written a book on standing stones. Diana's diva persona balanced with her loyalty to Alistair is feels natural,. Even as she can sometimes switch channels very quickly, they both feel genuine. I would have liked to have more of Peter and Cissy's characters (the documentary crew), and some more of the townspeople. I feel that could have brought in some supporting details to help make the failing town of Chipping Amesbury into more of a character.

It's a quick story, and I loved reading it. For the best experience, I recommend reading Holy Terrors first.

[Michelle Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, as "Holy Terrors" series book #2 it was great. I loved the developing relationship between Bishop Alistair Kincaid, and Diana Hunt, the actress. The set up is Chipping Amesbury and a circle of standing stones, filming a documentary, paid for by the owner, Sir Neville Chumley. The locals have terrible stories to tell about the stones' history of demons and death and mysterious disappearances. So of course one of the early scenes involves a man dead, in the center of the stones, with a slit throat and a pitch fork through his chest. Sir Neville has a friend, Elspeth, who is characterized as a crazy witch. The documentary crew consist of GREAT characters, that you grow to really like over the course of the story, well all except maybe the producer.

Anyway, the setting was fabulous, and the developing relationship and dialogue between "Bish" (the pet name Diana gave the Bishop from series #1 book) and Diana is very amusing and enjoyable. The plot had great twists at the last third of the story.

The only two reasons I gave it as four was because I would have liked at least one more scene or two in the town of Chipping Amesbury with the locals and the setting. It would have been an enjoyable dip into the small English town (in lieu of travel).

Secondly, my other reason was that there are more deaths, AND I do not want to give that away. But suffice it to say I was immensely upset at two of them. I wished Green had made them attacked, trapped, but not dead. Those two characters were so so lovely and cute with their banter. They could have continued into another series book in the Holy Terrors series!! (imho). So that was my two persnickety issues.

[Emilie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book.

This book was literally Scooby Doo with adults. The characters were just as cartoonish, the plot just as silly and full of holes, and the logic just as flimsy. There was absolutely no character development, and just as in the first installment in the series, there was too much talking and not enough action--page after page after page of "'xxxxx,' said Alistair. 'xxxxx,' said Diana. 'xxxxxx,' said Peter. 'xxxxx,' said Cissy." and that was it. I needed something more than repetitive juvenile dialogue to draw me into the story. The plot was just as ridiculous. I could buy that Alistair and Diana were brought in on this documentary because of their previous involvement with the ghost-hunting project. But the constant repeated mentions of how Alistair was an "expert" on stone circles, along with everyone relying on his so-called expertise to examine the site and investigate details was borderline laughable. They really couldn't find ANYONE else in the whole UK who knew more about stone circles than an C-list bishop? No archaeologists, or anthropologists, or Oxbridge professors, or...anyone? Seriously? If the author hadn't leaned into that so heavily, I might have bought it; or if Alistair said something like, "I wrote an article once, so the producers must have thought I know more than I do. Real experts must not have wanted to be involved in this project." And then just the nonchalant moving about of standing stones?! Come on. The National Trust just lets that happen? When the rag-tag group of documentary employees was put in charge of investigating the murder, that was pretty much it for me. This whole book was ridiculous. It was a waste of my time to read it. A classic Scooby Doo cartoon could do this way better, and be much more entertaining.

[Joanne Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Stone Certainty", by Simon. R. Green. This is the second book in his new series, featuring "The Holy Terrors" (from the previous, excellent, suspenseful "The Holy Terrors") - Bishop Alistair and actress Diana.
Having survived the events at Stonehaven Manor, 'Bish" (as Diana calls him) and Diana have not seen each other in months, but have never really forgotten the ties that bind them.
Now they're back together again in another thrilling entry. Sir Neville, who has retired from The City, after an inheritance out in the country, which includes a hill topped by "Standing Stones". Decades ago, superstition has it that the stones were a portal from Another World, allowing demons and all sorts of monsters to emerge and wreak havoc on the villagers. Many disappeared, never to be seen again.
At some point, the stones were re-arranged, and the portals presumably closed; but now, Sir Neville wants to put them back in their original formation, which has terrified the villagers and interested a television crew, the producers of which have enlisted Bishop Alistair and actress Diana as 'experts' (based of course on their previous adventures).
Will the re-alignment of the stones result in the doors to The Other being re-opened? And what, really, can Bish and Diana do if they do?
Filled as usual with witty repartee and enigmatic characters, suspicious deaths and disappearances, readers of The Holy Terrors, and Mr. Green's other series, will not be disappointed.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a big Simon R. Green fan for years. His Nightside series was my first journey into Urban Fantasy and I've been reading his stuff ever since then.

Stone Certainty is the second book in the Holy Terrors series. The books are shorter reads (sort of like the Gideon Sable or the Ismael Jones series) with a supernatural feel.

The duo of Bishop Alastair Kincaid and Actress Diana Hunt are once again at the scene of supernatural events. This time, they have traveled into the English countryside to attend the setting of the final stone into a stone circle. The circle was damaged and dilapidated, and a local landowner decided to reposition the stones back into their original formation (against the warnings from locals, of course).

Odd things start happening the minute the last stone is settled into position. Has the project let loose the powers of hell?

I enjoyed this second story in this series! Alastair and Diana make great main characters. The investigating and the ending are still a bit Scooby Doo, but the stories are very entertaining!

I listened to the audio book version (Blackstone Publishing, narrated by Tim Bruce, 6 hrs 15 minutes). Tim Bruce did a great job of narration and brought the story alive. The plot kept my attention from start to finish. I wasn't sure what the ending was going to be......but was satisfied with it once it all played out.

Moving on to book 3 -- Which Witch? Woot!!

[Rachael Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is never a moment I don't jump at the chance to read a new Simon R Green book. He has a fantastic way with sci-fi, supernatural, paranormal, and urban fantasy. The books and stories may not be incredibly hard hitting, but they are almost always entertaining and keep me reading to the very end.

This is book two in the Holy Terrors series, and I do think they can be read individually as I did not get my hands on the first one before diving into this story. There are references to the previous mystery which may clarify some references but I don't feel like it took away from this story.

Diane and Alistair are in Scotland at the site of a stone circle which was previously moved around for "aesthetic" reasons. Now the new land owner wants to move them back to their original spot but ancient stone circles are mysterious and have supernatural lore surrounding them. A documentary is being made and the two "Hoy Terrors" who made a name for themselves in a previous case, find themselves in another ghostly mystery.

Though these books have a "scary" element to them, they really are fun and entertaining. If you're looking for a quick read, enjoyable read, definitely add this to your series to be read.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get ready for another fun adventure! I read the first book and loved it, so when I saw this one, I knew I had to read it. There were zero regrets in asking for the book. I read through this in one sitting.

The Bishop and Diana team up again, this time at a stone circle. The squire is looking to bring some attention to the land, and bring in more tourists. But it seems that the townspeople do not want it, and recount stories of the dark things that have come from the stones. Alistair does not think there was anything nefarious going on, but Diana is not so sure. Putting their heads together, they start to sort through some of the stories and strange occurrences.
But then, the deaths start. As the group huddles together for safety, two of their number go missing, and are later found dead. Who would want to kill them and why? Alastair is determined to solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt.

I absolutely loved this book. Diana and the Bish are two of my favorites (obviously), but I look forward to seeing them in more adventures. This series holds a lot of promise.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stone circle has stood near Chipping Amesbury for centuries, moved only once to prevent demons and monsters from entering the world through magical portals between the stones. Now the stones have been moved back to their original location. The last stone is about to be put in place, horrifying the villagers. A tv crew is in town to film a documentary on the expected spine-chilling happenings. Enter the Holy Terrors, Bishop Alistair Kincaid, an expert on these circles, and actor Diana Hunt. Their previous experience with hauntings have made them the perfect pair to star in the tv production. Things quickly go wrong. Are unworldly creatures stalking them or is the danger closer to home?

I can’t categorize this entertaining series. Is it mystery, thriller, romance or horror? With an unusual plot, captivating characters, especially Kincaid and Hunt, Stone Certainty is compulsively readable. I can't wait for the Holy Terror’s next adventure! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Simon R. Green for this ARC.

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Саймън Грийн може да бъде много сладкодумен автор и отвежда читателя в китната английска провинция, като успява да те накара да почувстваш атмосферата там и да повярваш в страшните легенди, докато заплита поредния си изключително интересен сюжет. През годините той се превърна в един от най-любимите ми автори, но си признавам, че в последно време не ми понасят по-епичните му истории, като тази за крадеца Гидиън Сейбъл, където “добрите” избиват десетки от “лошите” като в долнопробен екшън, намирам за проблемно количеството смърт, което фентъзи жанрът често оправдава, когато се извършва срещу “другите”. Кримки със свръхестествен привкус като тази книга или романите за Ишмаел Джоунс обаче ми идват много добре и смятам, че авторът трябва да се съсредоточи върху тях – лични, достоверни истории, разказани с много вкус, непредвидими и увлекателни, със сблъсък срещу злото, който се усеща като борба за оцеляване, а не като намесата на нахален арбитър.
Цялото ми ревю може да прочетете в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/stone-certaint...

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Release: February 2025

STONE CERTAINTY is delightfully Book Two of Simon R. Green's engrossing series, THE HOLY TERRORS, in which an accomplished actress and a Church of England Bishop pit themselves (if often unwittingly) against the forces of Darkness, or at least, against the strange and seemingly unworldly. As an expert on Britain's Standing Stones, Bishop Alistair Reynolds is tasked to weigh in on a documentary featuring a local squire's renovation of a Stone Circle, surely dating back to prehistory, which had been inexplicably altered in 1920. Some of the locals object, believing the 1920 renovation blocked the ingress of monsters from outside our mundane world. Then deaths begin to occur. Will "Holy Terrors" Diana and Alistair uncover a simply human crime? Or is this evidence of "The Other Place": a dimension beyond our own where monsters exist, because the rules of physics no longer apply?

[Jacquelyn Dohoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun story! I know, it’s supposed to be spooky, but spooky is fun for me. I absolutely love Simon Green’s books. This series is no different. I loved all the snarky dialogue and the idea of demons pouring out of a stone circle. And considering the books that Green has written, it wouldn’t be unexpected for that to happen in his story. But I did love the kind of classic spooky mystery vibe it had going on. Was it predictable? Kind of. I knew what was going to happen and who did it pretty quickly, but not how they were going to go about it. I do wish Lily had gotten more of a role toward the end though. I dug her character. Maybe she’ll make an appearance in a future book. In any case, if you want a quick spooky mystery read that’s really fun, this is the book for you!

Huge thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

[Paula Crowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not realise this was a sequel, but easy to read as a stand alone novel.

Rather kitsch with unrealistic dialogue in places but an easy read.

The two main characters from the first book, Bish and Diana, once again find themselves with a mystery to solve. This time, a village is terrified by the stone circle in the middle of the marshes. Stories of demons abound. The owner of the land, Sir Neville, wants the stones returned to their original circle after, apparently, being moved in the 1920s. He employs some news journalists to make a documentary about the event.

I found all of the characters a bit daft. None of them were particularly engaging.

The reporters, along with Bish and Diana find a dead body in the centre of the stone circle. Did monsters from another realm kill him? The characters aim to find out, but will they be able to spend the night keeping watch over the dead body? Will there be more killings?

The ending was rather predictable.

A weak three stars.

[MizzyRed · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining quick read where all the characters are flamboyant and colorful which leads to many wild things and possibly supernatural? At least that is what Alastair and Diana have been hired to find out! The "Holy Terrors" are back to see if a circle of stones, famous for many previous disappearances and whispers of demons from another dimension visiting, is actually all its cracked up to be. A light read, a bit of spookiness, but not quite so many dead bodies this time around. Since Alastair and Diana are old hands at this now, there is lots of fun banter between the two, and you know they will always survive, be it something supernatural, or just plain human nastiness.

I like this couple and this series is quite fun to read. I will happily read more, if Diana and Alastair find more cases or shows together!

[Jessica Nunnally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't say I knew what to expect being new to this author, but I expected more from someone who puts their name in such large print on the cover (guess that's what I get for judging the book by the cover). The characters seemed to be rather unlikely pairs and I can't say the group dynamic felt real. It seemed heavy on the dialogue and light on the imagery (although some of what there was tickled me with the wording). There was a big push for this to come across as a supernatural mystery, but it felt too forced and faked (and it was). The build up took too long and I almost put it down, but I needed this book for a reading challenge. The pace did eventually pick up, but then it all wrapped up very quickly, almost disappointingly fast. It was not even a twist ending.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new book from Simon R Green is like a visit from an old friend. You always know what you’re going to get, and yet, there might be a surprise or two.
Stone Certainty brings us back to the two surviving cast members from The Holy Terrors. This time around Alastair and Diana are on site when a Stone Circle is repaired. Wackiness, of course, ensues.
Like The Holy Terrors, this book started off slow for me. It was never boring, but not exciting, either. Up until the whole cast got together. Then, it was fun.
If you like SRG’s work, this book will definitely satisfy you.

[Michelle Godard-Richer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read with an interesting duo of protagonists/amateur sleuths—an actress named Diana and a bishop named Alistair. I always enjoy a British setting, and I love the mystery and intrigue surrounding stone circles. The folklore surrounding this set of stones was entertaining with the way it repelled the locals. If you like mysteries with a hint of a paranormal then this is the book for you.

[Amber Humphries · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are searching for a cozy mystery that feels like the adult version of a Scooby Doo episode, then search no further. The story is quick paced, easy to digest, and satisfying at the end. Do I sometimes wish the main charaacters could have had just a bit more character layers? Yes. But at the end of the day, I was satisfied with what I got. I give Stone Certainty a solid 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to review Stone Certainty by Simon R. Green.

[Marty Tool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick spooky setting read. Diana and Alastair from the previous book are back working together to film a documentary about a stone circle. Of course other things happen and a murder to add to the suspense. Fast fun read with Green's snarky dialog add up to a good figure it out mystery. Thanks for the early read to NetGalley and the publishers.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only 182 pages to this book so it's a quick read. I was looking forward to this book and it was not the best book I have read, but I did finish it. It is repetitive, the characters would change location and then rehash the same thing over. The ending picked up a little and I was on the edge of my seat for a few pages. Once the plot was revealed it was kind of lame.

[Derrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first one of the series...this one takes it's same cues from that one and this time, just seemed a bit more ... slow. I like that 2 of the characters I enjoyed are back, but not sure on this series. I feel like he's trying to do something similar to his Ishmael Jones series, but that one is just way more perfect. We'll see I guess.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

In fairness, I rounded my rating out but I’d honestly give it about 3.7 stars. The first novel in this series was really annoying and bland compared to Simon R. Green’s other works. This one, however, was better and I could read it easier. Now yes, some of the characters were still annoying, but the story was WAY better.