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Jo Mason #2
The Return of Rachel Stone
Fifteen years ago, Rachel Stone was snatched from her crib in the middle of the night.
Now she's back. Or is she?
Called in by concerned family members, private detective Jo Mason has to determine whether Rachel has really returned, or whether she's actually an impostor trying to rob her wealthy family of millions. As she starts to investigate, however, Jo soon discovers that the Stone family harbors more than its fair share of dark secrets.
Who stole Rachel from her crib all those years ago? Where has she been ever since? What happened to her uncle Jack, and why does the sound of a crying baby sometimes ring out at night, haunting her parents' home? Is the ghost of a dead child trying to warn her relatives of a terrifying deception? Or, as Jo soon comes to suspect, was the disappearance of Rachel Stone just one part of a massive lie that has lain hidden ever since?
Now she's back. Or is she?
Called in by concerned family members, private detective Jo Mason has to determine whether Rachel has really returned, or whether she's actually an impostor trying to rob her wealthy family of millions. As she starts to investigate, however, Jo soon discovers that the Stone family harbors more than its fair share of dark secrets.
Who stole Rachel from her crib all those years ago? Where has she been ever since? What happened to her uncle Jack, and why does the sound of a crying baby sometimes ring out at night, haunting her parents' home? Is the ghost of a dead child trying to warn her relatives of a terrifying deception? Or, as Jo soon comes to suspect, was the disappearance of Rachel Stone just one part of a massive lie that has lain hidden ever since?
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 20, 2017
140 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Amy Cross
664 books1,677 followersAmy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 31, 2017
This 2nd book of the Jo Mason series only took me 2 days to read also; it goes quickly and I just didn't want to put it down (only did so to give my Kindle time to recharge). Supposedly a girl who was kidnapped 15 years ago suddenly reappears, Jo Mason is asked to investigate if "Rachel Stone" is the real deal or not.
The author, once again, alternates chapters between the past and current time, so the reader can see what actually occurred, instead of trying to guess it all out. You have to keep reading, and while there a few clues early on (no spoilers sweetie), the whole story won't be revealed till the end...or will it?
I'm not going to be as picky as some reviewers who only give 1 or 2 stars for proofreading errors, but there were several that were hard to ignore. I seem to be getting good at filling in the proper wording in my mind, so the story will keep flowing. Advice to the author, Amy Cross, pay for a decent proofreader!
The author, once again, alternates chapters between the past and current time, so the reader can see what actually occurred, instead of trying to guess it all out. You have to keep reading, and while there a few clues early on (no spoilers sweetie), the whole story won't be revealed till the end...or will it?
I'm not going to be as picky as some reviewers who only give 1 or 2 stars for proofreading errors, but there were several that were hard to ignore. I seem to be getting good at filling in the proper wording in my mind, so the story will keep flowing. Advice to the author, Amy Cross, pay for a decent proofreader!
December 11, 2019
Mysterious
Jo is a private detective hired to find Rachel Stone years after her kidnapping if she's still alive.
Herbert and Diana are her parents, Margaret and Jack are her Aunt and Uncle.
When Racheal was just a few weeks old Herbert paid to have her kidnapped unbeknownst to Diana and Margaret. Jack and his girlfriend were out of the country, but when they found out, they came back.
This is all I'm going to say so I don't give out any spoilers. In my opinion, this is the best book Amy Cross has written! The characters are well defined. It makes you feel like you actually know them. The plot is well written and is full of twists and turns. This is a great who done it. Now I'm just waiting for the next book in the series!
Jo is a private detective hired to find Rachel Stone years after her kidnapping if she's still alive.
Herbert and Diana are her parents, Margaret and Jack are her Aunt and Uncle.
When Racheal was just a few weeks old Herbert paid to have her kidnapped unbeknownst to Diana and Margaret. Jack and his girlfriend were out of the country, but when they found out, they came back.
This is all I'm going to say so I don't give out any spoilers. In my opinion, this is the best book Amy Cross has written! The characters are well defined. It makes you feel like you actually know them. The plot is well written and is full of twists and turns. This is a great who done it. Now I'm just waiting for the next book in the series!
April 27, 2020
This is about the best of all Amy Cross's crime novels. The twists, God. There 're times when I thought, 'oh, guess that's a typo," but no, just another twist. I'll spare you all the WTF details and just say, 'I enjoyed this book so much.' And the ending 👏🏾 although I've to say, that the book has a little bit of similarities with Amy Cross's other book, 'The Girl Who Never Came Back.' Only, this time the girl did come back.
May 25, 2017
I'd actually give this book Zero stars; Don't even know how it got published. It's a book that might have been okay if it were written by Agatha Christie, but alas, this writer doesn't even have one millionth of the skill or talent. The writing was juvenile and don't even get me started on the ridiculous plot.
July 19, 2019
A very interesting book with some weird characters but one that I really enjoyed. Can you tell who the real characters are or are they just the impostors? Rachel Stone comes home after 15 years and her parents treat her with kid gloves, let her do as she pleases and ask no questions. You'll enjoy trying to figure this one out and what about the crying baby in the woods?
July 11, 2017
Great story
This was one of those stories where you had to pay close attention. I loved that the story kept me interested from beginning to end. I will keep reading the books from this author.
This was one of those stories where you had to pay close attention. I loved that the story kept me interested from beginning to end. I will keep reading the books from this author.
March 17, 2020
Return of Rachel Stone
It was a good read and perhaps deserved more than three stars. I feel it wasn't edited as there were words missed out or incorrect names used or tenses so I was constantly having to correct it mentally. Very offputting
It was a good read and perhaps deserved more than three stars. I feel it wasn't edited as there were words missed out or incorrect names used or tenses so I was constantly having to correct it mentally. Very offputting
July 3, 2017
5*
found it a little confusing towards the end but brilliant to read, would defo recommend to somebody who likes these books
found it a little confusing towards the end but brilliant to read, would defo recommend to somebody who likes these books
December 27, 2018
Didn't really like this, the second in the Jo Mason series, nowhere near as good as the first. Extremely slow in the story picking up, fast paced art the end. Disappointed 😢
January 26, 2022
Enjoyable. I like jo mason.
February 12, 2022
Good, but I have definitely seen and read this trope/ plot before.
March 25, 2017
A book that really keeps you guessing
A great storyline! From start to finish I was gripped and constantly guessing what was go into happen next. Amy cross has a real talent for writing books such as these.
A great storyline! From start to finish I was gripped and constantly guessing what was go into happen next. Amy cross has a real talent for writing books such as these.
March 31, 2017
Good story.
April 22, 2017
Unbelievable
Contrived to the point of exasperation! The writer, either very young or very inexperienced, knows too little about life, wealth and business to pull off this whodunit. It tries to be everything for everyone but ends up doing nothing for anyone. There's not even a happy ending!
Amy Cross is developing her style, finding her voice but cramming it all into too few pages makes for a whopper fail. She's good though, so I suspect in due time, she'll have a best seller. But this is definitely not it!
EDIT: Is Amy Cross a living person or a story not? So many books written in such a short amount of time makes me wonder! Or, are all those titles short stories? This book doesn't reflect the POV of an older author. And the titles and plots of other stories all seem so formulaic. ???
Contrived to the point of exasperation! The writer, either very young or very inexperienced, knows too little about life, wealth and business to pull off this whodunit. It tries to be everything for everyone but ends up doing nothing for anyone. There's not even a happy ending!
Amy Cross is developing her style, finding her voice but cramming it all into too few pages makes for a whopper fail. She's good though, so I suspect in due time, she'll have a best seller. But this is definitely not it!
EDIT: Is Amy Cross a living person or a story not? So many books written in such a short amount of time makes me wonder! Or, are all those titles short stories? This book doesn't reflect the POV of an older author. And the titles and plots of other stories all seem so formulaic. ???
April 22, 2017
Another good story from one of my favourite authors...one with a clever twist.
I enjoyed the to and fro in time, which was a great build up to the plot. Loved the mystery and fast paced writing style.
What I didn't like was the American spelling and words, especially when it comes from a British author and is set in Britain. And, if using Americanisms, then it should be consistent...they don't use the metric system of measurement, for example, and the characters are obviously English. There were a number of typos and name errors, too.
However, I always enjoy the stories and would recommend them to lovers of mystery and the unusual.
Cleverly done.
I enjoyed the to and fro in time, which was a great build up to the plot. Loved the mystery and fast paced writing style.
What I didn't like was the American spelling and words, especially when it comes from a British author and is set in Britain. And, if using Americanisms, then it should be consistent...they don't use the metric system of measurement, for example, and the characters are obviously English. There were a number of typos and name errors, too.
However, I always enjoy the stories and would recommend them to lovers of mystery and the unusual.
Cleverly done.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews