Cast In Stone

Leo Waterman #2

by G.M. Ford

In the wild days of Leo Waterman's youth, Henry "Heck" Sundstrom was a god. But things haven't been going great lately for the p.i.'s burly ex-hero. First came the honeymoon boating accident that killed Heck's son and new daughter-in-law, Allison. And now the big man himself is dying--struck down by a runaway truck at an ungodly hour in a section of Seattle where no decent citizen should be caught dead. But Waterman's not so sure Allison went down with the ship. And if his motley, aging legmen, "the Boys," can gather the facts, perhaps he can prove it--following the lead to the Midwest and a missing million dollars. . .and maybe to a "black widow" who may be less "late" and more lethal than anyone ever suspected.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Detective, Audiobook

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Gerald M. Ford was the author of the widely praised Frank Corso novels, Fury, Black River, A Blind Eye, Red Tide, No Man's Land, and Blown Away; six highly acclaimed mysteries, featuring Seattle private investigator Leo Waterman; and the stand-alone thriller Nameless Night. A former creative writing teacher in western Washington, Ford lived in San Diego.

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mistake is a Clue.

Leo Waterman and his mates are searching for a woman who is dead. Leo believes she faked her death and is missing.

He has a lot of work to do. A lot of years to cover and a ton of miles to find her.

He is unable to find her anywhere. No one has any idea where she is located. The past is looked into and she is apparently unknown.

While reading this book, I noticed that the author made a mistake in one of her chapters. The comment later turned out to be a clue.

This is a very interesting book. Also very amusing. The other characters and Leo are full of life and are very funny.

This story is five stars. 💫💫💫💫💫

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good second entry into the Leo Waterman series. In this one Leo and his boys have to track down a deadly scam artist. Ford writes with an excellent sense of humor, resulting in a rapid read by me. Recommended.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Private eye Leo Waterman’s client knows, just knows, that there’s something off about the explosion that killed her son while he was on his honeymoon with a beautiful bride he barely knew. The bride, Allison Mack, was supposed to have died in the same freak accident, but the client has her doubts. And soon, Waterman does, too.

To reveal any more would be to spoil the fun with the suspenseful, twisty read. I could never have predicted where this novel went. What a rollercoaster ride!

Waterman’s squad of barely functional drunks — dubbed “The Boys,” even though all of them are 50 or older — don’t feature as much in Cast in Stone as they did in Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?: A Leo Waterman Mystery, the debut in this series, they still made an appearance. They’re less lovable this time around, so I wasn’t sorry when they moved offstage. That said, I absolutely loved this second in this series, and I’ll be starting on the third in this series as soon as I can. No better testimonial to this five-star read than that.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

His website has a quote from Kirkus Reviews, "G.M. Ford is well on his way to becoming the Raymond Chandler of Seattle." I don't think so ...but if they had said instead, "G.M. Ford is becoming the west coast's Lawrence Block." Well then, no argument here, cause I feel the same way about Ford as I do Block, as in special. Now, I'm not saying Chandler ain't special, he is, only he's a different kind of special.

Chandler is like all introspective and moody while Ford and Block they're like sly. They may tell a violent tale or two but the whole time they're telling it, they're still poking you in the ribs. Like Leo Waterman, that's Ford's guy, he'll make some smart alec remark while you're pointing a gun or a knife at him and then while you're trying to think up a clever retort, he'll smack you over the head. It's not really fair but that's OK with Leo, cause being fair ain't one of his hang ups.

Leo has a host of cohorts who spend their time trying to survive their last bout of drinking while looking for a way to make some change in order to start the next, and Leo is frequently doling out the change is search of some investigative assistance. The assistance is often marginal but then, so is the change.

Anyway the story is about this creepy Black Widow spider kind of woman, who Leo and the boys have to get wise to and then track her down and it makes for a really good read.

And that's all I'm tellin' ya, so read it.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook over a two day marathon grass cutting session. Good characters and humor. A good plot line with enough twists to keep me guessing right up to the end. The story moved along easily and was well paced up until the last 10% or so. Then it rocketed to the finish line.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first one, not as good as the newer one I started with. Love the characters and story pace. I also like that it is a decent mystery without traumatizing the reader but, yet it is not a cozy mystery.
I liked how Leo worked his way back to learn more about his investigation. Love Carl. Just started the third book in the series.

[Sho · Rating 4 out of 5]

another romp around Seattle with Leo Watermann and The Boys.
Hugely fun. :)

[Debjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I could give it a 4 1/2. I thought the first in the series was good but this was terrific. Ford's writing is tight and gripping; couldn't put it down.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the Leo Waterman series.

Leo Waterman is hired by the wife of Heck, an old boss, to look into the deaths of her son and daughter-in-law in a boat explosion. Heck hadn't believed the recovered female body was that of Allison, his son's new wife, and while investigating was run down by a truck. Leo tries to track down Allison's past but runs into falsified records and a trail of deceit and death.

[Randy Dary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the Leo Waterman character. Enjoyed this book very much for several reasons. Maybe I miss Seattle more than I thought I did.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seattle, 1995. The detective is hunting for an elusive woman who, he gradually becomes sure, is an almost unbelievable monster. Throughout the entire book she is never on stage until the final pages--we only see her effects on other people. But the big finish left me a bit unsatisfied. It all went too easily. The usual clever wise-cracks, spot-on dialogue, and well-drawn characters. And G.M. Ford is a master of the tiny detail. Towards the end, the detective is standing outside a porno shop called the Pleasure Palace, on the corner of Second and Pike. "I grabbed the sticky door handle and went inside." Ewww.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

CAST IN STONE - Ex
Ford, G.M. - 2nd in Leo Waterman series

Asked to find the reason behind the death of an old friend's son, Leo and his Irregulars follow a paper trail that takes them from Seattle to Wisconsin, where they uncover a puzzling and tragic story from the past.

1997 Top Read - This is an excellent PI series. Great characters.

[Greg Tymn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another solid PI novel by Mr. Ford with a good plot, plenty of action, a set of complex characters and enough believable mystery to keep it interesting throughout. If this was a James Lee Burke novel, I can see how it could have run this novel to 800 pages. I appreciate Mr. Ford's concise style.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 in the Leo Waterman series. Leo's crew is back and helping him with a new case. Leo's good friend Heck's son and daughter-in-law die in a boating accident but Heck wasn't sure it was just an accident. Heck's wife asks Leo to investigate. Some interesting twists and turns in this book with an unexpected ending.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leo Waterman is like a dog with a bone. He won't give it up! Another great story from G M ford featuring PI Leo Waterman. When his childhood friend is killed, Leo finds out who did it, stopping at nothing to get him the person responsible! Good Read!!!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always action packed and full of familiar places if you live in the area. Leo seems to fall into trouble but always solves the case with the help of his homeless on the street associates. Fun and funny lines to remember GM Ford has a great sense of humor.

[Tulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

You will be hooked with the first sentence.

The boys and Leo Waterman are back. They keep you reading, wondering how this thrill ride going to end. Characters sometimes laughable, sometimes makes you feeling sick to your stomach. Liked other G.M. Ford books more.

[Walt Mccluskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cast in stone

The best offering of Leo Waterman that I've read thus far and a reason to check out others. The ending was anticlimactic but after all the twists and turns of the tale was really a welcome relief. The book was not what I had expected and is highly recommended.

[john tatosky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Leo and the boys. Very good read ,.This series is loaded with great gusto.

Would highly recommend. Read and enjoy the laughs along the way.Leo and the boys are like family to me now.

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waterman, with the help of his homeless derelicts, try to find a scam artist. The trail leads across country from Seattle to Wisconsin, with numerous victims. A twist or two along the way keeps the reader turning the pages.

Very well done.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of twists and turns in this plot, fast moving pace.

[Rebecca LaForge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific! Kept me guessing until the end...

[Kim Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a clever writer is G M Ford! I'm in love with Ford and Leo Waterman.

If you like a smartass PI with his own imperfections, give Ford's Leo Waterman a try. There was a laugh, giggle, snicker, or grin on almost every page; yet in his subtle style, rarely did Ford need to resort to the slapstick. The exceptions were virtually unavoidable when Leo dealt with The Boys. In his brilliantly imagined use of the disenfranchised folks frequently inhabiting their regular barstools in the dives on the lowest rung of the societal ladder, Ford helps us empathize with their oft- forgotten plight of invisibility. Yet he never wrote about these men & women with even a hint of disrespect, and used their invisibility to their advantage.
Leo is my new favorite hero! I love him. I want to check in with him daily, to know how he thinks, what the current state of his relationship with Duvall may be, who's his latest foe. It takes a great writer to create a character that we can all root for like Leo, and keep that love light burning bright, book after book. I feel as though I've discovered America's best-kept mystery secret. Eureka!

[MisterLiberry Head · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second appearance by G.M. Ford’s Leo Waterman reminds Mister Liberryhead a lot of No.6 in John D. MacDonald’s classic Travis McGee series, BRIGHT ORANGE FOR THE SHROUD. Both feature a frail-looking, sexually adept blonde who thrives like a black widow spider – remorselessly feeding on a mate until he’s broke and drained dry. As a witness to this technique says in CAST IN STONE: “She never lets anything go. With her, nobody gets out alive” (314). A waterfront hero from Leo’s salad days, “Heck” Sundstrom, lands in a coma while looking into his unshared suspicions about the circumstances surrounding the death of his newlywed son. Leo takes up the case. By his own admission, he operates on the same principle as all unrelenting PIs: “I just go around turning over rocks, waiting to see what crawls out” (p174). The deep-rooted Seattle atmosphere, Leo’s colorful cast of supporting players and a narrator who doesn’t take himself very seriously, makes CAST IN STONE a diverting, if not McGee-quality, mystery.

[Ken Bour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the Leo Waterman character and find his mentoring relationship with the "boys" peculiar, but endearing. After starting this 2nd installment in the series, I thought it was going splendidly. I was enjoying the writing and following the early plot development. Something happened to me after Heck's Sundstrom's boating accident when Allison Stark (his new wife) appeared. I began losing my grasp of the story and found it difficult to keep track of the characters, their roles/relationships, and circumstances. I finished the book, but was perplexed and disappointed because I experienced no resolution or "AHA" moment. I will resist faulting the author because most of the reviews have been excellent (4-5 stars). Clearly, I missed something or let my attention wander to my own detriment. Perhaps I will try rereading "Cast In Stone" at a future date to see if I can improve my rating. In any event, I am planning to continue with installment #3, "The Bum's Rush," after a short hiatus...

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cast in Stone is the second book in the Leo Waterman mystery series. Leo is a private investigator in Seattle, with a very unorthodox practice. He hires four old winos to help with his investigations! Parts of the story are hilarious, others are deadly serious. I enjoyed this book, thus the 4 star rating, but the middle dragged a little for me.
Leo is hired by his friend Marge to investigate the boating accident where her son and new daughter-in-law were killed. Marge never liked or trusted her son's wife Alison, and thinks the whole accident seems very suspicious. As Leo tries to figure out what happened, he digs into Alison's past and comes up with red flags everywhere and more dead people than he ever expected.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

P. I. Leo Waterman never got on with the wife of his old friend Heck.
But when Heck is critically injured in a hit and run she hires him to look into it, and into the death of Heck's son and his new daughter-in-law Alison in a tragic boating accident.
The more he digs the more Leo is convinced that there was only one yachting death - and it wasn't Alison.
But Alison, it turns out, is a woman without a past – her story changed with everyone she met.
And, in the present, there is absolutely no trace of her.
It takes a trip down memory lane, along with his drunken crew, to begin to unravel a very strange tale indeed.
“Cast in Stone” has a satisfactory, but completely over the top, ending.
3 Stars.

[Buzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, very confusing ending.

I went back and reread the final four chapters several times. What am I missing? Some serious leaps of logic and plot occurred to bring this story to a close. It was almost like the author thought he had two weeks to wrap up the story, and his published called and said “Wrap it up, its going to press tonight!” I have really enjoyed the Leo Waterman stories so far, and hope that more of them don’t end like this one does.

[Wpayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cast in Stone

Another really good read with Leo and friends. Good story with interesting characters. His stories are all so different and unpredictable. Like the humor as well as the tense situations.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it

This series is fun, like a detective series should be. I originally set it at 4 stars but the competition out there is so mediocre and this series seems to be so much fun ( so far ) I'll go with 5. On to book 3