In the past I haven't really been one for time traveling sagas, but Cast the First Stone has made me rethink my past genre snub. The book starts out normal enough with Rembrandt, or Rem, telling about his daughter's birthday party in first person, and introducing us to his family, and himself, both as a writer and a previous detective, and the case that has haunted him for decades.
Suddenly Rem finds himself back at the case he can't get out of his nightmares, a place he's been back to hundreds of times in his dreams, but this dream seems a lot more real than the others, making him, and the reader, spend the entire novel trying to figure out if this is a dream or if he's actually altering the past. Very intriguing! It almost had a Back to the Future vibe to me in that sense, but imagine Doc Brown being able to go back to the past and be himself and not just see that version of himself. Very trippy!
The characters, especially Rem and his wife Eve, are very well developed, though I am hoping the rest of the series will go a bit deeper with other supporting characters that were just touched on in this novel, like his partner Burke, or the Mulligan family.
The writing does give off a masculine air, which is a refreshingly different pace, and in true Rembrandt Stone charm, and I loved that it always gave just enough mystery to keep you guessing without being too over the top or complex. Rem is without a doubt a flawed character, but you find yourself rooting for him to change the past that haunts him, and hope it doesn't all end up being a dream.
The word pictures are so incredibly vivid that I could see myself there riding along in the investigation and becoming vested in this world and these individuals, and the ending is pretty unique, as it has a satisfying conclusion, yet it also leaves a nice little cliffhanger that will pique anyones curiosity, and leads right into the next book in the series, No Stone Unturned, which is set to release April 2021.
A strong start to a new series that has some serious potential, especially if you're into crime drama and time travel, with a flavoring of romance, and a whole lot of intrigue.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.