By Jaime Jo Wright
In the past, I’ve talked about the top three things every haunting story should have:
A rocking chair.
One of those cymbal-clanging monkeys.
Creepy dolls.
Well, let me add one more to the list:
A dollhouse.
Especially one with a recreated murder scene, complete with blood splatters.
Creep-y.
This book may not have the rocking chair or the clanging monkey, but the creep factor is HIGH. In fact, when talking about ghost stories and haunting stories, I may have to start including a creep-factor scale.
What do you think?
Because once again, Jaime Jo Wright managed to keep me up way past my bedtime, living out the “just one more chapter” life of a reader.
And yes, I know better.
Two Timelines, One Mystery
One of the things I love about Wright’s books is her use of dual timelines, and Echoes Among the Stones is another great example.
It’s one thing to have a present-day character tell us what happened in the past. It’s another thing altogether when an author takes us there and lets us experience it for ourselves.
That’s exactly what happens here.
In the present day, Aggie Dunkirk arrives in Wisconsin after the end of her career and returns to the home of her eccentric grandmother, Mumsie. Mumsie has been obsessed with an unsolved murder from decades earlier, going so far as to recreate the crime scene in a dollhouse.
Aggie takes a job helping restore the historical section of a cemetery damaged by flooding, where she is paired with archaeologist Collin O’Shaughnessy. Before long, the work begins uncovering secrets connected to the old murder, and Aggie finds herself pulled into a mystery that someone is still very determined to keep buried.
Then we travel back to 1946.
Imogene Grayson comes home to discover her younger sister Hazel has been murdered. Imogene is determined to find justice for her sister, even though the investigation is taking place in a time when forensic science is still developing and women aren’t exactly welcomed into the process.
As Imogene refuses to let Hazel’s murder become a forgotten cold case, her story begins to connect with Aggie’s in ways neither woman could have anticipated.
And that is where things get really interesting.
The Suspects Kept Me Guessing
The character merry-go-round had me guessing.
Of course, years of watching British cozy mysteries have taught me to suspect everyone, so I was right there with Imogene questioning just about everybody.
I did eventually figure out who the murderer was, but not until much later in the book. And then there was the character who came completely out of left field and left me a little speechless.
I love when a mystery makes me think I have it figured out and then politely taps me on the shoulder and says, “Nope.”
Wright does that several times here.
Spoiler Alert
Okay, we’re getting into spoiler territory now.
If you haven’t read Echoes Among the Stones yet, stop here, go read the book, and then come back.
Seriously.
You’ve been warned.
And Then There’s Mumsie
In the present-day storyline, I absolutely loved, loved, loved finding out that Mumsie was Imogene.
That was such a brilliant move.
It meant that I wasn’t simply hearing someone tell the story of the past. I was watching one of the main characters live through it, and then seeing how those experiences shaped the woman she became.
Seeing how Imogene’s past affected Mumsie in the present, her relationships, her marriage and the way she interacted with Aggie added an entirely different layer to the story.
I will admit, though, that I was slightly disappointed by her husband’s identity. I wanted it to be someone more significant. And yet, once I understood why it couldn’t be, I also understood the choice.
I suspected quite a few people in Imogene’s family, including her mother, so apparently no one was safe from my suspicion.
Nobody.
Aggie’s Story Is About More Than a Mystery
Then there’s Aggie.
Aggie Dunkirk is a strong female character, but what I appreciated most about her was that her story isn’t simply about solving a murder.
She’s grieving the death of her mother while also grieving the loss of her career. She returns to Mill Creek and to her grandmother, Mumsie, with whom she has a decidedly adversarial relationship.
At first, that part of the story gave me a little bit of a “Hallmark Christmas movie” feeling. And listen, I love a good Hallmark Christmas movie.
But Wright doesn’t leave Aggie there.
It’s clear pretty quickly that Aggie has unresolved grief of her own, and those unresolved issues have affected her life in some pretty significant ways.
The mystery gives her something to chase, but underneath that mystery is a woman who needs to confront her own grief.
A Romance That Actually Makes Sense
And this is where Collin comes in.
I really appreciated that Collin isn’t there to be a one-size-fits-all Band-Aid for Aggie’s grief.
He doesn’t magically fix her. Instead, he walks alongside her. He reminds her of God’s love for her. He reminds her that God doesn’t cause bad things to happen, but He is always near to those who are hurting.
That distinction mattered to me.
Their relationship feels less like Man Meets Broken Woman and Fixes Her and more like Two People Walking Alongside Each Other While One of Them Learns How to Heal.
And I much prefer that.
My Final Thoughts
Echoes Among the Stones has everything I want in a Jaime Jo Wright mystery: a creepy atmosphere, an old murder, a dual timeline, a whole collection of suspicious people, family secrets, unexpected twists and just enough romance to keep things interesting without taking over the story.
But underneath all of that is a story about grief, forgiveness, redemption and what happens when we refuse to let our grief have the final word.
And, as usual, Wright gives us plenty to think about after the mystery is solved.
Just maybe don’t read this one alone in a dark house.
Especially if you have a dollhouse.
I’m just saying.
Cozy Sips: Hot Spiced Apple Cider
For this book, my drink pairing has to be Hot Spiced Apple Cider.
There’s something about reading a deliciously creepy story set in Wisconsin while the weather is finally giving up the last of summer’s heat and ushering in the cool of fall.
Give me a blanket.
Give me my book.
Give me a steaming mug of apple cider.
And then add an atmospheric YouTube video with some spooky music in the background.
You know what?
Maybe don’t.
Because I have to sleep eventually. And if you’re reading Echoes Among the Stones on a cool fall evening?
That is about as cozy as creepy gets.
