Review of Stone of Gabriel

[Tawni Noorda]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Stone of Gabriel" by Gary A. Pattillo.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Kurt Palmer, a 13-year-old on a camping trip with his father, inadvertently discovers an odd stone in a California riverbed. After unintentionally shooting the stone through a shabby boot, Kurt shares the stone with his two most intimate friends, both of whom drop the stone in terrible pain. Unsure of how to properly handle the situation, with no knowledge of the stone's possible origin, the three friends vow to conceal it. While holding the stone back at home, he glimpses a deformed face with red eyes on the television. Hoping to assist officers detaining the man, he calls to inform them of his discovery. Steve Bailey, a detective who tragically lost his wife and son in a house fire, is also the carrier of a rare stone. Once he becomes aware of Kurt's ability to perceive the demons who have inhabited humans, he begins to follow Kurt hoping to discover another stone holder. When they finally make contact, Kurt uncovers his lineage of power and the reason the stone doesn't injure him. Using their stones, the two come together to bring down a serial killer who leaves disturbing coded messages for the detective.

I enjoyed most aspects of Gary Pattillo's novel, from the unusual adventure to the way he developed the relationship between the characters. Pattillo kept the story flowing, preventing the readers from ever being disengaged in the characters progress toward victory. The rocky beginning for Kurt and Steve kept you invested in the outcome of their companionship, when they finally team up the desire to witness their success is inevitable. Also, the realistic environments with supernatural elements were fascinating to say the least.

I was disappointed that there wasn't more of an explanation on the demon that they were searching for throughout the book. It leaves you wondering where the hatred for the detective comes from, how it began, and who exactly he is. Apart from that, I could detect no other faults in the book.

Stone of Gabriel is brilliantly written, I cannot provide any reason to assign it a rating less than 4 out of 4 stars. The mystery behind the stone, as well as the interactions between the characters made this novel an absolute success. I look forward to reading more by this author, and hope to see more in the Angel Stone series. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in sci-fi or paranormal fiction. There is some death, though nothing so grotesque that it would deter more youthful audiences from reading.

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Stone of Gabriel
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[Soraya Bayah]

An unusual concept; Im in! The fact that there is not much profanity or sexual content always draws me in, plus the fact that I am a fan of both sci-fi and paranormal fiction. Thank you for the insightful review, I will make sure to read this one.