The Secrets of Lost Stones

By: Melissa Payne

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

A soul-stirring novel about the bonds between mother and child and the redemption that comes with facing the past and letting it go.

Thirty-two-year-old Jess Abbot has lost everything: her job, her apartment, and - most heart-wrenching - her eight-year-old son, Chance, to a tragic accident. Haunted by memories and grief, Jess packs what’s left and heads for the small mountain town of Pine Lake, where she takes a position as caregiver to an eccentric old woman.

A rumored clairvoyant, Lucy is strange but welcoming and immediately intuits Jess as a “loose end” in need of closure. But Jess isn’t the only guest in Lucy’s large Victorian home. There’s also Star, a teenage runaway with a secret too painful to share. And the little boy with heart-shaped stones, who comes with a hope for reconciliation - and a warning.

Soon Jess learns that she’s not the only lost soul running from the ghosts of the past. She and Star have been brought together for a reason: to be saved by the very thing that destroyed them.

©2019 by Melissa W. Payne. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Stories of loss are often moving, but rarely are they as fulfilling and redemptive as this stirring debut…Payne spins a fast-paced tale full of tenderness and sparked with magic, illustrating how the future can transcend the past, and proving that forgiveness is the greatest virtue.” - Sonja Yoerg, Washington Post best-selling author of True Places

“A compelling story of hidden secrets and the forgiveness that finds us when we least expect it.” - Kerry Anne King, best-selling author of Whisper Me This

“If Alice Hoffman had written The Shack, it would’ve turned out like The Secret of Lost Stones…an otherworldly, beautiful tale in which people who are grieving and lonely get the chance to find their way home. But will they take it?” - Wendy Webb, #1 Amazon best-selling author of Daughters of the Lake

I loved this book!

After having read so many disappointing books lately, this book renewed my faith in modern writers. The story is very well written. I loved the characters. Lucy was amazing. The little bit of paranormal activity absolutely brought the story together. It was just enough without going overboard.
All the characters were endearing and I hope we see more of them in future books. The story was heartbreaking, funny, magical and completely believable. I loved it. Such a good book.
Also, I thought the VA did an amazing job bringing the characters to life.

the secrets of lost stone

very good story. really enjoyed the characters and the story line. also it had a good ending

Great read

I was caught with the first 5 minutes of this book and didn't want to stop reading. At times, I thought it was a mystical story then it was more realistic. As the story built and the clues began to come together, it was addicting and the end was a surprising twist.
my only negative comment wad that the readers voice often made it difficult to know who was speaking because she didn't adequately vary her tone or so a few of the characters sounded alike including men and women. otherwise I loved the story line and the characters!

awesome book

I had no idea that I was like the book so much. it was very interesting. I was hooked from the first chapter. I wondered how these lives was going to come together. there was an old lady that had me curious to find out if she was crazy or she really knew something. It seems funny how it took everybody a long time to figure out that she was not crazy. it was very interesting for me because it took me to get towards the end of the book to figure out how everything was going to play out. I can't say how everything was intertwined with out spoiling the mystery. there was some serious twists and turns and surprises however I I love the ending it was a happy one

Deeply emotional

Two people - a mother who lost her young son and a teenage girl - are brought together through mutual grief. Jessie received an unexpected job offer to care for an elderly woman. Star received a bus ticket to leave her homeless life on the streets. With care and compassion, author Melissa Payne offers a strongly emotional story as two people find their way from deep sorrow to hope. Narrator Chris Dukehart does a fine job.

Intriguing!

Interesting and engaging characters, one in particular due to his appearing and disappearing nature, twisty plot

Interesting story but melodramatic writing

The premise of the story was very interesting and I love the main character Lucy. However the writing style was overly dramatic in describing overwrought emotional reactions among the other characters whenever something confusing happened in the story. How many times can people clinch their fist so tight their palm turned white, their chest tightened so much they can’t breathe, their knees wobble and they can hardly stand, etc. I found this writing style amateurish and kept pulling me out of the story. Also, the plot revolves around the fact that none of the characters seemed capable of communicating basic facts or communicating their emotions. I thought the narrator did a very good job with what she had to work with.

Enjoyable Read

Very Good story. Unusual characters. A very light read, not very fast moving. I would recommend this to anyone not looking for a heart pounding read.

Secret of Lost Stones

I enjoyed this book. I had a hard tough time putting it down. Good listen.

Good stones

struggled with one characters behavior @ end but otherwise
interesting characters & a page turner for me.