The Stones Cry Out (Raleigh Harmon Series #1)

Best read in a long while

I got my hands on this book and the 2nd one in the series. And am I ever glad I did. I might not be a rock nut, but that didn¿t stop me from being pulled into Raleigh Harmon¿s crazy life as a Special Agent in the FBI with a forensic mineralogy background. This book was published back in 2007, and still a good well-paced read.


Sibella Giorello did a wonderful job on her research in the FBI and delving into the aspects that make Raleigh stand out as a woman in the FBI and as a character you want to rally behind. The author pulled on the unique aspects that set Richmond and the South apart from the rest of the country, giving the reader a taste of what has driven that part of the country for hundreds of years.


Overall, one of the best reads in the mystery/suspense genre I¿ve read in a while.

Debut Smash

THE STONES CRY OUT Sibella Giorello Revell ISBN: 0-8007-3160-3 Mystery 267 pages Sibella Giorello has made to transition from journalism to fiction with an outstanding debut novel. Her years as a features reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch have given THE STONES CRY OUT a flavor and authenticity that could only come from one intimately involved in the life of a city. Add to that her unusual knowledge of geology and extensive research into the FBI¿s mineralogy lab and its work in studying trace evidence from crime scenes and you have the foundation for an exciting new mystery series. At least we hope it will turn into a series. It¿s a steamy 4th of July in Richmond, Virginia and FBI Special Agent, Raleigh Harmon has been called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding the recent death of a young black man and a white police officer. Two days before, with a crowd of six hundred neighborhood protesters below, Detective Michael Falcon and Hamel Holmes fell to their deaths from the roof of an abandoned factory. Since racial tensions are kept alive and well by Mayor Lulu Mendant, who benefits politically from strife, the FBI is asked to determine if there actually was racism involved in the deaths. Unfortunately, no one is talking since the community¿s mind is already made up another white cop has killed a black youth. In her search for the truth, we get to know more about Raleigh Harmon as well. She lives in her mother¿s carriage house and seems content in her career and her singleness. Her mother is a colorful character who could star in her own series a seemingly lightheaded southern belle, given to wearing vibrant colors and whimsical hats. She heads to Pentecostal church camp nearly every day and sprinkles her conversation with praises and promises and glory, glories. Perhaps it is the way Nadine Shaw Harmon copes with the loss of her husband to a drive by shooting 4 years earlier. For Raleigh, her father¿s unsolved death is a strong motivator that drives her to continue working cases until they can be closed. There is also an unexpected reunion with the Fieldings, an early Richmond family with an intriguing history of its own and with Demott Fielding the prodigal son with whom Raleigh shares her own unpleasant memories. The Fieldings own many of the properties that are being targeted by protesters as well as the building from which the fatal falls occurred. Is there a connection? Was racism behind the deaths? How will they ever discover what happened on that roof top? In a style rich with analogies yet concisely written, Sibella Giorello manages to put all the pieces together for us and Raleigh Harmon is able to put some of her own past issues to rest in the process. It is always exciting to read a debut novel and, in this case, to look forward to many follow-ups. (Reviewed in Faithful Reader.)

Fast! Compelling! Great characters!

For a debut attempt, I believe Sibella Giorello¿s The Stones Cry Out, will explode onto the fiction scene of top-notch mystery/suspense novels. Where Cornwell¿s Kay Scarpeta, and Grafton¿s Kinsey Millhone seemed to own the female sleuth market for years and years, I can easily envision Giorello¿s Raleigh Harmon moving in fast and furious for a slice of that action. Harmon is an FBI agent working in Richmond thankful she can work close to home enabling her to care for her oftentimes delusional, aging mother. Still distraught over the murder of her father, Harmon plugs away at doing her best to see that justice is served. That is until the FBI gets in her way and hinders her investigation into what appears to a racially motivated crime. During peaceable African American street rally, things go from calm and controlled to chaotic and explosive when a white seasoned police officer, and black recovering criminal both fall from the top of a vacant building amidst the gathered protestors. Harmon and her near-retirement partner, John Breit is called in to conduct a civil rights investigation. Immediately blacks and whites are divided over the matter. The blacks are certain the white detective was attempting to throw the innocent black man off the building, only the black man managed to pull the detective over with him, in self-defense, of course. While the local police are reporting the exact opposite, that the black man attacked the officer, knocking them both off the roof during the struggle. Refusing to close the case, as her boss demands, Harmon relies on her faith in God, and her unique intuition to set herself against the odds and the FBI in her quest to find out the truth. The Stones Cry Out is more compelling than a cozy mystery, less gritty than a hard-boiled mystery, and completely appropriate for all fans of who-dun-its. Richmond comes alive with historic description and detail (but not so much that it dulls the fast-pace of the tale). The characters are well defined, the dialogue crisp, and the plot convincing. I cannot wait for the next installment in the Raleigh Harmon FBI series!

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