Stone and Spark: Book 1 (The Raleigh Harmon Prequel Mysteries)

The prequel to the Raleigh Harmon Mysteries has arrived. All of you who love Sibella Giorello's writing will certainly not be disappointed to read Stone and Spark which introduces us to 15 year old Raleigh Harmon and the situation with her best friend, young genius and physics devotee, Drew Levinson. This is the stark account of the origination of Raleigh's love for geology, taught to her by the paraplegic teacher she calls Teddy - except in front of her southern gentleman father who is also a judge - and the development of her innate investigative skills inspired by her love of rock and earth.Raleigh and Drew have a few things in common, but the prominent factor is their difficult home life. Raleigh's mother is mentally ill and floats in and out of lucidity, but mostly stays out, as Raleigh's dad does his best to avoid a strained and stress-filled balancing act in their home - without succeeding. Drew's mom is a divorced, self-absorbed, work-governed, position-climber by weekday, drunk on the weekend, parent while her dad is no less a self-absorbed, now banker-turned-free-spirit starving artist. So as best friends who forged their friendship from various feelings of alienation from the social-climbing twits at their private school and from their different kinds of intelligence, Raleigh and Drew meet every Friday evening at a former Atlanta Braves player's little burger joint for the staple of teen meals: burgers and shakes. Whoever arrives first earns a free milkshake from the owner Titus.When Raleigh beats Drew to their hangout for the first time after securing a surprise to show Drew, Raleigh's elation soon fades to suspicion and doubt when Drew fails to show. After leaving the restaurant to go to Drew's house, she finds Drew's mother Jayne there, drunk, but no Drew. From this moment on Raleigh is determined to find her best friend based on everything she's learned about Drew and from her young instincts as to Drew's behaviors.Raleigh's relentless pursuit and her rock-solid belief that her friend is in trouble convinces almost no one that Drew hasn't decided to just disappear to get much-needed attention. A few even believe Raleigh is involved in the conspiracy.In this story we see and feel the tremendous burden and pain of a young girl, who should be enjoying discovering her skills and allowing herself the comfort and thrill of young romance, enduring an intense conflict with her mom's multiple faces of mental illness which cause her and her dad to guard every word, every action, almost every thought in their home. Raleigh feels she doesn't matter much in the heirarchy, especially since her mom always refers to Raleigh's older sister Helen (away at college) with such favor and looks at Raleigh with constant suspicion.Raleigh's moral dilemmas face mounting challenges as her faith in God wears thin. Drew is missing, and the police seem handcuffed by unconvinced parents as to Drew's whereabouts. Raleigh's perseverance takes her into dangerous places physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but she won't give up the hunt. She runs, she bikes, in the cold dark after-midnight hours searching, escaping, finding, and fleeing. Risking it all for the friend she needs to prove her worth, to share her pain. To rescue each other.Sibella's writing continues to be at a high level, an inspiring example to those of us who write. Her wit, intelligence, and the perfectly organic presentation of faith remind us what Christian novels are supposed to be. This is a meaningful story of love and loss, mystery and mayhem, determination and devotion, all meshed together in a picture of a young girl's heart struggling with each one.I'm a sap - that's no surprise - but there are a couple of emotional scenes in Stone and Spark which will gnaw at your gut and if you don't have Raleigh's practiced control, you will cry.Stone and Spark by Sibella Giorello, published by Cool Gus Publishing, is a beautiful but painful story of the young Raleigh Harmon. A quick read that drives you to the next page but one you don't want to come to an end in spite of the hurt, the tears, the struggle . . . because you recognize Sibella has caught life in her words, and those words just won't let you go.An absolute must read for lovers of mysteries and one of today's finest and superbly written characters: Raleigh Harmon.I rarely give books five stars, but this novel deserves every one of them.

Stone and Spark tells the first part of Raleigh’s story and gives you an insight as to what she experienced as a youngster which influenced her career decisions later on. The prequel series is YA based, leading to a more adult series as she joins the FBI.Raleigh’s best friend Drew is missing. Yes, she has run away once before but this is different. For one thing, her bike is still at the school, and the lock holding it in place has been looped incorrectly and not reset to zero. Anyone who knows Drew knows this is not right. Drew is smart; super-smart, and is a stickler for statistics and things in their right places. When Drew doesn’t pitch up for her lunch meeting with Raleigh at Titus’s burger place, Raleigh knows something is wrong. But the more she tries to convince the adults around her, the more they don’t believe her. Her dad has enough on his plate, being a judge by day and her mother’s keeper the rest of the time. Drew’s mom lives in a bottle and Drew’s dad doesn’t care. Raleigh decides to play detective and is helped by her Geology teacher to look for clues beyond the obvious. To find signs where there should be none. So with just a rock hammer, a decent knowledge of the law, and a can-do attitude, Raleigh is determined to find Drew. The odds are against her – but when has that ever stopped her?Having downloaded this as a free book and never read any of the Raleigh Harmon series, I was pleasantly surprised. While not featured a lot in the book, I loved Drew’s smarty pants character and the fact that no matter what others thought of her, that she was true to herself. Raleigh was a very interesting character. The number of times she snuck out of the house or did something she was told not to do was astounding. It served her well later, but I’m sure her dad was pushed to the limit. Her mother’s mental health issues and the effects that her medication had on her must have been very scary for Raleigh. To be constantly accused of not being her daughter, to not knowing which side of her mom was out must really have taken a toll. I liked the way that baseball played an integral part in the story, and how it weaved the burger place (with its side story) to the quarry to the character of DeMott. I would like to have known a lot more about DeMott but I guess that is brought up in other stories. Bar the Geology teacher; the staff in her school were awful – so disrespectful and condescending. About halfway through you start to figure out where the story is going, only to find out you were completely wrong. I really liked the twists and turns.A very well-written and easy to read book with interesting characters and an exciting story. The bonus was that I learnt a heck of a lot about geology too! Definitely recommended.

Raleigh Harmon is a fifteen-year-old high schooler who doesn’t have friends – except for her best friend, Drew Levinson. The two girls bonded a few years back because they share the same brainy intelligence and similar family issues. When Drew goes missing, Raleigh has a difficult time getting anyone to consider that Drew has been abducted – including Drew’s dysfunctional parents. Will Raleigh be able to solve Drew’s disappearance before it’s too late?I enjoyed this book on many levels. I love books that place girls in strong, intelligent roles and this one definitely does this. Although there were slight romantic undertones, they never took over the bulk of the book. The characters are genuine and realistic. The author’s writing is witty, intelligent and engaging. All of these things combined make a compelling and highly appealing YA book.The one thing I would say is that the book seemed to drag a little bit here and there – particularly early on in the story. However, when things did get going, they moved along nicely. There’s plenty of mystery and suspense to keep readers interested until the end.Overall, I’d say Stone and Spark is a wonderful book for teens and adults. It’s a great way to get a feel for the author’s writing and the rest of the books in this series. Recommended!

The book is very well written as are all of Giorello's books. It is exciting, moves along and the development of characters includes a lot of depth.It is hard to put down. For a Christian book dealing with teens, it won't disappoint while. It deals with some very tragic issues (kidnapping) and how gifted teens are sometimes misunderstood. It would be a good read for parents too.

Stone and Spark is riveting. I read it all within 24 hours, despite heavy jet lag, because I could barely put it down!The book is so engagingly written and gets you right into the story so quickly that reading it seems effortless. I enjoy YA, but I think this book holds appeal for adults even if you don't normally read the genre. It also gives a glimpse into the Upper Class culture of the South through the eyes of someone who doesn't feel she belongs and does a great job of relaying the effects on a teen of dealing with a mentally ill parent. I also love how Sibella works in the character's Christian worldview not in a preachy way, but a human one, as Raleigh questions what she has been taught in context with her life--a normal process not just for teens but throughout our lives, regardless of belief structure. Plus, Sibella has an amazing way of putting words together--I was constantly highlighting (in my Kindle) favourite turns of phrase. So great.

A real treat and fantastic (re)introduction into the life and mind of Raleigh Harmon. Sibella Giorello is a true artist, she writes with flair, wit and wisdom, inviting us on an adventure.Drew, Raleigh's best friend has disappeared and once you've started you not be satisfied until you know the where's and whys. A gripping read - highly recommended for everyone who loves a good read.

Great suspense!

This is the first 'Raleigh Harmon' book I've read, I chose it from the Kindle list partly due to the reviews. It was a good read but didn't become a proper page turner until too close to the end. I enjoyed the story and may read more in the series.

So happy to find this new to me author and series.