New York City – Present Day

Margrit Knight is a woman who won’t back down. She doesn’t live a “safe” life. As a lawyer working for Legal Aid, she often takes unpopular cases and clients. She is doing a late night run through Central Park, not the safest way to get exercise, when she comes across a pale, graceful mysterious man. She speaks with him, but is cautious and doesn’t let him get too close. It is only after she is safe at home watching the TV news that she learns that a woman was murdered near where she ran in the park that night, and witnesses placed a large, pale man at the scene. She goes to see Tony, a homicide detective and her sometime boyfriend, to tell him about what she saw.

Alban Korund is the man Margrit saw in the park. He is not really a man, but a gargoyle, and a member of the few remaining Old Races who hide among the ordinary population of New York City. Apparently, someone from his past is murdering innocents, trying to frame him for these crimes. Now he approaches Margrit, seeking her help in defending him. He cannot talk to the police as they would prefer, because he turns to stone during the day. At first skeptical, Margrit comes to believe Alban and becomes enmeshed in a struggle between the reality she has always known and the new truths she is learning. One thing this defender of the innocent knows is that she will help those who cannot defend themselves. The world is becoming stranger than she ever realized, but both it and Alban make her feel more intensely alive.

HEART OF STONE is the first in a new series by C.E. Murphy, The Negotiator Trilogy.

It is a dark, rich, and exciting world. Margrit is a strong feminist heroine, not seeking protection or needing to be saved, her love of justice compels her to do battle with some really scary people. Falling in love with (literally) rock-hard Alban is just icing on the cake for romance fans. The tight-knit story moves quickly and smoothly, and Ms. Murphy has not created a single chapter or character that does not need to be there. With each succeeding offering, Ms. Murphy just gets better. Fans of paranormal romance will be very happy with HEART OF STONE.

Lisa Baca