I've always liked mysteries but I'm not too fond of sappy "let's all have a good sob" novels. So when I read THE STONES OF MOURNING CREEK, I was puzzled. What was I to think of this emotional novel entwined with a mystery? It turns out the novel wasn't what I expected.

Francie is a quiet girl with brilliant red hair. Since her mother's death, Francie lives alone with her father and has few friends. It is the 1960s, when racism is rampant, but when Francie meets Ruthie, a young black girl, the two become almost inseparable. That is until the rest of Spring Gap begins to notice. As the town grows more conscious of the tight bond between the girls, people become more intent on splitting them up.

Meanwhile, new developments about the death of Francie's mom keep popping up. How did she die? Nobody is really sure about that night, and not many people want to find out. So Francie embarks on a journey --- with Ruthie, of course. The two become trapped as they try to untangle themselves from a web of lies. They find that nothing is safe and they can turn to no one in their quest for the truth.

In THE STONES OF MOURNING CREEK, Diane Les Becquets shows the reader what life in the '60s was really like. She also reveals aspects of the mother-daughter relationship. It is clear that when Francie's mother was alive, the two were almost inseparable --- much like Francie and Ruthie.

The mystery got the best of me, and I felt myself falling for the "lets all have a good sob" part, as much as I didn't want to. If you're fond of mysteries, and you don't mind sappy novels, then read THE STONES OF MOURNING CREEK. You just might like it.
   --- Reviewed by Lisa Marx

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.

© Copyright 1997-2008, Teenreads.com. All rights reserved.

Back to top.