Stone Cold: The Stone Man Mysteries, Book One

A demon takes a scrappy runaway under his wing. The gargoyle, the runaway, and a weary priest turn their attention to a series of killings that may have ties to political unrest-and may have ties to the supernatural.

“"Craig McGowan has little to believe in as a street urchin in 1930s Edinburgh, but just when he's ready to give up and throw himself from the top of a church, he meets Silex, a demon trapped in a gargoyle statue who runs a crime-solving operation, since perching on a church for centuries is a bit boring. Craig becomes his investigator and confidante as they try to solve a string of murders plaguing the city. This first volume in Yolen and Stemple's Stone Man Mysteries series sets up some enticing plot dynamics, including Silex's true nature and plan, Craig's intention in working for the demon detective, and what kinds of people they will encounter in the darker parts of Edinburgh. Zangara's black and white drawings fit the brooding and menacing mood of this story, and the detail and nuance within his artwork encourage multiple readings to notice its subtleties. At a quick glance, his drawings may seem like unpolished sketches, but this approach enhances the story, matching the bleakness and supernatural strangeness of Craig's world."Publishers Weekly”

"Give this to middle- and high-school readers who enjoy mysteries mixed with dark fantasy."—Booklist

Adam Stemple is an author and American folk rock musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has co-written many books with his mother, Jane Yolen. Jane Yolen lives in Massachusetts and has written more than 400 books across all genres and age ranges, including the Sydney Taylor Honor book Miriam at the River. In 2022 she was named the The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Winner. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. Orion Zangara is an illustrator and comic book artist who lives in the Washington, DC, area. He is a graduate of The Kubert School, an art trade school, with a concentration in sequential art.

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