The #CJSReads trio is at it again! More June titles coming your way. We have so many great titles in the line up that you won’t even know what to do with yourselves.
Our third selection for June is CAST THE FIRST STONE by James W. Ziskin
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book! CAST THE FIRST STONE by James W. Ziskin is the fifth installment in the Ellie Stone series. I was nervous starting a series so late down the line, but I continued. I’m glad I did!
Ellie Stone is a small town reporter that travels to LA to interview a hometown actor. She arrives at the studio to meet him, but Tony Eberle has vanished, his director is in shock, and the producer is dead. Ellie dives in headfirst to the story and into the world of Hollywood wannabes, ambitious ingenues, panderers, and even porn hobbyists. There are big name celebrities trying to protect their reputations and in order to find the killer, Ellie needs to weed through the lies to find the truth. Deep buried secrets are unearthed and revealed – but before she can solve the murder of the producer, Bertram Wallis, she needs to find Tony Eberle.
This takes place in the early 60’s in Hollywood. I love how true to the decade Ziskin was – the dialogue especially. This turned into the police procedural and the mystery was good. This was incredibly character drive and you could really relate to Ellie. It was good as a standalone but I feel like I should go back and read the first four books. There were a couple twists thrown in but nothing too shocking. It was a great read and I’ll definitely be looking for more about Ellie Stone!
I give this 4.5/5 stars – just because I feel like I need to read the other 4!
A big thanks to Prometheus Books for the advanced copy!
–Jess
Jessicamap Reviews 
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