Location: United States
Member Since:
Dec. 14, 2012
Marilyn Diamond
Smashwords book reviews by Marilyn Diamond
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Stone's Revenge
on Jan. 02, 2013
Stone’s Revenge – Sylvia Hubbard A Suspenseful –Romance genre about William Stone and Abigail McPherson. William Stone vowed and promised himself that he would never let anyone run roughshod over him again without exacting revenge. Major Players William “Yared” Castro-Chavez - Untamed and full of anger I would imagine William as a gorgeous huge man. Men feared him when he walked in the door and women imagined taming the tiger in his spirit. William often left in the closet as a form of punishment from his evil father. His lessons were those of what nightmares are made up of and he swore to become so strong to beat the crap out of his captive or anyone who tried to hurt him... His father was a known serial killer put away by William’s nemesis Ramsey McPherson, Defense Lawyer who yet wants to put William away because he fears violence is hereditary. William at an early age was sent to live with his preoccupied Uncle Edward in Davenport, Ohio. His father Javier was serving a life sentence in a high security psychiatric center. During that time his step-cousin put a move on him and His Uncle and Wife believed her. William was forced to fend on his own for three years. He obtained his GED and worked in automobile shops. William was a genius when it came to automobiles. When William came back to Davenport after being in Florida honing his skills he discovered that after his biological mother died he inherited Nine Million dollars. Lydia Stone is William’s step-mother and the closest thing to a mother who always believed in him. Her mother had died in an accidental fall down the steps and broke her neck. Lydia was told as a young child and led to believe. Lydia was rather absentminded half of the time. If William asked her about her past she could not tell him. Her husband Edward Stone, William’s uncle explained that it was a handicap in her brain. William believed it was much more. This was basically the only woman he respects and he ever cared about his whole life. William told Lydia that “He respected her and that she was the only person he ever did care about in his whole life.” Strong Scenes of the book. One of the strongest scenes of the book described what led up to the death of William’s uncle and step-daughter. Edward Stone had enough bones in his closet to fill a graveyard the size of New York. Most of the bones represented his past life; then came his mysterious second wife (Lydia) and third was his stepdaughter, Enid from a previous marriage. “So you have nine million dollars?” Edward asked to be sure. “Just as soon as I go down tomorrow and sign those papers.” William responded. Why? Was the only word that could come out of William’s mouth. “Why?” Edward questioned back, cocking the gun. “Money millions of dollars that could be mine. Blood means nothing to me William because all my blood ever did was hurt and disgrace me. I’ll get that money and clear you out of the picture, Billy.” “Don’t call me Billy,” he sneered taking a step forward, but Edward didn’t seem too afraid, just like William wasn’t daunted by a loaded gun pointed at his chest. Everyone knows I’m a respected member of the community, but you’re Javier’s son. A son of a once menace to society; A cold-blooded killer. They’ll be glad to see you put to rest six feet under Davenport, right where you belong, in hell, next to my old man.” Stone was released and that was when the murders began. Stone got released from the death of his uncle and step-cousin because the maid showed up and corroborated his story. The first murder seemed random. A woman about the age of thirty was jogging through Lowry Park one night. Her body was found three months later, when the winter snow had melted. The autopsy results were the ultimate deathblow. There was no evidence of rape and a second autopsy proved that the stomach was carved out after the victim was dead. The marks in the stomach were not as old as the deceased. Abigail remembered reading the story in the newspaper, it was as if the “killer had returned to the body at a later time – the same day” to remove the stomach. A prominent lawyer was walking his dog, when he was attacked. He was beaten to death by an unknown object - believed to be a bare hand - crushing several bones in his chest and face, then his stomach carved out. He was found at the bottom of Lowry pond. The third murder, three months later, found Cambridge Horn, nephew to the city police Commissioner, dead under the Lowry Park Bridge. The killer had taken a knife from Horn’s groin to his stomach, slicing him in half, ripping out his stomach and burning his hands. The killer had also stripped Horn's body naked and raped him. This was where evidence of the killer had shown up. At first the paper said, police found pubic hair on Horn, but then it retracted and reported that the hair came from the top of someone's head. There were signs that the killer had used a condom. With further testing and a deeper autopsy, police were able to get a substantial width and length of penetration the killer had reached and the exact measurements of his member. With the hair sample, the police were able to get a positive ID of the killer: William Stone. It was his hair found in the groin area, but when he was dragged down and the police made a cast of his penis, the cast did not come close to whoever raped Horn, because William was much larger. On top of that, Stone had an alibi. He was in Italy a whole month at the time of Horn's believed death. If this was a frame, who would want to frame him? Many thought it had been Stone. Upon getting out of jail, he started a small engine repair shop with a gas station, David Reichard – Public Defender David Reichard – Public Defender doesn’t believe in luck.” David was furious that Ramsey McPherson had his client William Stone re-arrested for a trumped up charge. He screamed, “Six hours! Six hours out of this place and he’s right back in it? You better have something now!” David demanded, pounding his fist on the table that divided him and Ramsey. “Another rape-murder crime?” The Public Defender nearly came to blows with his friend out of his frustration. Because McPherson had a copy of stone’s sperm therefore he knew he could not have murdered anybody. Enraged while the police held him, David screamed. “He’s not guilty, you hard headed asshole.” Ramsey told him, “why don’t you get it through your hardheaded skull that son of a bitch is looney, just like his father and grand-father and his whole family!” Abigail McPherson –Why was William Stone interested in these particular children was beyond him. He saw the elder ones at school but that youngest one had spunk. He wanted to see what was going to happen when they saw his big stature. His legs slowly moved him closer to hear their voices. The two eldest were teasing the youngest one by holding the ball above her head. He could not get her voice out his head. “Give me my ball.” After the death of her brother and sister, run down by a drunk driver if Abigail wasn’t at school or in therapy for her legs which got pinned under the drunk driver’s car, she was in her room. It was the only place in the house where she had room to move around, since the room held her full-size bed, a night table beside it and her studying desk with computer. Her room held privacy, which she had become to value. With her door closed she was respected by her parents and housemaid. Abigail was withdrawn and anti-social about her condition, she was rarely disturbed. She began to realize that with each passing day her chance of walking again was diminishing. Grand-Mother Rebecca McPherson came to turn the house upside down and was concerned about Abigail because she had dreams that often came true. Abigail asked her grand-mother “Why are you here?” “Grandmother, my father said your dreams are just natural gut feelings.” Well, my gut is telling me that you’re in great danger by that man.” “What man?” Abigail asked honestly and confused. Grandmother McPherson left Abigail’s room in a huff, as Abigail looked upon her grandmother as if she lost her mind. “You’re too big for your britches, Abigail. You’ll be sorry you didn’t listen to me.” Sounds just like an over-protective grand-mother, or is it really? Everybody had a no-nonsense sassy talking grand-mother who is fine stating exactly what she feels towards and about her un-wanted daughter in law. For example, she told her son, “I raised you to be a saint and all she’s ever done was lead you on a wicked path. I told you to leave her a long time ago-“Enough – Ramsey sneered. “How dare you come into my home and tell me how to live my life, Mother? I’m a grown man and if you can’t respect my wife and my home, then you disrespect me and you can let the door hit you where the Lord split you on your way out. Do I make myself clear, Rebecca? Another instance Rebecca wanted to fly Abigail McPherson (her grand-daughter) off to see a specialist in NY because she felt Abigail’s Physical Therapist was not doing the very best for her grand-daughter. Ramsey stepped in yet again. “But, nothing I cannot put up with you interrupting my family’s life with your dominance and bullheadedness.” Rebecca stated in her haughty manner – “How dare you speak to me-“Shut up, Rebecca,” Ramsey ordered. “This is an immediate family situation. Now we have let you stay here because we love you, but the fact that Abigail can’t walk is none of your business.” Never once did race come up in this storyline until Rebecca stated that her great-great grand-mother was from Jamaica and may have passed down a generational norm of clairvoyance. White folks back then thought she was a witch, rather than a priestess because she could touch a folk or two. Marilyn McPherson knew the McPherson’s all her life as she grew up in Albany, New York and moved to Davenport, Ohio with her husband. Marilyn had loved Ramsey since she was a little girl, but David Reichard, along with a lot of other men, had loved Marilyn. Marilyn told her mother in law when she arrived that she had three months before her gut instincts about danger needed to take her elsewhere, and she meant it. Ramsey McPherson – Chief of Police of Davenport, Ohio. “Just trying to make the city’s streets safe. Chief McPherson said that’s my job and when that killer is behind bars with Consecutive life sentences I’ll rest then and maybe even take my wife on a vacation.” “I put that asshole’s father away and I’ll gladly put the son away.” He threatened to mess up the family jewels and shove them down his throat. Interaction between William Stone and Ramsey McPherson was yet another of the strongest scenes of the book as the raw emotions of both men surfaced. “I’ll do what I damn near please Billy,” he viciously taunted. William hated that nickname. “I’m not my father,” “I’ll crush you so bad you’d wish you died.” “It just goes to show you’re crazy just as your old man.” Ramsey, being no small man and in good shape, was five inches shorter than William Stone’s towering six feet six height took on the fight with gusto. William’s hatred of McPherson and Ramsey not surrounding my guards had eight guards pull William off of him. An uncontrollable fury which surpassed common sense, as he flung the guards off of him like paper dolls, and re-charged at Ramsey. “An I’m going to make sure you’re sorry for giving me grief, asshole,” As the guards were trying to drag William out of the room, they could not get far. As William screamed I’ll do that little girl of yours so good she’ll never want another man again, McPherson. “She won’t be your little girl again, she’ll belong to me.” I’ll be the first to taste her innocent sweetness.” Ramsey roared in anger and David had to help hold him back. “This isn’t over?!” Ramsey threatened. The guards held Ramsey, while the others pushed William with a sneering grin on his face. With a busted lip, blood running down his face and his pitch-black hair on the loose, he looked like a crazed man. These characters are real because this happens in any modern day metropolitan city amongst young African American youth who don’t have money or the name to clear them of deeds they did not do but charged because of being black. I liked William because he was a gentle giant. He believed in family and he was honorable man. I can picture this humble giant on the face of the Earth loving his family and his woman. I disliked Ramsey and his mother – they appear bougie African-American folks who had no purpose in life except to enjoy the spoils of life. The writing style of Sylvia Hubbard utilizes alot of space that was not necessary in the book. The scenes changed so much it was hard to keep up. This was a hard read for me until the end of the book. The story line randomly could have been based on any one of the major characters. No racial overtones and it didn’t matter... Storyline could have been Black or White. Never once did I think about race in this novel. Once I got towards the middle of the novel I thought that this novel could be written for Black or White audiences. It did not matter My Personal Reactions to the book: I gave this book a four (4) because it felt too repetitive with the same information. Loved the small town city rather than getting lost in a big city. Argument: Would the story line be different if Abigail McPherson died in the automobile wreck? Would it made a difference if William Stone’s family was white and filthy rich and came to his defense? This book is worth reading in front of a cozy fireplace, with a goblet of wine. Yes I will continue to support and read this (authors) work. This book was “reviewed for the Sankofa Literacy Society. Book provided by the author or the publisher for review purposes.” ****** Found three typographical errors (sad to report) Page 46 – typing error Page 84 – wrong word configuration Page 166