Shadows in Stone
By David Edward
In 1919 Florida, a retired salesman battles an ancient voice in his head while a sheriff who cheated death investigates a ritualistic murder that awakens forces older than memory itself.
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OverviewEd Leeds has made his fortune selling air conditioners across America, but success came at an unspeakable price. A voice claiming to be the ancient goddess IX-Chel whispers in his mind, reminding him of the terrible sacrifice he made to save his family during the Russian Civil War. Now retired to Florida City, Ed races to build a mysterious coral castle and a machine he believes will silence the voice forever, even as he's drawn into a suspicious land deal that promises the perfect location for his desperate work. Meanwhile, Sheriff Isaac Stone investigates the ritualistic murder of a young athlete at an archaeological dig where researchers have uncovered an impossible pyramid. Stone carries his own burden - he died in the Civil War and made a dark bargain to return, giving him the ability to see the dead. As he pursues the killer through both the world of the living and the realm of spirits, he discovers that the boy's death is connected to something ancient stirring beneath Florida's modern veneer, something that has been waiting patiently for the right moment to reclaim what was lost. As Ed's voice grows stronger and Stone's investigation deepens, both men hurtle toward a confrontation with powers that predate civilization. In the humid swamps where sugarcane fields burn and electric lights struggle against primordial darkness, they must face a truth more terrifying than madness: the old gods never died, they just learned to wait. And in a world where belief itself has power, the line between prophet and madman, between justice and damnation, becomes impossibly thin. |
Questions this book answers
- What unspeakable act did Ed commit to save his family during the Russian Civil War?
- How does a goddess survive when her last believer dies?
- What dark bargain allows Sheriff Stone to walk among both the living and the dead?
- Who or what killed Eric Adams in such a ritualistic manner at the pyramid site?
- Can Ed's magnetic machine really silence an ancient deity, or is he building something else entirely?
- How are the murders, the pyramid, and the voices both men hear connected?
- Will Ed maintain control long enough to complete his desperate project?
Selected quotes
"Hello, Ed. I love you, do you know that?" - The voice's haunting refrain that opens every conversation with promises of salvation and threats of damnation.
"The past isn't a thing that chases you - it's a place, and you never really leave it."
"You created us. You birthed us, shaped us, gave us names, and poured into us the power of your belief. And then, like spoiled children, you abandoned us."
Why it matters
This isn't just another supernatural thriller - it's a meditation on the price of survival and the weight of belief in a world where gods are only as real as we make them. David Edward crafts a story where ancient horrors and modern progress collide in 1919 Florida, exploring how the past refuses to stay buried and how the smallest compromises can open doors to unimaginable darkness. Read it now to experience a unique blend of historical detail, philosophical depth, and creeping dread that will make you question whether some knowledge is too dangerous to possess.