The Grief of Stones

Continuing his assignment from last year’s Witness for the Dead, Thara Celehar serves his calling by investigating issues that can only be resolved by speaking to the dead. Whether the issue is an unidentified victim, a lost recipe, or a ghost that needs a last duty performed before it can cross, Celehar’s ability to converse with the deceased closes open questions. At least until he loses his gift in a desperate attempt to placate an ancient ghoul. Uncertain whether he will ever witness again, Celehar does his best to search for justice for one last client through his own dogged determination and with the help of his new apprentice and the friends and colleagues he has made. Celehar’s wry, self-deprecating, and somewhat philosophical perspective brings his assortment of disparate cases and plotlines to a satisfying conclusion for the clients and the reader, even as his own future is left hanging.