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| Heart of Stone (The Negotiator Trilogy, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: C.e. Murphy
Publisher: Luna
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $4.53
You Save: $10.42 (70%)
New (38) Used (40) from $4.53
Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 26250
Media: Paperback
Edition: First Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0373802927
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780373802920
ASIN: 0373802927
Publication Date: November 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Sales benefit the Virginia Library System. This book has some minor cover wear. All internal pages are clean. The binding is secure.
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Product Description
What secrets lie shrouded in darkness? Okay, so jogging through Central Park after midnight wasn't a bright idea. But Margrit Knight never thought she'd encounter a dark new world filled with magical beings -- not to mention a dying woman and a mysterious stranger with blood on his hands. Her logical, lawyer instincts told her it couldn't all be real -- but she could hardly deny what she'd seen . . . and touched. The mystery man, Alban, was a gargoyle. One of the fabled Old Races who had hidden their existence for centuries. Now he was a murder suspect, and he needed Margrit's help to take the heat off him and find the real killer. As they worked together to figure out who was framing Alban, Margrit discovered that this man with a heart -- and body -- of stone made her feel more alive than ever, And as the dead pile up, it's a race against the sunrise to clear Alban's name and keep them both alive . . .
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| Customer Reviews: Read 34 more reviews...
 Much better than Urban Shaman, pleasant surprise January 1, 2009
I decided to read this book because it included gargoyles, which you don't see often. I would give the book a higher rating, but I did find myself skipping over a bit of description here and there, and it was slow at times. The bad: I felt the book was a bit boring to start, overly descriptive at times, and slow. The good: New types of creatures not seen in other books, a non typical love story, multiple murders, numerous plot twists, and a non-happy ending. I can't wait to read more of the series, all of the side characters were very intriguing and I can't wait to find out more!
 Heart of Stone December 30, 2008
By day, Margrit Knight works as a lawyer for people who cannot afford one. By night, she jogs in Central Park, trying to infuse mystery and danger into her bland life. Her on-again off-again boyfriend, Tony, is a detective on the New York City police force. She lives with her two best friends in a tiny apartment. Life couldn't be more normal...until she nearly runs into a suspected murderer.
Unbeknownst to Margrit, Alban Korund has shadowed and protected Margrit from harm during her evening jogs for years. It's against his peoples rules to reveal himself to her, but loneliness and a false murder claim has him turning to the only human he feels can help him--Margrit. Man by night, stone by day, Alban's one of the last of the Old Races, a gargoyle.
Someone's murdering women in Central Park and has been for hundreds of years. The latest ones, though, have begun to take on a noticeable resemblance to Margrit. And all of them have a connection to Alban. To save Alban and herself, Margrit's forced to pit herself against a dragon mobster and ueber rich vampire businessman. Add a sleek, mysterious vigilante with a soft spot for street kids, a nasty djinn bodyguard, and a single selkie mom in need of help, and Margrit has her hands full.
Of course, there's a little wiggle room for a tall, blonde, sexy gargoyle...
Heart of Stone is heavy on plot, light on romance, which, given it's Harlequin's Luna line, is meant to be. That doesn't mean the romance reader should pass it by. This story reminded me of the long defunct TV series, Beauty and the Beast. On the series, Katherine was the plucky lawyer who represented the oppressed and Vincent was the half man, half lion who lived in the sewers below New York City. There was always this thick romantic tension between the pair and after every show, you'd be left screaming at the blank screen, "Kiss her already!" This has the same angsty, sexually-frustrated tension to it. There are plenty of unexpected twists to the story and just when you get to its end (and think quite smugly that you have it all figured out), C.E. Murphy throws in a few unexpected punches. Heart of Stone's plot will capture your imagination but Alban will capture your heart. Hurry out and grab yourself a copy.
Chris
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
I felt like I was directly in the action, watching the plot pan out December 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Margrit Knight likes to tempt fate. An attorney for legal aid, she represents those who can't represent themselves, whether they are innocent or not. At night, she loses herself in the danger of running through Central Park, trusting her instincts to warn her of any danger and silently daring the world to test her.
The test comes in the form of Alban Korund, a pale, beautiful creature accused of murdering a woman in Central Park. He has been watching Margrit run for years, has protected her for just as long, but now he needs her to protect him.
Alban is a member of the Old Races: dragons, djinns, gargoyles, selkies, and vampires being the only five groups to survive into the present. Humans place these beings in their mythology instead of their reality, allowing them to live on the fringe, like the gargoyles, or in the midst of the action, like the vampires. Imprisonment would risk bringing Alban's existence into the light, something neither he nor his people are ready for. Margrit is drawn to the honor in the gargoyle, intellectually challenged by his predicament and emotionally attracted to his gentle strength and tenderness.
One wronged gargoyle isn't the only creature Margrit must worry about. Eliseo Daisani, a powerful businessman, and Janx, an underground drug lord, vie for her loyalties in a game they've played for centuries. Neither are what they seem, but both are strangely honor bound to deceive Margrit as little as possible. Pulling her in yet another direction is Tony, an on again, of again boyfriend who is lead detective in the case against Alban. If she is to help her gargoyle, she must deceive her detective. If she helps her detective, she may damn the Old Races. No matter which choice she makes, Margrit's actions will change the course of the lives of all those she holds dear.
I have never found gargoyles particularly attractive, preferring the quiet danger of a vampires stalking his prey or the fierce fire a dragon stirs, but Alban was written with the right mixture of old world charm and loneliness that I fell in love him, rooting for him to clear his name and get the girl even though my heart broke for Tony. A choice between the two wasn't made in the novel, but the outcome was clear in my hopeful mind.
Heart of Stone is the first in the Negotiator trilogy by C.E. Murphy, a series that centers around a human caught in the ploys of the Old Races. Every character, from the protagonist to the many antagonists to a side character in a bar is illustrated in such detail that I felt like I was directly in the action, watching the plot pan out. It is rare to find such a flawless novel, both structurally and in its ability to rope you into the emotion and make it a part of you.
Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Jackie
Traditional Urban Fantasy... November 29, 2008
Murphy begins this story with our main character "grit" being shadowed by a Gargoyle as she runs through Central Park. The Gargoyle, Alban, is a member of the few Old Races that are hidden in plain sight from the rest of humanity. His tragic history and how it compels him and leads him to eventually interact with Grit is the meat of the tale.
Murphy is no stranger to Urban Fantasy and she does a good job of creating a plausible background/history for why things are they way they are. Her main character is cookie-cutter Urban Fantasy. She's smart, she's athletic and she's a maverick who fights against injustice.... If you have read Urban Fantasy then you know where this is going.
Murphy does a much better job with the supporting characters. From Alban the Gargoyle to the quirky bookstore clerk who happens to know a whole bunch about the Old Races, Murphy gives just enough detail and individuality that they make the story work. Some of the bad guys, for example, are complex and deep enough that you start to wonder if you wouldn't be the same if you had walked in their shoes. That was really fun for me.
So, to read or not to read.... Well, if you like Urban Fantasy then this is worth using to pass the time between Harrison novels. The writing is good and there is enough interesting, creative world-building that you won't feel like you wasted your time. Just don't let it get in the way of something better like Briggs or Harrison.
Great Paranormal Mystery November 11, 2008
This book starts out with lawyer Margrit, Grit, running through Central Park at midnight and having a guy approach her. When she gets home she learns that a woman was murdered in the part and a witness describes the murderer as the guy that approached her. Alban, a gargoyle, is fascinated with Grit and wants to clear his name. So, he keeps approaching her to try to get his side heard.
The idea is that their are five Old Races that live along side of humans. They have there own set of laws and mainly want to remain hidden. When Grit decides that she believes Alban, she learns about the Old Races. Not knowing much more, she starts making deals and such to solve who is behind the killings.
The book started with a bang and just kept going. I could not put it down. I like the development, the character differences, and the flow of the story. I would recommend this to anyone that likes paranormal mysteries.
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