It begins one momentous October day when an unexpected letter arrives, inviting Lynn McLeod to the Virginia Blue Ridge home of Stephen Asche, her former husband. Stephen's daughter-by another woman-is troubled and needs her help. Lynn is a clinical psychologist whose work with terminally ill children has brought her a compassion and understanding that may help this little girl. Despite her misgivings, Lynn accepts the invitation. As she is drawn subtly into the lives of everyone in the secluded household, old passions are revived and new mysteries encountered-disturbing mysteries about a local murder. Deadly secrets haunt Stephen and his daughter. The "Singing Stones" sound from the cliffs above the house, calling to Lynn—soft, hypnotic, and menacing. Somehow Lynn must find the answer if she is to save both Stephen and the child.
Author
Phyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 – 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics". She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.
