The Lagarto Stone

Gordon N. McIntosh
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 9780595367276
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (1/07)

I loved “The Lagarto Stone.”  It was action-packed from the beginning to the end.  Throughout the book, I kept wondering if each character was who they said they were or were they after the lagarto stone?

The lagarto stone is a Mexican artifact that is very valuable to those who steal them and sell them on the black market.  The Mexican government does not allow the sale of artifacts; therefore, there is a black market demand. 

Sutherland, a real estate investor, who was abandoned by his mother during his childhood, is given a note by someone claiming to be his cousin.  The note is mysterious, but it has something to do with a key and his mother.  The messenger is killed, so Sutherland has to search to see what the special key fits.  Maybe it will be his chance at finding the lagarto stone.  Can he find it before he gets himself and those around him killed?

I especially liked the character Gabriella.  Sutherland admires her, but he is a bit leery of her.  As he explains, “He was lucky she was around.  Not only did she save his ass twice, she drove like an Indy driver and didn’t miss a trick.  The rifle, the camera, and now the plates, she was a female Indiana Jones.”

The excitement is almost too much to bear at times.  “Sutherland stared at Kelly’s face inside the laundry hamper.  Her hair was in tangles, her eyes wide and staring.  The way she was crammed into that small space, she could have been dead.  Sutherland felt his stomach turn over.”  Then she says his name.  Within seconds you feel horror, then relief.  It is like that throughout, “The Lagarto Stone.” 

The next book you read must be “The Lagarto Stone.”  Stop what you are doing, and go buy it!  Take a few days off from work.  Once you start, you will not want to stop reading it!  Gordon N. McIntosh, the real estate agent turned author, has found his calling.  I look forward to his next book!

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