The Weight of Stones

A real page-turner …

Toronto at the close of 1999.

It is a time of change. The world holds its breath as the clock rolls to a new millennium. But Metro Hold-Up Squad Detective Charlie McKelvey’s life is stuck on pause since the murder of his runaway son, Gavin. As his wife focuses on healing, McKelvey is burdened with guilt for his role in kicking the teen out of the family home—and his inability to move the case to resolution despite his being a police officer.

Obsessed with the stalled murder investigation, McKelvey’s behavior becomes increasingly unhinged. He is convinced the person responsible for the murder is an ex-convict named Pierre Duguay—a displaced Quebec biker sent to Toronto to establish a chapter of a large South American biker gang, The Blades.

The question is, does McKelvey have the right man or is he blinded by his grief?

When unexpected illness forces McKelvey’s early retirement—and his wife heads to the west coast to live with a relative—the conditions are finally ripe for McKelvey to focus entirely on his plans for revenge.

The Weight of Stones holds a magnifying glass over the circumstances which force us to look deep within ourselves and evaluate our true nature. The novel explores the daily and random decisions we make and their consequences as it stares into the heart of grief and sees the impact violent crime has on all of us.

Book Review

A real page-turner…

C.B. Forrest’s latest work, THE WEIGHT OF STONES, is an entertaining, moving story following troubled protagonist, Charlie McKelvey, as he comes to terms with the reality of his life. I generally don’t read this type of genre fiction, but I was moved both by the literary quality of the writing, and the well-researched action plot that kept the story flowing from beginning to end. Forrest’s command of the language is impressive, and he possesses the mature sense of knowing the exact word to use at all the right moments making the structure economical and concise. The narrative transcends its familiar setting and generic elements, making a larger statement about forgiveness and redemption. THE WEIGHT OF STONES offers a narrative full of genuine humanity written by someone with a keen sense of character and compelling story-telling ability. I kept turning the pages and was engaged throughout the entire novel. Excellent work and an entertaining read. Kudos to Forrest for this fine accomplishment.

-          ­Mark Wolfe, London, Ontario

About the author

C. B. Forrest works in communications and marketing. He began his career in journalism and is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada.

In 2001, his novella titled Coming To was adapted to the stage and showcased at The Factory Theatre during Toronto’s SummerWorks festival. His fiction includes the award-winning short story, The Lost Father, and the 2004 novel, Chasing Pace. His poetry has appeared in Contemporary Verse 2, Bloodlotus Journal, Bywords Quarterly Journal and Ascent Aspirations, and has earned praise from celebrated writers as varied as George Elliot Clarke and Stephen Reid.

An ardent fan of the City of Toronto, he has reached a compromise in terms of sports loyalty: he cheers for the Senators in hockey and the Blue Jays in baseball. He lives in Ottawa with his wife and daughter, where he is currently at work on a second McKelvey novel as well as a screenplay.

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