Stone City

by Mitchell Smith

Book Overview

Set against the background of a huge modern prison, a man convicted of killing a child while driving drunk is coerced by the administration into trying to track down a killer on the lose inside the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671662236
• ISBN13: 9780671662233
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 558 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Powerful, gripping, disturbing

I read this quite a few years ago; the little details that have stuck in my memory illustrate the power of Mitchell Smith's storytelling. Like [presumably] most people who will read this book, I have absolutely no idea what the inside of a prison is like, but I know when I'm reading a masterfully realized plot & characters---and when I'm not. I've read books involving police procedurals, for instance, where what was supposed to pass for cop dialogue sounded like it was based on TV cop dramas from the 60s. In stunning contrast, everything in "Stone City" rings utterly true, which is why the story is so disturbing.This is writing of rare power and feeling. I've read a few of Smith's other novels---"Due North" comes to mind---and I've found each one to be strikingly different and original, yet similar in his uncanny ability to evoke far-out places and situations. A solid read.

prison culture--extraordinaire

I, too, read this book a number of years ago and have never forgotten it. I have heard it described as one of the best, if not THE best, book on prison culture (at least in fiction) ever written. It is fascinating from start to finish and you cannot help but wonder "how in the world did the author discover this stuff"??? A real insider's look at prison life.

Unforgettable - for fans of HBO's "Oz"

I read this several years ago and it's always stuck with me. A brutal book about life inside the "joint" where double-crosses rule the day, predators thrive and the innocent die violent deaths. You will find it impossible to wash the ending of this book out of your mind. Better than the HBO series "Oz" and that's meant as a huge compliment.

Simply terrific

Rich characterizations, a very gritty setting, and a believeable plot make "Stone City" one gripping read.A middle-aged college professor is sentenced to a huge state prison for killing a child while driving drunk. How does such a person survive in this environment? Who will be his allies, and who will be his enemies? A casual comment made over one morning's plastic breakfast spins him into a situation most of us could never imagine in our wildest - or worst - dreams. Author Smith has a real handle on the social setup of prison, which is fascinating in itself. The men inside are complete creations, and the reader is allowed to react to them however he or she chooses. Even the main character is not wholly sympathetic, while some of the more surprising characters are.I've read "Stone City" several times and every time I just can't put it down.

What a story

Maybe a slow build, but a hell of a climax. As good as Hunters' "Dirty White Boys," and that's saying a lot. Similar to Willocks' "Green River Rising," which is also quite a compliment. Stick with it, you won't be disappointed.