Stone Certainty is the latest in Simon R. Green’s "Holy Terrors" series, and this time we return with Diana, a sharp-witted actress, and Alistair, a young and dashing bishop, as they tackle a paranormal mystery centered on a sinister stone circle. Green is known for his mix of horror, humor, and the supernatural, and fans of his urban fantasy will feel a familiar thrill in this tale. However, despite some entertaining moments, the book falls a little short of the author’s usual spark.

The premise is promising: a centuries-old stone circle with a dark history is due for a restoration project that uncovers more than just ancient stones. As villagers refuse to go near the site, Diana and Alistair step into the fray, and the suspense escalates when the final stone is moved, unleashing chilling forces that threaten their survival.

Diana and Alistair’s dynamic continues to provide much of the charm in the story. Their chemistry, built on equal parts banter and genuine connection, drives the plot forward and keeps things light even as the atmosphere grows darker. Green’s humor is always appreciated, and in Stone Certainty, it surfaces in quick quips and subtle satire about the absurdity of their situation.

However, where Green's novels typically stand out with their layered characters and detailed world-building, Stone Certainty feels somewhat thin. The tension and horror elements are there, but the characters’ emotional growth seems sidelined. At times, the story reads as if it’s merely moving from one paranormal set-piece to another, lacking the deeper investment in character arcs that fans of Green might expect. There are moments where it seems as though the narrative is more concerned with hitting a word count than delivering the depth we know Green can achieve.

While it’s still enjoyable—filled with eerie moments, witty dialogue, and a few hair-raising scares—the book lacks the extra something that elevates Green's best work. Fans of the "Holy Terrors" series or those looking for a supernatural mystery will find it a decent read, but it may leave long-time followers wanting more.

Overall, Stone Certainty offers a solid, if not extraordinary, addition to Green's catalog, leaving room for future installments to recapture the excitement of his best works. It’s a fun read for a rainy day, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Green’s earlier, more nuanced novels.

Rating: 3/5
Enjoyable but ultimately mediocre by Green's standards, this book is a decent, if not outstanding, entry in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Stone Certainty", by Simon. R. Green. This is the second book in his new series, featuring "The Holy Terrors" (from the previous, excellent, suspenseful "The Holy Terrors") - Bishop Alistair and actress Diana.
Having survived the events at Stonehaven Manor, 'Bish" (as Diana calls him) and Diana have not seen each other in months, but have never really forgotten the ties that bind them.
Now they're back together again in another thrilling entry. Sir Neville, who has retired from The City, after an inheritance out in the country, which includes a hill topped by "Standing Stones". Decades ago, superstition has it that the stones were a portal from Another World, allowing demons and all sorts of monsters to emerge and wreak havoc on the villagers. Many disappeared, never to be seen again.
At some point, the stones were re-arranged, and the portals presumably closed; but now, Sir Neville wants to put them back in their original formation, which has terrified the villagers and interested a television crew, the producers of which have enlisted Bishop Alistair and actress Diana as 'experts' (based of course on their previous adventures).
Will the re-alignment of the stones result in the doors to The Other being re-opened? And what, really, can Bish and Diana do if they do?
Filled as usual with witty repartee and enigmatic characters, suspicious deaths and disappearances, readers of The Holy Terrors, and Mr. Green's other series, will not be disappointed.

Review: For english type crime crap this was pretty good. Not too verbose with an appropriate sense of movement / suspense. I like this duo of raunch bravado and considered evaluation. The push and pull is entertaining and the supporting caste, memorable. I liked Goth girl and Natalie's wit. They should have their own crime series.

This novel is a mix of the unexplained derived from the paranormal and flirts at the edge of Fantasy. This is solid writing with a good creative bent. I will keep following this series.

I revieved this ARC for an honest review.

3.8/5

I liked the first one in this series, loved Bish and Diana, found the plot and the idea entertaining.
I loved this one and I inhaled it and was able to my covid foggy brain entertained and reading till late in the night.
There's a sense of doom, a good mix of horror and thriller, the possible promises in the relationship between the two characters.
I was surprised by the revelation and the end. I thought one more chapter would have helped.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Green always delivers what you're expecting and this was no exception. Mystery horror with a hilarious unlikely pair of MCs. Very enjoyable - blitzed it in a weekend.

I am a long time Green fan, specifically Tales from the Nightside, so when I saw the second this this series ( not the night side one but) I was still super pumped.

No disappointment here, this was another spectacular horror detective novel from Simon.
Another is this supernatural or is this just human cruelty at its worse?
When will we ever learn, sometimes we shouldn't put the pieces of a puzzle back together, at least with out very serious instructions..

The Holy Terrors are such a pair, I love them 😂.

I own this digitally now but I will be 100% purchasing this physically when it releases.

The stone circle has stood near Chipping Amesbury for centuries, moved only once to prevent demons and monsters from entering the world through magical portals between the stones. Now the stones have been moved back to their original location. The last stone is about to be put in place, horrifying the villagers. A tv crew is in town to film a documentary on the expected spine-chilling happenings. Enter the Holy Terrors, Bishop Alistair Kincaid, an expert on these circles, and actor Diana Hunt. Their previous experience with hauntings have made them the perfect pair to star in the tv production. Things quickly go wrong. Are unworldly creatures stalking them or is the danger closer to home?

I can’t categorize this entertaining series. Is it mystery, thriller, romance or horror? With an unusual plot, captivating characters, especially Kincaid and Hunt, Stone Certainty is compulsively readable. I can't wait for the Holy Terror’s next adventure! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Simon R. Green for this ARC.

Release: February 2025

STONE CERTAINTY is delightfully Book Two of Simon R. Green's engrossing series, THE HOLY TERRORS, in which an accomplished actress and a Church of England Bishop pit themselves (if often unwittingly) against the forces of Darkness, or at least, against the strange and seemingly unworldly. As an expert on Britain's Standing Stones, Bishop Alistair Reynolds is tasked to weigh in on a documentary featuring a local squire's renovation of a Stone Circle, surely dating back to prehistory, which had been inexplicably altered in 1920. Some of the locals object, believing the 1920 renovation blocked the ingress of monsters from outside our mundane world. Then deaths begin to occur. Will "Holy Terrors" Diana and Alistair uncover a simply human crime? Or is this evidence of "The Other Place": a dimension beyond our own where monsters exist, because the rules of physics no longer apply?