Stone Fish

Stone Fish is a 2005 mystery novel written by Olivia Ferrell and published by Avalon Books of New York. The story centers upon a New York photojournalist investigating a possible murder tied to a cult known as The Glorious Church, based in northwestern Arkansas. The author draws heavily from the history of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in her portrayal of this fictional church.

The book opens with Maggie Rome, a photojournalist at Front Page magazine just returned to New York from the war in Iraq, receiving a phone call from her ex-husband, Gary Brady, begging her to look into the death of his younger sister, Susan. She had been a student at the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County) and lived in the nearby town of Armen. Police described the death as suicide. As it happens, Maggie had earlier been digging into a series of kidnappings and murders of young college women and uses the possibility that this might be related to justify flying to Arkansas to investigate. Gary is traveling there, also; his wealthy parents, Edward and Pauline, had moved to Armen from California some years back after Edward retired from his medical practice and now live in a gated mansion.

Checking into a hotel in Fayetteville, they learn that The Glorious Church is a major influence in the nearby community of Armen. Maggie connects with local sheriff Neal Conrad, previously of New York himself, and he tells her that Susan apparently ingested strychnine, though they do not have the container or any suicide note. At the offices of the Armen Reporter newspaper, she learns that the founders of The Glorious Church, Tony and Sophia Belgrade, had moved to the area five years earlier from California (fleeing charges of child abuse), building a school and church. The church broadcasts religious services they tape at the local television station and sells “fancy western clothes” out of a shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Maggie observes a taping of their show and hears rumors that Sophia has terminal cancer.

A contact in California, Mark, informs Maggie that Susan had been the victim of a kidnapping and rape six months before the Brady family moved to Arkansas; her head was shaved during the assault. Gary takes Maggie to visit his parents, but they become offended by her questioning and order her to leave. Mark later informs Maggie that he could find no birth record for Susan Brady. Maggie confronts Pauline the next day, and Pauline admits that Susan was secretly adopted (the attorney who handled it mysteriously died shortly thereafter), and also that she and Edward were briefly affiliated with The Glorious Church when it was in California. Maggie befriends Michael, one of the “students” at the church compound, and he tells her of his own conversion and of the authoritarian control and brainwashing techniques practiced at the compound. He also tells her that Sophia, whom Maggie recently interviewed, has prepared “The Chosen One” to take over in the event of her death, and that this person will be protected by “The Guardian,” one who administers punishments.

Someone at the hotel poisons Maggie’s orange juice with strychnine, but she survives. After she is released from the hospital, she learns that Sophia died during the night. Tony refuses to release the body, intending to bury her in a crystal casket in which her body would rejuvenate while her soul was away from it, eventually leading to her resurrection. However, the local judge refuses to consent to this, and the next day, the body goes missing. Maggie breaks into the church compound and discovers files proving that Susan was the secret daughter of Sophia and Tony; she was “The Chosen One” but refused her supposed calling and was punished by “The Guardian.” Maggie is captured, but Michael releases her and gives her the case he is supposed to hold for “The Guardian.” She flees to the sheriff’s office, and they discover the case contains a variety of poisons. The sheriff leads a raid of the compound, and they round up all the students and recover Sophia’s body but do not find “The Guardian.” Later at the hotel, Edward tries to kill Maggie and is arrested by Neal.

Maggie goes back to New York and spends the next weeks putting together her story. As she is wondering what to do now with her life, Neal, to whom she had grown close during the events, shows up in New York, telling her that the local newspaper back in Armen is for sale.

For additional information:
Ferrell, Olivia. Stone Fish. New York: Avalon Books, 2005.

Staff of the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas