The year is 1918, and Parisian jeweler Opaline Duplessi spends most of her time crafting trench watches for soldiers. But many who visit the shop to see her come seeking her more specialized and uncanny talent. Part curse and part gift, inherited from her mother, she can deliver messages from the dead to the bereaved using an item belonging to the departed. At a time when news from the front is slow and inaccurate, this gift offers closure to the families and friends of missing soldiers. When one of the spirits talks directly to Opaline instead of giving her a message, she wonders if her ability is driving her to madness. With warnings from her great-grandmother to walk away from the occult arts that consumed Opaline's mother, she tries to ignore the spirit that haunts her, but soon yields to the specter's allure. At the same time, her employers, a Russian couple with ties to the recently abdicated Tsar, beseech her to aid an exiled royal and use her talents to determine the fate of the Romanovs.
M.J. Rose writes a compelling story--haunting and beautiful--that is rich and lush with detail. Set in a gorgeously imagined historic Palais-Royale district of Paris during wartime, Rose captures the unpredictable horrors of war and what it means to try to continue living a normal life under such conditions. Coupled with an enthralling story and a romance that will leave readers entranced, The Secret Language of Stones is a gem of a novel. --Justus Joseph, bookseller at Elliott Bay Book Company