STONE COLD DEAD

A woman inherits her brother’s rock shop only to find that it comes with a lot of trouble.

When Morgan Iverson agrees to come to Golden Springs, Colo., to help out in her brother Kendall’s rock shop, what happens next is completely unexpected. Not only do Kendall and his wife, Allie, immediately take off on an indefinite mission to Central America, leaving Morgan in charge, but Morgan has to keep chasing down Houdini and Adelaide, the two escape-artist donkeys she’s inherited. On one of her many trips to round up her charges, Morgan stumbles upon an unconscious goth girl on a mountain path. She goes to get help, but by the time she returns, the girl is gone. Morgan feels like a fool as she talks to her new community about a girl who may or may not be dead and who may not have been there in the first place. She tries to refocus her attentions on the failing Rock of Ages shop. Her only hope seems to be convincing Piers, owner of Faerie Tales, to put up a sign on his property advertising Rock of Ages, but he’s more interested in talking pleasure with Morgan than business. The one bright spot in all the small-town drama is Morgan’s new friendship with Bernie Belmont, a woman who’s determined to help find the truth of what Morgan saw, even when her questions seem to lead straight to danger.

Lacking the appeal of interesting characters, Dilts’ debut is about as fun as collecting rocks.