When his lover suddenly falls ill, life begins to spiral out of control for Alex Restin, a celebrated artist.  Alex finds his money, good looks and fame do not make him untouchable where tragedy and despair is concerned. With doctors mystified about what ‘s wrong with Tony and unable to help him, Alex’s grief takes over his life and in desperation he turns to the signs of the zodiac. In his home Alex has statues of the zodiac, twelve sexy beautiful statues that when he’s around them he can escape the helplessness he feels when he’s thinking of his unresponsive lover.

The more Alex is around the statues the more he becomes dependant on them and the fantasy they evoke in his mind. They take control of his thoughts, feelings and his life.  His fantasies become darker, very erotic and masochistic and they were becoming more reality than fantasy, what he thought was bringing him closer to Tony seemed to be pulling him away from him forever.

A story like none I could have ever imagined is the only way to describe In Flesh and Stone. I was drawn to this story because of the plot summary but I was leery of reading it because I’m not a big fan of horror or anything close to it, but I’m so happy I took a chance on this story because it was eerily strange and I could not put it down. Alex was a tortured soul, Tony was his life and he would do anything to be with him happy and healthy again. My heart broke for the pain he was going through as well as for the pain of those around him. Hal Bodner has a limitless imagination and a terrific writing style that really grabs the reader and holds them.  His characters are so well developed, I felt as if I knew everyone in this story and every one was vital to the story. In Flesh and Stone pulled me in several different emotional directions, including sadness, fear, empathy and peacefulness. In Flesh and Stone may not be for everyone, but if you are fond of intense, highly emotional and erotic stories then you will enjoy In Flesh and Stone.