Swallowing Stones is a book full of suspense about an accident that had taken place that had started a chain reaction changing many people’s lives. Michael Mackenzie shot his Winchester into the air on July 4th while showing it off to his friends. What he did not know was that he had accidentally killed a man, and he would pay the price.

There are 2 main characters in this book; Michael Mackenzie, the accidental murderer and Jenna Ward, the man’s dead daughter. After Michael finds out that he was the one that fired the gun, he met up with joe and told him to keep it secret or he might go to jail. Even so, Michael still feels guilt throughout the book that he can’t shake and starts thinking a lot deeper about everything that had happened and eventually turns himself in.

Meanwhile Jenna is overwhelmed with her father dying and feels guilty herself asking “What if…” Jenna wanted revenge for whoever had made her family suffer, but then she realized she just wanted it to end. She wanted to accept her father’s death, but she had to come to terms with herself before she could accept it.

Mr. Ward’s death mixes into both of their personal lives as the feel anxiety and guilt, they are different around their friends and family. Jenna and Michael’s lives become chaos as misunderstanding and broken trust come into the mix.