The Devil's Song

November 13, 2017
Lawyer Stahl’s exciting first novel pits Mission County, Pa., prosecutor Kate Magda against a serial killer who targets redheads, shaving their bodies and stuffing a cloth with the initials RTW written in black marker into each of their throats. Kate, who has reddish-blonde hair, begins to worry that the murders are being committed with her in mind and that she might be next. Meanwhile, several relationships pose problems for her. Kate has to fight her returning feelings for her former lover Sam Hart, the investigating detective. She must also interact with Cameron Cox, a married defense attorney, who’s running for district attorney against her boss. Moreover, Kate’s father, the county’s president judge, has Sam monitoring Kate and reporting back to him for fear she’s in over her head. Stahl keeps the reader on a roller-coaster ride with unexpected twists and turns to the end.

December 1, 2017

Prosecutor Kate Magda is the daughter of an important local judge in Mission County, PA. When she is assigned the lead on a notorious serial killer case, she sees it as a chance to make a name for herself, even though she will need to work with homicide detective Sam Hart, an occasional romantic partner, who has also kept a watchful eye on Kate for her father. When Kate and her cousin Tess were children, they survived a brutal attack by her uncle Ron Wells. The three serial murders eerily resemble the crimes committed by Wells. Tensions in the county escalate when Tess confesses to the Reds murders and politics come into play. Family secrets, childhood memories, and old crimes influence the present in this suspenseful debut. Kate is a gutsy character, and her romance with Sam is enjoyable. An open-ended finale leaves room for future conflicts within the Magda family. VERDICT A solid bet for fans of dark crime dramas.--ACT

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