cover image The Devil’s Song

The Devil’s Song

Lauren Stahl. Kaylie Jones, $15.95 ISBN 978-1-61775-596-5

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. [em](Jan.) [/em]