lauren stahl

"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...A solid bet for fans of dark crime dramas."
--Library Journal

"[An] exciting first novel...Stahl keeps the reader on a roller-coaster ride with unexpected twists and turns to the end."
--Publishers Weekly

"It's a thrilling story about a young prosecutor, her prominent judge father and a shocking crime."
--The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, PA)

"There's never a dull moment in Lauren Stahl's The Devil's Song...Stahl allows readers to experience Kate's terror as she was buried alive by the deranged Ron Wells. She lets us feel Kate's anguish in the knowledge that her young cousin might be Wells' next victim. Flashbacks like this don't make for a cool and collected investigation, but by the time the plot reaches its crescendo, it is obvious that Kate's memories--more than cold, hard facts--will provide the solution to the crimes. The Devil's Song is an unsettling read, but a unique one."
--Mystery Scene Magazine

"For fans of serial-killer mysteries, The Devil's Song provides ample fodder to keep you guessing and interested."
--Tulsa Book Review

"At no time does the story stretch credibility. The story of a damaged womn coming to terms with her PTSD and her horrible experience and making a scucess of her life is really well plotted and rich in detail."
--Nudge-Book

"An engrossing read from a first-time author."
--The CyberLibrarian

"Exciting and realistic."
--The Book Faerie

"I was up all night, utterly riveted by The Devil's Song, with its memorable characters, crisp dialogue, and meticulous plotting. It's hard to believe this is a debut. Lauren Stahl is a writer to watch!"
--Alafair Burke, best-selling author of The Ex

"The Devil's Song is a book born from those dark places most writers and readers dare not go. It's not just about cops and killers, lawyers and judges. It's about real people with real lives. It's about family, fathers and daughters, lovers and friends, and the ghosts of the past that haunt them all. In this stunning debut novel, Lauren Stahl paints a chilling portrait of childhood nightmares relived, rich with both suspense and emotion."
--Keith Gilman, author of Bad Habits

"A racing read by an author who knows how to tell a story, The Devil's Song plunges the reader equally into two worlds: one of killers, insanity, child victims, and revenge; and another of the details and especially the politics and power plays of law, order, and investigation. It's hard to tell at times which world is the more difficult to comprehend. Grabbed and held me straight through to the last page."
--S.J. Rozan, Edgar Award-winning author of Ghost Hero

Up-and-coming Mission County, Pennsylvania, prosecutor Kate Magda has been given the assignment of a lifetime: lead counsel on a string of murders rocking the community. As the privileged daughter of a powerful local judge, Kate views the case as her chance to show her boss, her family, and the public that she is more than just "the judge's daughter."

As Kate delves into the case, she becomes convinced that she shares a personal link with the killer, who seems to know intimate details about a tragic childhood event from Kate's past--an event she’d long been trying to forget. Paranoia sets in, the night terrors return, and Kate has a strong sense that she's the killer's next victim. She no longer feels assigned to the case...she is the case, and solving it is her only chance for survival.