Death of the Black-Haired Girl

May 20, 2013
In Stone’s latest bulletin from the dark side of the human condition, brilliant college student Maud Stack is having an affair with her English advisor, Steve Brookman, whose wife, Ellie, is expecting their second child. When Steve tries to distance himself from Maud, it leads to tragedy. The book is not so much a whodunit as an expressionistic collage of how others in this New England college town deal with the tragic event. They include college counselor Jo Carr, a former nun in South America who is haunted by clashes between people stuck in a “struggle toward mutual extermination”; Maud’s widower father, Eddie, a Queens detective; Lou Salmone, the local cop who has to make sense of the senseless; and Shell Magoffin, Maud’s roommate, who is being stalked by her ex. A “thuggish” academic, Steve may not be the most believable character, and Ellie’s response to his infidelity might not be the most credible. But Stone (Damascus Gate) imbues his characters with a rare depth that makes each one worthy of his or her own novel. With its atmosphere of dread starting on page one, this story will haunt readers for some time. Agent: Neil Olson, Donadio & Olson.

June 1, 2013

Stone, who can work on a global scale--think Dog Soldiers or Damascus Gate--here presents a more intimate but still deeply explosive story. Steven Brookman, a married professor at a prestigious New England college, decides to end his risky affair with brilliant, wayward student Maud Stack. Maud will have none of it, however, and the moral issues that arise are less clear-cut than they seem. I've just started reading this one, and already I'm hooked; with a 50,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 24, 2014
In Stone’s novel, set in a New England college town, brilliant, beautiful and raven-haired student Maud Stack, after having been told by professor Steven Brookman that their affair was history, wanders carelessly and fatally into the path of an oncoming car. Was it an accident, a suicide, or something darker? Colacci’s handling of the characters is spot on from the start. He adds a subtle touch of passivity to Brookman’s speech, while Maud’s father is gruff and wheezy, as might be expected of an aging, fatally ill ex-cop from New York City. But there’s more to Colacci’s interpretation; he perfectly captures the mournful moan of a father’s sorrow and the growl of a man on a deadly mission. Other characters are rendered with similar care, including Maud, whose initial ebullience quickly turns to petulance and edgy anger after Brookman’s rejection. A Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hardcover.

September 1, 2013

Stone's latest novel takes place on the campus of an elite college in Connecticut. The dark-haired girl of the title is Maud Stack--beautiful, talented, and hopelessly in love with her married professor, Steven Brookman, with whom she has been having an affair. His newly pregnant wife and daughter are returning from an extended trip, and Steven is looking to extricate himself from the affair and renew his connection with his family. As their relationship crumbles, Maud begins drinking heavily, makes a scene in the street, and is killed by a hit-and-run driver. The question of whether her death was accidental leads to the police becoming involved, even as Maud's father, Eddie Stack, a retired police officer in New York City, begins an unofficial investigation. The novel builds to a confrontation between the father, in failing health, and the professor, who feels remorse but is prepared to defend himself and his family. VERDICT Stone (Dog Soldiers; Damascus Gate) is a major literary figure, and this novel is readable, tense, and stimulating. Vivid scenes with razor-sharp dialog are plentiful; a powerful work. [See Prepub Alert, 5/13/13.]--James Coan, SUNY at Oneonta Lib.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.