Black Diamond Fall

From the acclaimed author of CLARA'S HEART and CLOUDLAND comes a rich, literary mystery based and united by two real events that occurred at Middlebury College; the disappearance of a student during winter break; and the vandalism of the Robert Frost Homestead located on one of the outer campuses. Luc Flanders has just finished playing a game of pond hockey with his college roommates when he realizes he has lost something precious and goes back to the ice to find it. He never returns, and the police department in Middlebury, Vermont are divided in their assessment of what may have happened to him. Some feel that Flanders left on his own accord and is deliberately out of touch. Others, including detectives Nick Jenkins and Helen Kennedy, suspect that harm may have come to him. As the search for Luc Flanders widens and intensifies, suspicions about several different people, including his Middlebury College roommates and ex-girlfriend arise. Unfortunately, Sam Solomon an older man with whom Luc has been having a secret relationship, cannot prove his whereabouts during the hours when the younger man may have disappeared and Solomon, too, comes under suspicion. As Luke Flanders disappears, the Robert Frost house near the Middlebury campus is vandalized. And there seems to be a link between the two events that the police are determined to discover. Alternating points of view between Luc Flanders Sam Solomon, Luc's mother and detective Nick Jenkins, BLACK DIAMOND FALL races to a disturbing and astonishing conclusion in a lush, literary mystery that could only come from the mind of acclaimed author Joseph Olshan.

About the Author :
Joseph Olshan is the award-winning author of ten novels including Cloudland, Nightswimmer and The Conversion. He is the Publisher of Delphinium Books and spends most of the year in Vermont.

Review :
Praise for Black Diamond Fall “Blends fact, fiction, and page-turning suspense.” –Entertainment Weekly “(A) stunning literary thriller from critically acclaimed author Olshan, this one clearly demonstrating his mastery of the character-driven crime novel. As much an engrossing and rich examination of the consequences of desire as it is a painstakingly and sublimely constructed mystery.” –BooklistStarred Review "Joseph Olshan succeeds in crafting an enthralling mystery...a well-written, imaginatively construed mystery set in a wonderfully conjured up wintry Vermont college town. A thoroughly enjoyable five-star read.” –New York Journal of Books “(A) riveting mystery from a true master of the genre...very highly recommended.” –Midwest Book Review “(A) nuanced literary mystery...Readers will enjoy following the detectives as they uncover a link between the two crimes, but the real core of the book concerns the lies people tell each other and themselves.” –Publishers Weekly "While Olshan's character development enriches the novel, its most dramatic event is Sam's bone-breaking plunge down a dangerous ski trail in Utah — Black Diamond Fall." –Seven Days "Black Diamond Fall is not a traditional hard-boiled mystery so much as one that’s been delicately poached and served up with a kind of literary Hollandaise sauce: Its exploration of the messy, socially complicated, sometimes broken ways that we love each other is what gives the story its richness." –The Valley News Praise for Cloudland “Joseph Olshan has stepped up and hit one for the home team. The bracing clarity of his prose…observes the destructive impact [the] killings have on this isolated region.” –Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review “Evocative… the intricate whodunnit has faint echoes of [Wilkie] Collins with Catherine in the role of his ‘Woman In White,’ wandering desolate hills, but not trying nearly hard enough to escape her past.” –The Boston Globe “CLOUDLAND is a lyrical love poem to that region (Vermont, New Hampshire) – its landscape, its weather, its people – and also to the writings of Wilkie Collins, whose Victorian-era writings helped lay the groundwork for the mystery genre.” –The Charlotte Observer “The effect of violence on small communities is one of the most provocative themes for mystery fiction. Joseph Olshan expands that plot…[He] makes a bold and quite effective foray into crime fiction.” –Oline Cogdill, The Florida Sun Sentinel “A fine writer” –The Washington Post “Olshan, has a reputation for writing beautifully….Cloudland is a love letter to Vermont.” –The Washington Independent Book Review “In this refreshingly cliché-free serial-killer tale, Olshan tries his hand with a female narrator/heroine, whom he handles just as deftly as his sensitive male heroes. Although all these chilly, hurting souls are well worth your time, the real keeper is Catherine. Even as you wonder who the killer will turn out to be, you’ll worry mainly about how she’s going to come through all this.” –Kirkus Reviews “A crash course in Wilkie Collins, wrapped in a thrilling contemporary mystery” –Mystery Scene Magazine “Unlike the more common, adrenaline-fueled serial-killer thrillers, this is literary, character-driven fiction with remarkable empathy not only for those whom murder leaves behind but also for the perpetrator. Another fine performance from a critically acclaimed author.” –Booklist “Rarely do you find a story with characters so fully developed that you feel as if they might live next door. Conjuring a distinctly 19th-century atmosphere, Olshan excels at crafting a Dickensian literary piece.” –Library Journal “Olshan’s writing is frequently stunning, particularly when he’s describing the landscape of the book’s Vermont setting, and he’s crafted…a handful of interesting small town types…” –The A.V Club (The Onion) “Cloudland (Minotaur) is one of those books that grabs you by the neck and pulls you in, unrelenting and completely taking you..” –CrimeSpree Magazine “CLOUDLAND, by Joseph Olshan, is obviously a crime novel and a great one at that….The book is not just about mystery – it is also about fascinating characters.” –The Hungry Reader “This is a gripping crime novel, with a perfect ending, a surprise that doesn't come out of the blue, but fits the story. The isolated setting, and the story of the murdered women are vividly created in this book. Readers who are fans of S.J. Bolton's atmospheric thrillers should try Olshan's Cloudland. Cloudland isn't Olshan's first book. However, it's his first crime novel, and it's pitch perfect.” –Lesa’s Critiques