Boston/NY, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. The advance reading copy of his last novel, which was published to generally excellent reviews: the main critique seemed to be that it wasn't as massive or portentous as critics had come to expect from Robert Stone. It uses the form of a police procedural -- the inquiry into a college student's accidental death -- to inquire about larger issues of faith, love and accountability, as well as madness and the ability to deceive oneself. Fine in wrappers. The advance reading copy has turned up on the market very seldom; we've only seen a couple offered for sale, where in the past there would have been dozens of such copies showing up in the aftermarket -- once again an indication that publishers are cutting back on such productions, often replacing some part of their function with digital offerings. [#031759] SOLD