Book Review: Dark Lady

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Dark Lady     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Richard North Patterson
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Knopf, Aug 1999, $25.95, 371 pp.

In the late nineteenth century, Steelton, located where the Onondaga flows into Lake Erie, was a booming factory town that hosted the region’s top steel manufacturing industry. Today, the steel industry is gone and the city remains depressed even though some urban improvement has occurred.

A debate has broken out among the politicians over whether to construct a modern baseball park for the Steelton Blues, whose franchise in the city is nearing the century mark. Mayor Krajek sees the stadium as something good for the community, especially minority workers. His opponent in the mayoral race, Arthur Bright, condemns the project as a waste of public funds needed elsewhere. However, the controversy on Steelton 2000 turns ugly. The supervisor of the project Tommy Fielding of the Hall Development Company and a Mafia lawyer influential in the project Jack Novak are found dead. Though Jack was once her lover, Assistant County Prosecutor Stella Marz leads the investigation that she thinks should be considered twi homicides. Stella and the police weed through layers of deception, corruption, and avarice trying to resolve the double mystery.

DARK LADY is Richard North Patterson’s best tale to date as he paints a vivid yet depressing picture of a midwest city. The story line is entertaining as the driven Stella does everything to uncover the truth. Stella’s obsession feels genuine and the support cast augments the tale by making Steelton seem like a real American city. The plot suffers from the real success stories of Jacobs Field and Cameron Yards, and from a not to believe villain. Still, fans will feel the passions as a debate occurs when a city decides whether to construct a new stadium.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner