DARK LADY

District Attorney Stella Marz investigates the murder of a prominent man (with whom she had romantic ties). Political maneuverings and a town with a dark past are the stuff of Patterson's latest. But the story is somehow flat, perhaps due to abridgment. Patricia Kalember's narration is reasoned, clear, and emotionally appropriate, but the shallow depiction of the characters keeps her from inhabiting them fully and drawing the listener into the story. M.A.M. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 00]