| Audiobook Review -
Death Dance by Linda Fairstein reviewed by
Robert W. Karp |
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In Death Dance by Linda Fairstein successfully melds the world of New
York city theater and dance with a suspenseful crime story. She seems to know
her way around backstage as well as in a police precinct and the district
attorney’s office.
Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper gets a case of possible sexual assault
involving two out of town visitors and a physician. Cooper is on the “sex
crimes” squad, much like the team on Law & Order SVU. As she investigates the
why and how of this case a prima ballerina goes missing from Lincoln Center.
Somehow Cooper wrangles her way into this case as well, thinking at first that
this may be a rape or worse.
What all this leads to is a Broadway impresario in the grand tradition of the
Zigfield and the Schuberts; a man with a temper, ego, foul mouth, and a family
of hangers-on that all could be suspects in the abduction of the dancer. The
story continues with lots of twists and colorful antidotes about New York
theater history, some of which may be true, I have no way of knowing.
Fairstein adds depth and interest to a rather straight forward story by
including intriguing details as to why the powerful and vain producer changed
his name, an obsession with the “lady on the swing” and how a famous New York
landmark came to be. All of this makes the story a delightful diversion.
When we get to the climax there is a bit of a let down. I’m not a big fan of the
technique of having our protagonist incapacitated and then our up-to-now
suspects telling the how and why of what has happened. You always wonder when
you’re listening or reading or even watching a denouement in this style why
these people feel a need to give it all up when no one knew they were guilty up
to now.
Here, as always, help is only a few steps or minutes away and it conveniently
arrives just after all has been explained. I guess I prefer the Nero Wolfe or
Hercule Poirot method where our detective explains all and then names the
villain. Somehow that seems more satisfactory to me. The sexual assault subplot
is tied up a bit too easily for me. That may be a function of the abridgement of
this book. Generally I don’t like abridged versions of books, nor do I listen to
them. You never know what was left out. However, some authors are only available
to us in the abridged version. In this case, I think the abridgement works. You
get lots of detail and the story doesn’t seem disjointed with the exception that
I mentioned above.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Blair Brown gives a strong reading performance
adding a lot of personality to the many characters that play a critical part in
moving the story forward. My guess is you won’t figure it out and you will be
caught up in the suspense all the way to the end. Three ears!
About Robert W. Karp - Robert Karp is the owner of AudioMysteries.com. He is an avid
reader of mystery and detective fiction and collects signed first editions of
Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe and other great mystery authors.
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