Private Investigator Taylor Nash had more bad news for psychiatrist Dr. Evander Parker. What could be worse than being accused of murder?
Guest Reviewer Maxine E. Thompson writes:
Deadly Dance opens with Dr. Evander Parker, a noted psychiatrist in Florida, on what starts out as an ordinary day. By the end of Chapter One, you are caught up in a virtual blood bath, a medical life-or-death drama, which foreshadows the unraveling of Dr. Parker's perfect little life.
What is interesting about all the characters are their different mis-communications & missed cues. Each holds secrets that the others are unaware of, & which are central to the plot. In the end, though, the truth does come out.
At the same time, Deadly Dance is a sneak preview of a modern day calamity. It depicts what it is to fall from economic grace to social pillory, a plight which we've seen plenty of in the media lately, as too, how the media can destroy a person before they're proven guilty. This story also revisits the premise that ruthless ambition destroys, which can't be visited enough in literature.
The title, Deadly Dance, implies the symbiotic pas de deux between doctor & patient & the manipulation of that relationship.
There is an underlying thread of desperation running throughout Deadly Dance, which speaks to the human yearning to be loved. This, & its quirky cast of characters, are what really appealed to me.
Sal Roselli, the impact character, is a complex mobster, who will do anything to manipulate others to his greedy ends.
Midge, Sal's diminutive henchman, has a propensity for violence. His favorite weapon of choice is a tire rod.
Enter Taylor Nash. A streetwise, hard-boiled private eye. He remains somewhat of a mystery until he does his own “deadly dance.”
The coming together of these disparate characters, & many more colorful minor ones, are representative of the microcosm, which reflects the macrocosm, wherein author Darville Knowles looks at our foibles & our triumphs, yet, at the same time, Deadly Dance is a universal tale where the climax mirrors the confrontation between good & evil.
The truth is, we no longer live in a mono-ethnic world, & what is fascinating about Deadly Dance is that it addresses more than one ethnic group including Jamaicans, Bahamians, Italians, African Americans & Caucasians. Its major characters are from different racial backgrounds--Parker, the lead character, is Caucasian, his guardian angel, Nash, is African American. Their relationship can be viewed as symbolic of the mutual interdependence between the races.
Darville Knowles' Deadly Dance, addresses many concerns in today's society--racketeering, drugs, murder, infidelity, & medical malpractice, to name a few.
This is a well-crafted novel well worth reading!
(03/23/03)
RebeccasiReads.com
