Rating: 
Summary: Good, not great
Review: The story is gripping, thanks in large part to the meticulous background information about Steeltown. I thought this gave the story dimension. Yes, the crimes are especially brutal, but they make sense within the context of the story -- where public perception is often more important than reality. My only reservation with the book is the character of Stella. For a woman who has been around crime, drugs and murder throughout her entire highly-successful career, she acts pretty stupidly when her own life and safety are concerned. I don't want to be a spoiler who gives away important plot points, but let's just say she doesn't respond to personal threats the way a seasoned officer of the court should
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I really like this author, and that's why I was very disappointed in this book. It took me way too long to finish it because it takes over 200 pages to even begin to grab you. And even then it's a flaccid grab. The story-building goes on forever, and I kept wondering when this was going to kick into a higher gear. Definitely not a keeper, and extremely forgetable.
Rating: 
Summary: Blown away
Review: After just finishing this book (as an audiobook read my Ann Twomey) I was blown away... so I check here to see what other people thought, expecting the occasional disgruntled review among a majority of rave reviews only to get the feeling that I read a different book than the reviewers here. I was rapt in the story until the end, looking forward to driving somewhere so I could continue to listen to it. It was complex and interesting, with a number of bizarre twists. The mood was very dark, though not oppressively so. It was a surreal backdrop which made for great "mental cinematography." The characters were complex as were their relationships.As mysteries go, there was never a question who the main criminal was, just who was in with him and the how and why things were done. The results were at times surprising. This is my third RNP book ("Silent Witness" and "Protect and Defend", being the others), and I continue to love this author. In the manner that I've come to expect from RNP, the lines between good and bad and right and wrong are often blurry and ambiguous, and the choices we make aren't always so clear-cut. For audiobook afficionados, I also give two thumbs up for Ann Twomey. Though the story is mostly from the viewpoint of Stella Marz, she also captured the other characters effectively. I don't know if it happens to other readers here, but when I finish a book that really moves me, I often feel this sadness that the book is over. This was one of those books.
Rating:
Summary: well written thoughtful thriller
Review: This is a well-written, incisive mystery from Patterson. In fact, it's not just a mystery. It's a meditation concerning the choices we make in life, and how our past choices shape our lives in the future. Well-rounded characters, great dialogue are marred only slightly by a wrap-up that seems a tad unsatisfying after the buildup. Still, this is a very worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: so-so
Review: I've read a couple of Richard North Patterson novels and have enjoyed them. I'm on page 213 right now and I'm having trouble getting through it. I really enjoy the scenes where you can gain insight into the characters (like Stella's past,etc.). Patterson is excellent when it comes to getting inside of the characters. But, the political and legal babble is BORING, BORING, BORING. This book would be great if they weren't building a baseball stadium:-)
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed But Still A Patterson Fan
Review: I have enjoyed everything that I have read by Patterson. When I bought Dark Lady, I also bought Patterson's latest novel, Protect and Defend. I couldn't put Protect and Defend down until I finished it. I have struggled for almost a month to finish Dark Lady. Dark Lady is suspiciously like a John Grisham novel instead of a Robert North Patterson novel. If I had wanted Turow or Grisham, I would have bought Turow or Grisham. If I want Patterson, I want to see the sophistication that I saw in No Safe Place, Protect and Defend and Final Judgment. I haven't found that high quality in Dark Lady. I am a little embarrassed to be writing about a novel I couldn't finish. But what is it they say about a new pair of shoes? If the shoes don't fit well when you buy them they probably never will. Alas, I fear this book won't get any better. I regret having to say that since I enjoy Patterson so much. Dark Lady is not a keeper in that fine Patterson tradition.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Characters. Good Stiry
Review: My second RN Patterson Novel. Better than Silent Witness. Reading it, I have a better understanding about the decaying of the rust belt, the political in fighting between the black and the white. R.N. has done a good job on developing the characters, though not as detail as that of silent witness, where Stell Marz first made her appearance.
Rating: 
Summary: The Wrongful Dedication
Review: With mediocre editorial and customer reviews, I bought this book with hopes of being surprised. I did not get past the dedication page. George Bush...please! Anyone want a brand new copy? It is so near the trash; however, I have never thrown away any book, regardless of how bad it was. This one breaks the streak.
Rating:
Summary: Too dark
Review: I greatly enjoyed the mystery and the characterization of this novel. The twists and turns are amazing. However, I found the book to be too depressing for my taste as far as mysteries are concerned.
Rating:
Summary: Complex and Suspenseful
Review: This book is for the lover of real, deep, dark suspense, where one can't imagine the numerous twists and turns or the outcome. The story begins with the discovery of two cases of apparently unrelated, yet bizarre homicides. The writer takes us on a journey with the main character, Stella Marz, a local prosecutor, aka the Dark Lady, as she investigates the murders, simultaneously uncovering city politics, power, corruption, and sexual fetish. The reader is expertly carried along a suspenseful ride of distrust, suspicion and up-close terror, culminating in an ending that couldn't be expected. This mystery proves that Patterson is a master storyteller.
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