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Rating: 
Summary: Dull topic made fascinating
Review: It is truly a shame that Barabara D'Amato seems to get lost among the Mary Higgins Clarks and the James Pattersons. D'Amato does not go in for cheap thrills and forumla plots that appeal to the most common denominator. Her plots are well-researched and rarely fail to please. In Hard Luck, we have in series herione Cat Marsala an immensely likeable character. As an investigative freelance reporter, the gal has a real nose for trouble, even when reporting on the most benign subjects. Was it merely a coincidence that Jack Sligh ends up dead on the day she was supposed to interview him? Jack, it seems, took a nosedive from a significant height and hits the pavement mere feet away from Cat. Jack was employed by the Illinois State Lottery, and the day before he died, he hinted to Cat that there was some underhanded buisiness going on there. Is there evidence of misappropriation of state lottery funds? Soon after Jack's plunge, Cat becomes the victim of arson. With a ruined apartment, Cat is quite convinced that Jack's death wasn't suicide. With a lottery convention in full swing in Chicago, Cat learns as much as she can about the ins and outs of legal gambling, all the while searching for a reason why anyone would want Jack Sligh dead. And her, too. D'Amato deserves full praise for taking a thoroughly dull subject and making it appealing. The world of legal gambling outside of Las Vegas has never been so fascinating.
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