Barbara D'Amato: Hard Luck

Barbara D'Amato

Hard Luck

Out of print

Christina says:

Freelance journalist Cat Marsala is writing an article about the Illinois State Lottery for the newspaper Chicago Today. The not very spectacular background story becomes front page material when Jack Sligh, the Lottery’s marketing director falls from the 8^th floor of his office building right in front of Cat’s feet when she is on her way to do an interview with him. The day before he asked her whether she would be willing to uncover a scandal. Is that the reason why somebody hit him over the head and threw him out the window? Or was this the doing of one of the numerous groups who want to see the Lottery abolished?

Barbara D’Amato’s mystery was a bit of a dull read, but then the German translation was one that made you pull your hair, wring your hands and roll your eyes. It’s hard to do a book justice then, although there were other things that had nothing to do with language. Cat Marsala at one point explains to a friend how to write an interesting article, i. e. by not throwing your entire research at the reader but including only what he or she needs to know to understand what is going on. Unfortunately D’Amato doesn’t heed her own advice and drones on and on about the history of the lottery and other things. Interesting, perhaps, but D’Amato forgets a bit to develop the plot. Most of the suspects remain so sketchy that you forget to suspect them at all while you follow Cat Marsala’s rehashing of the circumstances that finally brings her to the conclusion.

Moderately thrilling exercise in mystery.

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Christina Gross

Last changes: 17-03-03