In Steelton, a struggling Midwestern city on the cusp of an economic turnaround, two prominent men are found dead within days of each other: the general manager of the company that is building a new baseball stadium, the city's hope for the future; and the local drug dealers' attorney of choice. In each case, homicide is suspected but not immediately provable; in each case, the character of the dead man seems contradicted by the horrific particulars of his death. But Stella Marz--Assistant County Prosecutor, head of the homicide division of the prosecutor's office--is about to discover that these deaths are connected in less obvious, more insidious ways. Her investigation will lead her into a terrifying, dizzying maze of corruption, greed, and murder, involving not only Steelton's dark history but also her own complicated, difficult past as well. And the closer she comes to the truth, the higher and more personal the cost she will be forced to pay...

Richard North Patterson's uncanny dialogue, subtle delineation of character, and hypnotic narrative, have earned his comparisons to John O'Hara and Dashiell Hammett. Now, in Dark Lady, he has created a woman as fascinating as her circumstances are frightening. It is his signature work.

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