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In DANTE'S DILEMMA, Mark Angelotti is becoming comfortable enough with his blindness that he decides to go to battle with his ex-wife to obtain joint custody of his son. If a reader to the series jumps in at this point, Angelotti's acceptance of his newly acquired condition might seem to be a given. That won't detract from the plot of this third in the series, but it may make Angelotti seem to be less well developed as a character than would a full reading of the series from the beginning.
Angelotti, a psychiatrist, has moved from his family home in Greenwich, Connecticut to take on a role as a practicing therapist and expert psychological witness in Chicago. Winter is upon us in DANTE'S DILEMMA, and Raimondo uses the harshness of a Chicago snow storm to add to the suspense in the plot. She also continues to develop Angelotti's character through the various challenges he must face as he moves to a new home in the midst of a cold and snowy winter. His character is further developed as he reflects on how his actions have affected his son at the time when he was serving as an expert witness in a case where a mother faces the challenge of protecting her daughter.
As the book begins, a professor's body is found in the central quad of the University of Chicago. Not only is the dead man on display leaning against a statue of female genitalia, but his private parts have been rearranged in a shocking manner. His wife, who had been subjected to spousal abuse, has confessed and Angelotti has been called in to take over her defense of PTSD. As Angelotti reviews the case and gives his opinion in court, his testimony is called into question by details of his own past. The case becomes more and more complex the more Angelotti looks into it, until he and the defense lawyer (his ex-girlfriend) become convinced that the professor's wife, Rachel, is innocent. The race is on to uncover the truth before anyone else gets hurt.
The parallel stories of Angelotti's relationship with his son and the accused murderer's relationship with her daughter, and of Angelotti's abuse as a child with Rachel's abuse at the hands of her husband, add depth and pathos to the plot. Throw in some university office politics, a bit of romance and political corruption, and DANTE'S DILEMMA becomes thoroughly engaging. The series, heading into its fourth book, has staying power based as much on Angelotti's character as on the plots. But each of the books has had a suspenseful plot, as well.
§ Sharon Mensing is the Head of School of Emerald Mountain School, an independent school in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors.
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, September 2015
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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