"A Dangerous Dance"

"A Dangerous Dance" is, I believe, one of Pauline Baird Jones' stand alone novels.  When Dorothy Morgana Merlinn's father, Magus (also known as the Wizard), was assassinated in front of her ten years ago while he was beginning his run for Louisiana Governor, she had just recently been reunited with him.  He and her mother divorced before she was born and she was raised by her mother without any financial assistance from her father so their life was hard as her mother worked as a waitress to support them.  When her mother died of cancer, Magus invited Dorothy to live with him at his estates, Oz.

After Magus' death, Dorothy spent ten years learning to run his empire with his bodyguard, Titus, always by her side to offer his protection.  Magus left detailed dossiers on everyone and Dorothy had recently paid a visit to prison to interview Vance, the man who had killed Magus, trying to learn who had hired him.  She offered him a million dollars to tell her the name (or names) behind her father's assassination.  That may not have been wise because Vance ended up dead shortly afterwards and the offer may have also put Dorothy's life in danger.

A new race for Governor is beginning and Dorothy decides to back Remy Mistral - a talk-radio host who is a political outsider but has always fought for reform.  He was present at the rally where her father was shot.  Together they plot a way to flush out the hired killer or killers by Dorothy backing him for Governor and also announcing their engagement.  It begins as an engagement in name only but a mutual attraction may take it beyond that.  In the meantime, though, the plan puts their lives at risk.

In addition, Dorothy's Aunt Kate, her mother's sister that Dorothy was unaware of, shows up on the scene and is able to share stories about Dorothy's parents' relationship that Dorothy's mother had shared with her.  It seems she has a lot more info, though. than one might expect from an Aunt.

In the meantime, people are dying around Kate -- some of them suspects and some of them individuals who might be able to give Dorothy and Remy clues about the killers behind her father's assassination.  As the plot thickens, so do the risks to Dorothy and Remy and more secrets about Dorothy's family are uncovered.

Although this was a light read, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first book I read by Jones which was "The Spy Who Kissed Me" (or also known as "Pig in a Park") which was released in 2000.  pazt