Plesna dvorana

by Bernard F. Conners

On June 4, 1982, the body of a young woman surfaced from 300 feet of water in Lake Placid, New York. Because of the depth and intense cold of the water, the body, which was determined by medical examiners to have been submerged for over twenty years, was remarkably well-preserved. At the time, the authorities were unable to establish the identity of the woman but concluded that her death had been violent.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction

250 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

On June 4, 1982 the body of a young woman surfaced from the depths of Lake Placid, New York. Because of the depth and the intense cold of the water, the body, which was determined by medical examiners to have been submerged in 300 feet of water for over twenty years, was remarkably well-preserved. Authorities concluded that her death had been violent.

In July of 1962, Ann Conway came from Yonkers, New York and now she found herself at a diner in Lake Placid interviewing for a waitress job. When a chance encounter with a busboy causes her to be fired from that job after only several hours, Ann mysteriously disappears and is never seen again.

Now two decades later, someone must pay. For Dave Powell, his loving wife Sue, and their little girl Dana, and all those close to them, the ordeal is about to begin.

I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn into the story almost from the first page. I thought that it was just a very good, well-written mystery. I give this book an A+! and have put it on my keeper shelf to read again later.

Apparently, this story is very loosely based on the death of Mabel Smith Douglass, who in 1918, became the first dean of the New Jersey College for Women (later renamed Douglass College in her honor in 1955). On September 21, 1933 she was last seen rowing alone on Lake Placid. When her boat was discovered capsized near the deepest point of Lake Placid, the police dragged the lake but never found her body. Scuba divers located Mabel Smith Douglass's body 30 years later, however medical examiners couldn't agree whether her death was a suicide or murder.

I actually read A Lady in the Lake: A True Account of Death and Discovery on Lake Placid by George Christian Ortloff in March of 2010 which is a Non-Fiction book about Mabel Smith Douglass's disappearance and the subsequent discovery of her body 30 years later.

[Tom Mangano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great suspense with multiple twists. It's fast paced and almost impossible to put put down. Some aspects of the ending seem improbable but I enjoyed it just the same. Setting is important to me and I really enjoyed both the Adirondack and Westchester County settings, being familiar with both. I especially recommend this book to my North Country friends.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend reading this back-to-back with "An American Tragedy."

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So mystery is not my genre (book club book), but it was interesting, fast-paced, and I appreciated the local setting. Would definitely recommend to mystery fans.

[Jeffrey Handelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d classify this as a decent vacation read. I was disappointed when I realized it was fiction, and it bothered me that simple details, such as the depth of Lake Placid, were unnecessarily inaccurate.

[Cynthia Durbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much, even though I'm usually not one to read mysteries. The writing was excellent in description and tone. What made this book even better for me was having been to Lake Placid and having seen the lake and Pulpit Rock AND seeing the authors place of residence on the lake. Well done!!

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of the Lake Placid setting, a place I am rather familiar with. However, I was disappointed to find the characters rather wooden and the mystery sort of contrived, when compared with the mysteries I have been enjoying lately.

[Lisa Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a creepy little gem! I found this in a used bookstore. It was great, and I recommend it if you like suspense and psychological whodunnits.

[Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the early 1980s, a pillar of the community stands accused of murdering a woman way back in 1962. Did he do it? That’s the central drama in Bernard F. Conners’ Dancehall. Before the accusations, David Powell seemingly had the perfect life with wealth, a beautiful wife, and a daughter. But the plot reveals that things weren’t as they seemed to be.

I found this book at Book Nook in Atlanta the day after Christmas. It looked good, but I’d never heard of the book or the author. A quick check of my phone showed that the online reviews were good, so I took the chance. I’m glad that I did. Dancehall is a well-told story that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.

The Dancehall in the title is the room in which New York State inmates stay while they await their executions. The synopsis on the back cover did little to prepare for how many pages Conners spends pondering the death penalty. I thought that the material was well done, but Conners can get a bit preachy.

In short, I’m glad that I read this one. It’s an entertaining book with an interesting plot.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars.

I'm not a fan of mysteries and wouldn't have started this had it not been a book club selection, chosen under the genre "local (to Albany, NY) authors".

A well-preserved body surfaces in Lake Placid (NY) after being submerged for 20 years. A battered skull suggests murder. Who done it?

The writing is competent, but not great. It is a page-turner, easy to follow despite the fact that the narrative flips back-and-forth between 1962 and 1982.

However I, quite inexperienced with mysteries, correctly guessed who the perpetrator was about half way through the book. The book is marred by several inaccuracies and an irritating red herring or two.

I did enjoy the experience of reading it, but will not long remember the rather wooden characters or the details of the plot.

[Mollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know, maybe I've read too many 'thrilling' mysteries with myriad surprises 'you won't see coming'. I liked this book because it takes place in a few places in my home state. But about halfway through, it seemed to me the author gave the whole thing away with once sentence. And the last minute admission by the real murderer, well, it didn't really surprise me. My final opinion? Eh. It was a fun read, but really, no surprises here.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a monthly pick of my book club and I am so delighted it was! I absolutely loved this thriller and the style of the writing took me back to older style books I read when I was younger.

The Dancehall being known as two distinct places linked perfectly to the story. I flew through this, whilst the last third felt a little stressful to read I had to know how it was going to end. Overall, this totally enthralled me!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was outstanding! It was a definite page Turner. Well written, very descriptive, well developed characters, kept me engaged the entire time. Just when I thought I was going to put the book down each time it was like you had to know what was going to happen next. Love that this was a local (to me) author based on true events. Highly recommend!

[Phil Bayly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great read! This was a re-read, for me. Author Bernard Conners begins with a strange happenstance that actually occurred in Lake Placid, New York. Then, he weaves a remarkable tale of fiction. Its a difficult book to put down, once you begin reading.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought it was based on a true story, was surprised it was fiction!

[Jeannie Mertens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only okay. A bit too much prison time in the story. Seemed like a bit of a statement against capital punishment.

[Susan Kopryanski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept my interest! Didn't care for all the detail of the "Death Row" elements.

[Joanne Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

More history of the Lake Placid NY. Murder true story too. Wow shocking stuff all going to say even you think you know someone

[Mindy Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived in Lake Placid, I enjoyed being able to pinpoint areas of mention. Wasn’t terrible, wasn’t jaw dropping, but was still a good read that kept me turning the page.

[Heidi Nissov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked when I was young

[Natalie Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

very compelling story, fast-paced, and a true thriller. twists, turns, and tears! also, so fun to read of an area I’m familiar with, NY’s north country is a truly different place.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a MUST read if you like suspense and a mystery!! I couldn't stop reading. Alsi, it takes place in upstate N.Y. and reminded me of The God of tge Woods, which was also fabulous!!

[Jonah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife and I recently went on a little tour of New York State. While on the tour, we stopped off for a couple of days in Lake Placid. On the second day there, we decided to take a boat tour of the lake, and on the boat tour, the tour guide somewhat creepily mentioned a woman's body that emerged from the lake in the 1960s. Needless to say, I was intrigued, especially when shortly thereafter, he mentioned two books written based on the event, one fiction and one non-fiction. About an hour later, my wife and I stopped at the nearest bookstore and picked up both books: Dancehall by Bernard F. Conners and A Lady in the Lake by George Christian Ortloff.

Dancehall is the work of fiction based on "the lady in the lake". The novel is certainly not the best written I've ever read, but the plot was suspenseful and kept me reading to the point where I finished the book in about three days. At certain times (during summer vacation especially!), I enjoy a quick read, so this book served its purpose. I read the non-fiction immediately thereafter and found that Dancehall is very LOOSELY based on the actual event, but it was a decent piece of fiction nonetheless, especially after having just spent time in Lake Placid.

[Mary Taitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

On June 4, 1882, the body of a young woman surfaced from 300 feet of water in Lake Placid, New York. The cold water at the depth of the lake preserved the body, which had been preserved for twenty years. She appears to have met a violent end. The police don't know who she is and do not expect to be able to locate her killer. They question neighbors around the area where her body is found, and all clues point toward David Powell--who insists, in spite of obvious nervousness, that he is innocent.

Definitely had a cliff-hanger ending, suspense builds well. Lots of hints are dropped along the way, but time is running out and the reader is never certain if the book will end the way it "should" or not. Exciting, disturbing, upsetting. Sad. To my mind, slightly insufficiently explained.

I enjoyed the book.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book attracted me because it was set near where I live in the Capital District of New York State. The author mostly got the geography right, unlike the author of The Doctor's Wife who set it in and near an Albany, NY I didn't recognize.

My biggest complaint is that the author seems to think we're idiots. Even YA fiction shouldn't have to tell the reader "the tachometer on the dash that measured the engine rpm" (never mind the inaccuracies in that statement). That's just one of several explanations of the trivial that jarred me as I read.

The book didn't live up to the back-cover hype about being a page turner but it was a pleasant mystery.
I don't really regret the time I spent with this book but I wouldn't seek out the author again.

[Shirley Freeman]

On a recent trip to Lake Placid, NY, we had to visit the local Indy (Bookstore Plus) for some local reading. It turns out that in 1962, a well-preserved female body was found 105' down in Lake Placid. The body had been in the lake for 30 years and the death was determined to be accidental. But this incident, documented in a little book called Lady of the Lake, inspired novelist Conners to write this mystery about a female body discovered in the lake in 1984 - having been in there for 20 years. The novel goes back and forth in time and in this case the death was definitely not accidental. Though character development was a little weak and details about dying by electric chair were a little intense, I did enjoy this local mystery.

[Myranda Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book last summer while on vacation in lake placid in ny where parts of this book takes place . I was actually on the lake when I heard about the lady in the lake story and was informed about the book being sold in a nearby bookstore which by the way I loved !! so cute lol . anyway back to the book, it was overall ok but it was very skippy, jumped around a lot. second . I strongly disliked the ending, I thought it was rather disappointing. all in all an ok read but if the ending was better maybe another star.

[Kathy Maggiacomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the style of this book. It kept you reading! It told part of a story and gave the reader time to try and imagine the rest while the story continued in the future building on the past. I liked how it went back and forth and you learned more of the story through other characters plus as the reader you could figure things out from subtle clues without being told they are clues. The way some scenes were written, I was on the edge of my chair and couldn't put the book down.

[Kelley Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent murder mystery. I had the murderer guessed by the middle of the book, but it didn't stop me from finishing this book in record time. I felt kind of silly when I found out it was fiction. I had been under the impression from a friend that it was a true story. I was wondering where on earth I was when all of this was taking place in New York. It was nice to find out it was fiction. I'd definitely be interested in reading some of his other books.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

After hearing of this story, I was intrigued enough to pick up this fictionalized account. It was a good (and quick!) read, but knowing it is fictionalized, I have to read the actual account, now. Looking forward to reading A Lady in the Lake: The True Account of Death and Discovery in Lake Placid by George Christian Ortloff to separate fact from fiction.