Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Blind psychiatrist Mark Angelotti has just enrolled in a drug trial that holds out hope of restoring his eyesight when he again becomes entangled in a case that is rocking the Chicago legal community. After defending the manufacturer of the powerful antipsychotic drug Lucitrol against product-liability claims, attorney Jane Barrett has become somewhat of an expert on the controversial medication. So when her lover, investigative journalist Rory Gallagher, collapses from a fatal dose of the same drug, it falls to Hallie Sanchez, Barrett’s oldest friend, to defend her on murder charges. Amid growing doubts about her friend’s innocence, Hallie recruits Mark Angelotti to help her discredit the testimony of a crucial eyewitness. The pair succeeds in obtaining Barrett’s release, but at a dreadful price. Mark sets out to investigate who else may have wanted the journalist out of the way. As he gets closer to the truth, he realizes the killer is still on the loose. But two questions remain for Will the drug trial succeed in restoring his eyesight? More important, will he live long enough to see this case to its end?

271 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2014

15 people are currently reading
373 people want to read

About the author

Lynne Raimondo

4 books29 followers
Before turning to writing, Lynne Raimondo was a trial lawyer at a major Chicago law firm, the general counsel of Arthur Andersen LLP and the general counsel of the Illinois Department of Revenue. She lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois, where she is at work on the next Mark Angelotti novel. Visit her website at http://www.lynneraimondo.com

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
32 (19%)
4 stars
70 (41%)
3 stars
55 (32%)
2 stars
9 (5%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Barbara Gregorich.
Author 206 books23 followers
February 17, 2018
I enjoyed this sequel even more than I enjoyed the first novel in the series. The pace is a bit quicker, and I like that. The hero's dilemma builds empathy, even more so than in the first novel. One of the subplots seems almost not-there, and when it's resolved I felt as if nothing much had happened. I liked a new character who's introduced in this book: Bjorn. I hope he shows up in future novels, because he's a professional investigator who can do things the hero can't. Along with the sympathetic cop, he helps keep the action and deductions believable. Looking forward to reading the third novel in the series.
22 reviews3 followers
January 21, 2025
This book was a bit of a struggle for me to get into. It started to get interesting in the last 100 pages but there were a lot of characters to keep track of and all of the legality and psychiatry terms and nuances were a bit hard to follow.
Profile Image for Valerie Perez.
360 reviews6 followers
October 18, 2019
Eh

Not as good as the 1st book in the series, but not terrible as f as r as sequels go.
Profile Image for Lesley.
Author 3 books14 followers
February 14, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. I found Mark Angelotti an extremely likeable character. The writing was slick and story well-paced. Will have to seek out Book One now.
284 reviews
Read
March 6, 2025
Mark Angelotti helps Hallie Sanchez defend her friend in murder charges. Journalist Rory Gallagher dies of heart attack from fatal dose of Licitrol
Profile Image for Sandy S.
8,278 reviews207 followers
May 31, 2014
4.25 stars


ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date: May 6, 2014

Blind psychiatrist Mark Angelotti has just enrolled in a drug trial that holds out hope of restoring his eyesight when he again becomes entangled in a case that is rocking the Chicago legal community.

After defending the manufacturer of the powerful antipsychotic drug Lucitrol against product-liability claims, attorney Jane Barrett has become somewhat of an expert on the controversial medication. So when her lover, investigative journalist Rory Gallagher, collapses from a fatal dose of the same drug, it falls to Hallie Sanchez, Barrett’s oldest friend, to defend her on murder charges.

Amid growing doubts about her friend’s innocence, Hallie recruits Mark Angelotti to help her discredit the testimony of a crucial eyewitness. The pair succeeds in obtaining Barrett’s release, but at a dreadful price.

Mark sets out to investigate who else may have wanted the journalist out of the way. As he gets closer to the truth, he realizes the killer is still on the loose. But two questions remain for Mark: Will the drug trial succeed in restoring his eyesight? More important, will he live long enough to see this case to its end?

REVIEW: DANTE’S POISON is the second instalment in Lynne Raimondo’s contemporary, mystery Mark Angelotti suspense series focusing on sight impaired Chicago psychiatrist and amateur investigator Mark Angelotti. Although this is the second book in the series, each book focuses on a different investigation and case with some of the characters over lapping between the stories.

The premise follows Mark as he investigates the murder of the Chicago Sun Times sleaze ball reporter Rory Gallagher and his connections to a controversial antipsychotic drug known as Lucitrol. When power attorney Jane Barrett (and Rory’s lover) is fingered and charged with the murder, Mark’s path of clues will find him the subject of an attack that will leave his friend Hallie in a coma and Mark setting his sights on a billion dollar drug company with too many secrets to hide. Add unethical and questionable sales reps and, Mark will soon discover that he is closer to the truth than he had ever surmised.

Our hero Mark Angelotti is a man who is mired in guilt-struggling with the demise of his marriage, a son he barely knows, the loss of his eye sight and a guilt so dark he will never be able to forgive or forget.

Lynne Raimondo pulls the reader into a storyline that is richly detailed in psychiatric and medical terminology-from bio medical ethics to prescription side effects; from diagnostics to treatment DANTE’S POISON is a storyline that focuses on corporate greed, big pharma, psychotic killers, jilted lovers, betrayal and revenge. The Windy City of Chicago is not one to play second fiddle and positions itself-front and center-in a storyline that will find our intrepid sleuth making his way through the sights and sounds of a city where he loves to live.

The secondary characters are an eclectic mix of friends from both the medical and legal fields. The world building finds Mark taking small steps towards a potential future all the while focusing on what he has lost and why.

DANTE’S POISON is a remarkable storyline that looks at the controversial side of prescription medications and medical ethics; an imaginative tale about a sociopathic mind and the lengths one will go to to avenge the past; and an intimate look at a man whose own past is darker than the world in which he now lives.

Copy supplied by the publisher.

www.thereadingcafe.com
Profile Image for donna_ehm.
913 reviews19 followers
August 21, 2015
Much like the first in this series, "Dante's Poison" is an efficiently written straightforward story with the author wasting no time in getting the reader through the plot she's created. From the opening pages, Raimondo quickly sets out her characters on the board, fills in their backgrounds as they pertain to the plot, then starts moving them around as needed. And that's the problem. Nothing happens without a reason. Characters are frequently reacting only to what's just happened and then they're moved to the next plot point.

Raimondo builds straight up from the foundation she sets out in the beginning, not out or some combination of both. A potentially interesting family backstory for the main character is dealt with mainly off screen, if you will, whereas I was hoping to read more about how the character works through reconnecting with his son, and dealing with the fractured relationship with his ex-wife. But that's all firmly outside the path Raimondo has set and so it's isn't really explored, which is a shame because it's those sorts of side trips that start to flesh out a character and the world he or she is living in.

I was thinking of Jo Nesbo's books when reading this one and while they're entirely different approaches, the idea is that there's so much more there than just the case Harry Hole is trying to solve. That's just the top layer, if you will. Underneath there's an ever-evolving world in which the reader is allowed to form a picture in their mind of who Harry is because Nesbo doesn't shy away from building out. As he moves Hole through a story so many other aspects of the character and the environment he's in are introduced and explored. It's like the author is just poking around seeing what's there and how Hole is going to react to it, then Nesbo keeps on writing based on Hole's reaction.

But with Raimondo I find she keeps strictly to the course she's set, and it's one that does not include any side-trips or opportunities the stray off the path she's put her characters on. She's driving the car and the characters are in the backseat, not the other way around. You very definitely feel that everything and everyone that's shown to you from the opening pages is the complete package you need to read the rest of the story. It's like buying a bed in a bag.

She also continues to rely on info-dumping much of the medical and legal information pertinent to the story, as she did with the first book. I didn't mind it so much then because it wasn't dry or dull to read, but I just grew tired of it here. I would have appreciated a lot more effort on the part of the author to try and get that across in ways that weren't so obvious, such as phone conversations where after the first line or two to set up the fact they're on the phone, the author takes over and starts explaining, only coming back to the characters if she needs a "Oh, what does that mean?" type of response to move things along to the next point. In these types of situations you quickly forget the characters are even there at all, to be honest.
Profile Image for Sharon Mensing.
968 reviews31 followers
October 17, 2015
When an author has such a great debut as Raimondo did with DANTE’S WOOD, there’s a bit of trepidation as one picks up the sophomore effort. No worries! The second book in the Mark Angelotti series, DANTE’S POISON, lives up to the high standard set in the first. Angelotti, as a newly blind psychiatrist who serves as an expert psychological witness in trials, requires a bit more explanation than the average sleuth. Raimondo accomplishes this for readers new to the series by having Angelotti apply to be a patient in a trial for a drug that could ameliorate, or possibly even cure, his blindness. During the application process, enough backstory is provided to give the new reader an understanding of Angelotti’s condition. This very clever approach also helps the reader understand Angelotti’s state of mind.

As Angelotti is in the process of beginning the drug trial, Hallie Sanchez, a friend and possible love interest, asks for his help as an expert witness in her legal defense of her long-time friend, Jane. Jane has a reputation as something of a velociraptor in the legal world of Chicago. Her lover, a muckraking journalist, has just been killed, and a witness described a woman looking much like Jane entering the journalist’s home during the murder’s window of time. Hallie believes that Angelotti could discredit that witness on the stand, so he begins an investigation to prepare for the trial.

The investigation leads Angelotti into the dark side of pharmaceutical company practices while uncovering several other deaths. Depression and psychopathology play a role, and Raimondo provides the specifics related to these topics without lecturing. Throughout the process, Angelotti deals with his anxiety about his own blindness and consequent inability to protect Hallie. His participation in the drug trial plays a nice counterpoint to his investigation of psychopharmacological drugs, and Raimondo does a fantastic job of describing what happens as the one collides with the other.

The landscape described in DANTE’S POISON is filtered through Angelotti’s blindness, so it exists more in his head than in the real world around him. Nonetheless, it is masterfully described, and the reader feels as though (s)he has been transported to this very different world. Though the book is largely character-driven, there are suspenseful moments when the plot takes over. This allows the reader to enjoy flying along, fully immersed in the story line, and then enjoy equally the time spent with Angelotti and his thoughts. With the psychological expert witness conceit that the series is built upon, Raimondo has set Angelotti up for a future of fascinating investigations. I am looking forward to seeing what world she opens up through his uniquely sightless research in the next book in the series.

This review first appeared at www.reviewingtheevidence.com.
Profile Image for ALEXA.
33 reviews2 followers
July 29, 2014
Enough people already despise lawyers that you really don't need one of them accused of murder. It just spreads the stink over the whole group. And, according to this novel, nearly 20 percent of lawyers and politicians are psychopaths. How's that for an intriguing side note?

In Lynne Raimondo "Dante's Poison," Jane Barrett is accused of killing her lover Rory Gallagher, an investigative reporter, with an overdose of Lucitrol. Since Jane is an attorney who had previously defended the drug manufacturer against liability claims, it's no wonder her innocence is doubted. She can't exactly claim to be unfamiliar with the medication. Add to the mix that she had a very public blowout with Rory before his death, and, well, it ain't lookin' good for ol' Jane.

Hallie Sanchez, Jane's good friend, steps up to defend her. Since Rory was a well-known reporter, maybe he stumbled on a story someone would kill to keep quiet. Knowing she can't do it alone, Hallie turns to blind psychiatrist Mark Angelotti to help her disprove an eyewitness' account against Jane. Mark has his own drug concerns, having just enrolled in a clinical trial that might restore his eyesight. But all eyes are on Jane when they manage to secure her release and, shortly after, a vicious attack occurs on someone Jane knows well. Coincidence? Can you say, "Hmmmmmmmmm"?

Whether or not Jane is one of the 20 percent of lawyers that goes the psycho route or not, it certainly is turning out to be mighty dangerous to be acquainted with her. And Mark hopes he and Hallie can see their way clear to the truth. Is Jane a killer or a victim? And how many more victims will there be before they find out the answer?
Profile Image for Lori L (She Treads Softly) .
2,965 reviews119 followers
May 12, 2014
Dante's Poison by Lynne Raimondo is a highly recommended second mystery novel featuring Mark Angelotti.

Mark Angelotti, the troubled Chicago psychiatrist who first made his appearance in Dante's Woods, has recently been diagnosed with an illness that has caused blindness. After having trouble adjusting - or rather avoiding adjusting to his new situation, Mark enrolls in a drug trial that he hopes will help restore his sight. In the meantime Mark agrees to help his friend Hallie Sanchez investigate the murder of journalist Rory Gallagher, as well as join the defense of Jane Barrett, who is accused of the murder. Then, adding to the complications are the two teen suicides that may share some connection.

Dante's Poison is set in Chicago and the city is as much a part of the novel as the characters and sets a vibrant background to the main action. FYI: The major pharmaceutical companies take a hit in this plot. The plot is full of enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Raimondo is a strong writer who does an excellent job moving her plot forward quickly. For a mystery under 300 pages, she packs a lot of action into the pages. It's also noteworthy that Raimondo excels at capturing Mark's difficulties adjusting to his new disability, and his psychological expertise. She also shines in describing the legal system and the accompanying details.

It's nice to read a mystery that sets a fast pace and throws in plenty of surprises.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Prometheus Books for review purposes.
Profile Image for Robert Rotstein.
Author 9 books120 followers
September 9, 2014
Lynne Raimondo's second Mark Angelotti novel (following her outstanding debut "Dante's Wood") finds the blind psychiatrist enrolled in a clinical study of a drug that could restore his sight. Mark becomes engaged as an expert witness in a legal case after an investigative reporter dies and the reporter's lover, high-powered attorney Jane Barrett, is charged with his murder. It turns out that Barrett was representing a mega-drug company of questionable ethics. Mark begins uncovering the truth about the murder, at great risk to himself and to his romantic interest, Hallie Sanchez, who's defending her friend Jane on the murder charges.

One of the many things I love about the Angelotti series is Raimondo's remarkable ability to credibly portray a blind sleuth -- a formidable task for a writer. In Dante's Poison, Mark's inability to see is critical to the plot but also organic and never obtrusive. More than that, the novel is a compelling mystery. Raimondo deftly ties several apparently distinct story threads together in a coherent, satisfying, and totally unexpected ending. And as with her first novel, Raimondo's writing is topnotch, often witty and often deadly serious. I highly recommend "Dante's Poison."
Profile Image for Jeanette.
4,103 reviews842 followers
July 25, 2014
Being fair, I gave this novel three stars because it is interesting, readable and also holds a decent plot. Not badly written, in a brisk, well described style. But to me, it became a 2 or even a 1 star in enjoyment and it just dragged. This rating difference is just on my own onus, not the book's. The author cites Chicago related place and context that just grates on me. Too many reasons to list. And also instills all within a media, music taste, tech, celebrity context of a time I do not understand and did not experience, so I miss most of the nuance.

Does anyone out there know why all the Chicago writers have their spoiled or troubled youth/ continually going to New Trier and yet hob-knobbing downtown at leisure? And either ending up at U. of Chicago or Harvard eventually? And Mark is just not that interesting to me and FAR too cerebral for the territory.
Profile Image for Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile.
2,170 reviews133 followers
January 12, 2017
Soon after I read Dante's Wood last year ... I did probably the best thing I can do to compliment an author. I went to Amazon and ordered the whole Mark Angelotti trilogy, and here I am reading books #2 and 3.

The second installment was good and solid, but most, if not all, of the medical jargon went over my head. While Dante's Poison probably could be read okay as a standalone, go ahead and do yourself a favor and read Dante's Wood first ... you'll be able to understand Mark a little better.

I love how he is entirely human. He's lovable and imperfect. He's witty and intelligent and he loves his young son more than anything else in the world. He's a very admirable character, and I look forward to reading more about him.
2,542 reviews12 followers
August 25, 2015
Another excellent book in this series. I don't really recommend reading them one day after the other. It does help to remember parts that continue on with (Dante) Mark's progress and challenges. The progressions, and his responses are well done. There is again an interesting twist to the "solution" although with the ambiguities that happen in real life. I almost wanted to go back and re-read the 3rd one that was my introduction to this author and this series. Really looking forward to a new volume sometime soon.
Profile Image for Lori Rader-Day.
Author 15 books1,062 followers
December 14, 2014
I read and loved the first book in this series, Dante's Wood. Dante's Poison is a fine follow-up---twisty, turny, complex until all the threads come together. I would still recommend reading DW first to have the full story of Mark's blindness and family regrets, but this book made Mark more real to me. He's less angry, more human. I can see rooting for this character for a long time, through many books.
Profile Image for James Ziskin.
Author 12 books157 followers
March 19, 2014
Lucky enough to have read an advance copy.

I'm a true fan. Dante's Poison is fine follow-up to Dante's Wood. I can't decide which one I liked more. This book continues the meticulous character study and development of a troubled hero, Mark Angelotti. The crimes and mysteries are compelling and will keep you guessing till the end. Highly satisfying mystery by a writer you'd better watch (or you'll miss out). Don't miss it!
Profile Image for Keith Raffel.
Author 6 books48 followers
September 12, 2014
What makes a mystery memorable? First and foremost a great protagonist. Check. Mark Angelotti is bitter about his blindness, but still a believer in justice, love, and redemption. Next comes setting. Check. Lynne Raimondo knows Chicago better than Mayor Daley. Either of them. And then plot. Check. That's what makes the reader keep turning the pages and the pages whiz by in this intelligent, compelling, and savvy book.
50 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2016
This is the second book in the Mark Angelotti series. While it isn't the best mystery out there, Raimondo does keep the reader guessing until the end. What I really like is her title character. Angelotti is a psychiatrist who is blind, and he is not portrayed in stereotypical fashion. Raimondo created a character who is real, with flaws and strengths. I love her descriptions of how he functions as a blind man in a seeing world.
Profile Image for Kim.
82 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2016
Dr (Dante) Mark Angelotti is at it again in the second book in Raimondo's series. This time he is helping with 2 different legal cases. First is an attorney accused of murdering her boyfriend and the other another psychologist being sued for malpractice after one of his patients commits suicide. This is another excellent addition to the Mark Angelotti series. As always I recommend reading this series in order but I do recommend reading it. It'll be time well spent.
793 reviews
February 1, 2017
This was a decent mystery with some nice twists and turns, especially at the end. The main character is well-developed and his ongoing struggle with becoming blind makes you want to keep reading. Although the writing itself is just okay, it's good enough and the main character is interesting enough that I'll read the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Camille.
529 reviews
November 7, 2014
Very intriguing in the end--surprising and revealing. I'll definitely read another Mark Angelotti novel. But I had a hard time paying attention to the details for the first 3/4 of the book (maybe my reading was too interrupted).
Profile Image for Elisabeth.
1,964 reviews
October 5, 2015
I found the first part of the book rather slow - but by the middle I was engaged. Though I found the ending a bit sudden and not at all obvious - it could have been several people and the explanation seemed contrived.
So I'll see how I like the third in the series.
1,132 reviews
February 29, 2016
A very good follow up to Raimondo's first book about Mark Angelotti. Can't wait to read the next installment.
Profile Image for Sam.
636 reviews3 followers
April 15, 2016
A lot about this book: characters, writing style, plot, descriptions of Chicago irritated me. I had to put it down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.