Danzando nel buio

KEY News #8

by Mary Jane Clark

Una reporter trascorre qualche giorno in una cittadina di mare con i figli e la sorella, unendo alla vacanza un incontro di lavoro: infatti è stata incaricata dalla sua rete televisiva di intervistare una ragazza che sostiene - senza essere creduta dalla polizia - di essere stata rapita e trattenuta conto la sua volontà per tre giorni fino a quando non è riuscita a fuggire ai suoi aguzzini. Ma la reporter non fa quasi in tempo a raccogliere tutto il materiale per il programma, che una seconda ragazza scompare, precipitando la tranquilla località di mare nell'angoscia e nel terrore...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook, Crime

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Mary Jane Elizabeth Behrends Clark (1954-) is the author of thirteen novels, including 12 in the KEY News media thriller series, and one in her new Wedding Cake mystery series. A veteran writer and producer for CBS News, Clark worked for almost three decades at the network’s New York City headquarters. Her books are published in twenty-three languages. She lives in New Jersey and Florida.

Clark's former mother-in-law and sister-in-law are the authors Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, respectively.

Reviews

[Sally Lindsay-briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I started this novel, I found out that the author is one of Mary Higgins Clark's daughters. Mary Jane has a ways to go. This was fairly well written but it didn't flow well. The characters were not really believable and the ending was a relief. I just wanted it to finish. The murderer and kidnapper was a surprise but that was probably the only good part.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars ✨

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Jane Clark writes in the same vein as her famous mother-in-law. All books by Mary Higgins Clark contain a mystery, many different characters and chapters of only a few pages each. Mary Jane Clark books are similar. However since own career was in television journalism, there is a sense of realism in the characters who share her profession. Dancing in the Dark takes place in Ocean Grove, NJ. If you have ever been to Ocean Grove, Mary Jane Clark describes the quaintness, the tent community, the abandoned structures very well. In this book, a missing girl, Leslie Patterson, has been found relatively unharmed. However, many in the community believe she has staged her own kidnapping for attention. Diane Mayfield is a reporter for KEY News and she is sent to investigate the case to see if Leslie had indeed fabricated the story. Until another young girl is reported missing...and then another.... Enjoyable book and for me it had an ending I did not predict.

[Marca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally likeable lead characters, but improbable plot. News reporter Diane Mayfield is sent to Ocean Grove, New Jersey to investigate the phenomenon of “girls who cry wolf” – they claim to have been kidnapped, held, and freed. Diane is sent to report on the latest girl, Leslie Patterson. The police suspect Leslie staged her own disappearance, even though she was found bound and gagged. Leslie claims that the kidnapper made her dance with him in the dark (weird, but provides the book title). Then another girl disappears from Ocean Grove.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, surface-level mystery with a whole town of suspects. The reviews said reviewers didn’t predict the ending so I concentrated on predicting the unpredictable and actually predicted it, unpredictably. This is a good vacation read.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is such a good series!

[Kathleen Suess · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story moves along, and it is an easy read, but I prefer to glean a little bit of wisdom, gain an insight, learn some new words from a book I read.

Additionally the story contains some tired clichés, and, in my opinion, some politically incorrect references. That surprised me, but is probably explained by the 2005 publication date.

It's a pleasant book and the mystery therein is well plotted.

[Jessica Henke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t see that one coming. Love the KEY series

[Sally Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dancing In The Dark by Mary Jane Clark ISBN 9780312481172

This book is all about a troubled young girl that goes missing. When she is found three days latter no one seems to believe her story until it happens again. Diane a Key News Reporter has to cancel her trip to the Grand Canyon and instead head to Ocean to interview the lost girl who everyone believes “Cried Wolf” What she finds there is more than what she bargained for. I found that this book takes a good look at what a troubled teen will go though to get the attention they need to feel loved and accepted. I would recommend this to anyone who likes crime, mystery, drama.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I got right to the end and hadn't figured out who was doing all the damage.

One thing I noticed about this writer's works is that she has several book titles that are lyrics to a Beatles song. I'm curious about that so will read those or look at her website to see if that was intentional! The titles are as follows:

Do You Want to Know a Secret?
Do You Promise Not to Tell?
Let me whisper in your Ear
Close to you
Nobody Knows
Nowhere to Run
Hide Yourself Away

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! This book was outstanding; right from the very first chapter. The suspect could have been any of 5 characters, and you didn't know who until the last couple pages when he/she was revealed. A very, very good read. I'd like to see the tented community of Ocean Grove. Sounds like a nice vacation town. Great setting, great characters, interesting story. I've never read Mary Jane Clark before. Now I think I'll go find one of her other books.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Choppily and sometimes sloppily written. I didn't care about any of the characters. Calling them characters might even be a bit generous for most of the names in the book. It's a lightning-fast read, though, for those who appreciate that.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Review: Great book by the daughter of Mary Higgins Clark! Intriguing mystery, compelling characters, and a definite page-turner. I actually figured out the perpetrator before the book ended, first ever for me! Look forward to more books by Mary Jane Clark, a talented mystery writer.

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

just mindless entertainment... nothing really to write home aboutl

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy read. Author has a choppy style with many characters but does a solid job of tying together at end of book.

[Mike McCleeary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books in the KEY TV series are basically easy reads and not great mysteries. But they're innocuous and I've enjoyed reading them. Typical of the author that she fills the books with too many characters that are not easy to follow. I do like that the chapters are short which make for good stopping places for the evening, but each chapter focuses on a different character/family so it can get confusing (for me anyway). My real problem came at the conclusion of who the guilty person was who kidnapped young anorexic girls, the culprit seemed too tidy if you will, to me it was NO NO NO NO, not that person, and guilty for a very petty reason (a reason we've all felt in real life). Most characters were typical of middle America, just working stiffs trying to get an actual vacation that didn't break the bank. But it was all too contrived for my taste; at least this book was. I am going to start the next book in the KEY series and I hope it is better than this one. I would have give 2 1/2 stars to this book but I don't know how to do a half star. I'll have to say that the previous books in the series I've read were more realistic and more readable with some real mystery.

[DEBORAH Kacerek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I've known that since I bought a summer home in Ocean Grove 22 years ago, that it is the location in several books. I did a search at our library and found this one. The story is okay. Ending a surprise. It mentions many of the favorite places in town that are still there - Starving Artist, Days; unfortunately Nagels closed several years ago (pre COVID). The description of tent living is on point (except you are allowed alcoholic beverages in the tents, you just can't be obvious). But the picture on the cover shows the tents along the boardwalk which is wrong- the are several blocks away near the Great Auditorium (and the cross was a gift from Woody Allen when the auditorium was featured in Stardust Memories). Most of the old hotels are gone.
Since this was written Asbury Park is now thriving and that had also benefited OG.

[Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: eating disorders and self harm

3.5 ⭐️!

I enjoyed this book! It took a while for the action to get going, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down. I was genuinely surprised at who the perpetrator was at the end. The chapters are uber short, some even just a couple of sentences. I actually liked that because I felt it kept me turning pages quickly. Also, I learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes of broadcast news.

My main complaint would be that the book has a ton of characters and that almost all of them narrate one or more chapters. It was hard to keep track of who was who and why they mattered in the beginning, including narration by the kidnapper, whom you don’t know who it is until the end. That kind of broke up the flow, I think. I can see how it all came together, but there may have been a smoother way to do that.

[Dennis KIeswetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

sometimes it's nice and needed to be able to sit back and relax by reading a mystery. Dancing in the Dark does it for me. Mary Jane Clark allows this with her writing skills. No gory detailed deaths to keep you awake at night and enough suspects to keep your guessing, or no guessing if you just want to be entertained. Easy reading "Who Done It" hits the spot. Only observation was the number of characters at times made it hard to follow. I enjoyed the ending and the closure on some of the suspects. Look forward to reading more from Mary Jane Clark. After reading the other reviews I find out Jane is Higgins daughter and I can see the resemblance but at a lighter level

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story - but felt the ending was disappointing as well as improbable. The premise of the story was great - over the course of two weeks, three women are kidnapped and hidden away. They are blindfolded, gagged and their hands and feet are tied. Then, suddenly, on the third day, they are released. At least, that is what the kidnapper planned.

There are various red herring choices for who the kidnapper is -- and the story goes along pretty well up to this point. And then the reveal. Boo. Hiss. Ruined the entire story.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane, a news reporter went to the Jersey shore to investigate an abduction, but was it a real abduction or was it made up. Everyone in the community thought that the girl lied but Dianes findings showed that she was telling the truth when a female turned up dead and another was found. This was an exceptionally great read!

[Andrea A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reporter Diane Mayfield goes to Ocean Grove,NJ on vacation with her family while following a story of a kidnapped girl who every one thinks cried wolf and no one believes her....until another girl goes missing in a similar way.

Easy listening audio,decent narrator, but just ok for me. Characters a bit flat but not a bad listen.

[Kristen]

I really enjoyed this book and it keeping on my toes for the most part. I personally liked this type of writing because the chapters are shorter, and every new chapter focuses on a different aspect or character in the book to try and tie it all together and give a full picture. For me, I found it kept my brain in focus and I couldn’t put it down.

[Shirley Kummer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not care for this author. I felt it was quite boring until the end when things finally happen. I have one more book that was given to me by this same author so I will give that one a try and hope it keeps my interest.

[Barbie J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book, especially since I live very close to Ocean Grove, NJ and love the area. The plot was great and I loved the surprise ending. It was a good read, an easy read, and a relaxing read, which is what I love. Great book for the beach!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first quarter of this difficult to get through. I thought the writing was extremely sophomoric. However the author did pull through with more than several twists. I was surprised at the end!

[Rosemarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had a good premise, and the characters were interesting, but the ending was disappointing. The thing with mysteries is that the ending, the final twist, can make or break the story, and unfortunately the ending of this story broke it for me.

[Liny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lecture très plaisante sur une station balnéaire où ont lieu enlèvements et meurtres.
Un seul bémol selon moi, l'énorme quantité de personnages brossés en surface. Un peu moins mais traités plus en profondeur aurait pu apporter à l'intrigue.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t a bad book but felt a little dialed in. The characters lacked some deep development. However, the plot pulls you through so it’s a quick read. You won’t be disappointed but I don’t think you’ll remember it.

[Pam Lash · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to get into this book at first. There are many characters. I’m glad I continued to read. It was fun trying to figure out the culprit. The book kept me interested because I wanted to know. Very good message intertwined in the story.