Shadow Dancing.

Shadow Dancing by Louise Meriwether One World/Ballantine, August 2000, $12.95, ISBN 0-374-22676-8

The distinctive voice of this widely acclaimed author of the classic, Daddy Was A Numbers Runner (Feminist Press, 1986) rings through the pages of this third novel. From the first page, readers will be drawn into the sometimes joyous, sometimes torturous lives of her characters.

The first, vague thoughts of our heroine, Glenda Jackson, seem to epitomize her life. "The walls were white. She could see them through the mist, slowly dissolving to let her through." A single, career-driven magazine writer, Glenda happens into love while on assignment covering a Harlem play. The man who snags her heart is Mark Abbitt, an esteemed theater director with a busy career, and an estranged wife and son. But love is about the last thing on his agenda.

"Yet against all the odds, these two remarkable people step into each other's shadow ... and begin to dance." Meriwether paints a disturbing picture of a love gone wrong. She guides readers through her characters awakening to love, and the growing pains which blossom into their romance. But every dance must end. Heartbreaking and raw, Meriwether has a gift for striking a spark of empathy in her readers, and Glenda and Mark's adversities will have readers pulling out their hair and wishing they could jump into the story and do something.

Shadow Dancing is filled with touches of suspense, unexpected twists and a complex intrigue that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Ms. Meriwether's vivid descriptions and unforgettable characters set the stage for a novel to be remembered far beyond the final page.

Alicia M. Singleton is a freelance writer residing in Pasadena, Maryland.