Dark Horse    by Mike Langan Order:  USA  Can Five Star, 2009 (2009) Hardcover Read an Excerpt    Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Protagonist Nicky Rigopoulos is a personal injury lawyer with questionable ethics. When his partner (and ex-lover) is murdered, he becomes a prime suspect. His present lover could give him an alibi, but won't. His estranged wife would love to see him in jail and so won't help him either. He decides to attempt to solve the murder himself – to the extreme extent of dressing as a Hell's Angel member to talk to one of his disgruntled clients – who again is no help at all. Did he really expect him to be? With his one and only daughter's wedding imminent, Nicky doesn't need a murder charge laid against him. He grows up a bit and starts looking around himself. Are his friends really his friends? Is he doing the right thing? Can he solve this murder? When two more of the women in his life lose their battle with a murderer, will his daughter be next? Someone obviously wants Rigopoulos to suffer. Dark Horse is dialogue driven – which ain't bad in general, but it gave me no sense of place. Brief references to where the action takes place just weren't enough to root me. The entry into Nicky's life baffled me. I needed a score card to tell me who was talking to whom. But, with that said, the book drew me in and I enjoyed it. The plentiful action pulls the story to a unique dénouement. Very clever, in fact. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews