Hardball

In Harball, we meet D'Amato's freelance journalist, Cat Marsala. Even though this was written in the early 90s, the issues contained within are still quite timely: how's the drug war going? Contrary to what a previous reviewer said, there is no 'political agenda' here. Both sides are discussed in a balanced manner, and never overwhelm the reader. D'Amato's characters intelligently explore each side, and I never felt once overwhelmed by one particular argument. There are times when an author's 'politics' clearly show, but this is not the case in Hardball. I found the fictional debates in this novel to be fascinating and thought-provoking. Anyway, the mystery is not about who can better argue their position about drugs, although a great deal of debate arises; but rather, who has the best motive for killing pro-drug law repeal activist, Louise Sugarman. Killed in a bomb that was surgical in its precision, Sugarman was the face of the pro-repeal movement. With her grandmotherly appearance and no-nonsense approach to the drug problem, some folks despised her for propsing a relaxing of present drug laws as opposed a tightening of them. Cat, our dogged heroine, was seated next to Sugarman when the small bomb blew, sending her to hospital with concussion and a slight case of retrograde amnesia. Mad as ever that someone would kill Sugarman, (Sugarman had just granted Cat an appointment for a future interview) Cat resolves to get to the bottom of the murder. Quickly, she comes to realise that the drug problem is an extremely complex one, and that there is no shortage of suspects, even though she does her best to pare down the list. Hardball is full of memorable characters, like her cop buddy Harold McCoo, who returns in subsequent novels in the series; on and off significant others, (Mike, the hard drinker, and John, the straitlaced stockbroker); and individuals from both sides of the drug law repeal debate. Cat fully realises that the person or persons responsible for Sugarman's death are probably those who would stand to gain the most, or perhaps lose the most should drug laws be repealed... If you like your heroines and plotlines to be more on the intelligent side, give Hardball a read.