Dante's Dilemma: A Mark Angelotti Novel

Rachel Lazarus has confessed to the mutilation murder of her estranged husband, a University of Chicago professor known for his provocative polemics, in Raimondo’s absorbing third mystery to feature blind Chicago psychiatrist Mark Angelotti (after 2014’s Dante’s Poison). Angelotti, who must decide if it was cold-blooded murder or the culmination of years of emotional and physical abuse, suspects that there may be more to the case. Meanwhile, professional upheaval and a looming custody battle for his young son have him on edge. With a winter storm bringing Chicago to a standstill and a case that touches on Angelotti’s own troubled childhood, he’s got his hands full. Raimondo does a good job highlighting some current academic controversies, but the book’s main strength is the flawed Angelotti, whose self-deprecating, wry humor in the face of his disability serves to offset some decidedly dark subject matter. Agent: Brooks Sherman, Bent Agency. (Aug.)