Black Dutch

The Taylors' ( Neon Flamingo ) second novel, set in rural Appalachia, is only marginally entertaining. Millionaire Lex Arnold, seeking an eerie location for his projected theme/amusement park, purchases a mountain in an area where the locals live in fear of the mythical Black Dutch, a Sasquatch-like creature who is said to be responsible for mysterious disasters. Ben Hagen, employed as a taxi-pilot, and engineer Georgia Jones, who has been commissioned to design the park's roller coaster, are witnesses to and occasional victims of unexplained accidents that delay the project. They begin to suspect that Black Dutch may indeed be more real than rumor. Though the action builds well, a predictable yet unbelievable ending leaves the reader dissatisfied. (Mar.)