Footwork

Jennifer Helson, the young and beautiful owner of a thriving Manhattan investment firm, is appointed to the Board of Directors of the prestigious Metropolitan Ballet just as the Board is considering replacements for its ailing director, Maestro Lefebre. Jennifer is chosen to be one of three who will decide between Lefebre's current assistant Gregory Morris, a capable administrator who lacks artistic flair, and the international ballet star Andre Yussupov, a great dancer and choreographer whose credentials are tainted by rumors of Nazi sympathies. Jennifer interviews Yussupov and finds him to be not only extremely talented, but also very attractive; she begins to lobby with the other Board memebers for his appointment. At this time, strange, disruptive events begin to occur that threaten the ballet company, her business, and her personal life. Jennifer hires a detective who uncovers a plot that might have ruined both her future and that of the Metropolitan Ballet. McMahon's novel is densely packed with the status symbols of rich New Yorkers. While he does not adequately develop his characters or a suspenseful plot, he does create a hip, stylish world that holds the reader's attention. (November 19)