The Dark of Day

Expert Miami lawyer C.J. Dunn battles to protect the image of a powerful security agent for a well-known congressman with the hope of striking it rich in the process. However, when the body of a key witness is found, Dunn must battle to save not only the success she so desires but her life as well. Elizabeth Rodgers gives a moderately commanding performance with her sturdy, unwavering bass tone. Sadly, she walks a fine line between reality and absurdity; her poorly realized Southern accent is as phony and cartoonish as Yosemite Sam. The performance is too slowly paced to salvage the story as Rodgers tends to putt about the prose as if struggling for perfection. A Vanguard Press hardcover (Reviews, May 5). (July)