Review: Suspense and Salsa Dancing
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 2, 2013
This is the first novel I've read by Johnny Ray and I intend to read other things he has written. I thoroughly enjoyed The Salsa Connection which is a mix of mystery, salsa dancing, suspense and a little romance. The settings are in Russia, New York City, Louisiana, and Italy.The author must truly know and love salsa dancing. He wrote in-depth descriptions on learning and teaching this dance, and on what to wear during the fierce competitions. Since I was unfamiliar with all of this, I liked it and was disappointed when the dancing was no longer a part of the story.Sveta, the protagonist, displays so much innocence. I was shocked when she went to New York City to compete, letting a total stranger (Danny) whom she met on the Internet pay her way and all of her expenses. She stayed with him in his apartment. And her mother allowed this! I kept wondering why she and her mother trusted Danny when it was so obvious they could trust almost nobody in Russia. I realized they were trying to find out what had happened to their husband/father who had disappeared while at a ballet dance competition in New York City over 25 years ago. But still, who does that?There are plenty of twists and turns right up to the end. I liked knowing that just about anything could happen which, for me, makes a good mystery read.