Review: Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 28, 2013
The title of this review comes from Joe Jackson's 1982 hit of the same name. Jackson's music often reflects his intimate observations of how people relate to one another, particularly when it comes to burgeoning romance.In the song, Jackson relates his scrutiny of former girlfriends who are currently dating "gorillas," as he puts it. His outsider status lends an air of credence to the listener and reinforces his sturdy belief that "there's something going on around here." An air of incredulity--that beautiful, intelligent women would find beauty and desire in proverbial shallow meatheads who have nothing of substance to offer---encapsulates Jackson's lyrics and expresses a jaded worldview of love and whether it can ever be truly found.So it is that a similar aura is found in the character of Hollianne in Sandra Ross' "Dark Knight in Disguise III: Earthbound Angel 1." The protagonist has been recently hired by the mysterious Erick to write an autobiography of his life. Hollianne is intially unimpressed with Erick and considers him conceited and arrogant---the aforementioned shallow gorilla that Jackson decries.Hollianne had also recently suffered the loss of her husband, Adam, and still thinks of him daily. Ross provides the reader several insights into Hollianne's fragile psyche via her thoughts. Hollianne has recognized that there is a mutual attraction developing between herself and Erick; however, her lingering attachment to Adam significantly prevents her from being able to move forward in her life. She is intellectually aware of this and struggles with finding an acceptable outcome that will both satisfy her emotional anguish and allow her to be vulnerable enough to trust Erick's intentions.Additionally, she has been plagued by recurring dreams of being ravished by a mysterious man with wings. In Ross' first two "Dark Knight" books, Hollianne's dream was consistently murky and could only be recalled in bits and pieces. Nevertheless, as the series progresses, Hollianne's dream gradually becomes clearer and more cogent. Eventually, she is able to recognize who her object of desire is, and in so doing, she begins to heal.By the time the reader has read Book III, Hollianne has begun to delve deeper into Erick's past, despite his reluctance to reveal certain disconcerting aspects. Erick tells Holly that "I never knew my mother and my father passed away when I was (twenty-one)."  (Ch. 1) This loss of familial stability propels Erick to focus all of his creative energy into building his business empire, thus enabling him to become extremely wealthy and lacking for nothing.Except love from a woman.Although Erick declares that none of the women he had previously dated "pushes all of my buttons" (Ch. 2), he doesn't really clarify what these buttons are. This is left for Holly to pursue, and even then she doesn't seem to elicit specific answers from Erick, which left me feeling confused and disappointed. Had Ross been able to build upon this background tension from Erick's life, the story could have had one of those sudden twists and turns that, say, Jonathan Kellerman and Patricia Cornwell do so effectively.However, to be fair, Ross writes in a style all her own, and such a comparison contrasts apples with oranges and doesn't do any of the aforementioned authors justice.Much as Jackson assumes the outsider role in his song, Erick is also in a similar situation. He has deliberately avoided all unnecessary contact with other people and has secluded himself, hermit-like, within his expansive walled-off estate. Both Jackson's and Erick's personas look upon humanity with cynicism and derision and privately declare that, without explicitly saying so, the woman to whom they are attracted could do better in their choice of a potential mate."Dark Knight in Disguise III" continues in the fine writing tradition that Ross has established. Her prolific writing style can be a bit repetitive at times, and a few usage errors distracted from the collective continuity within the book. However, she provides her readers with a lively, well-paced adventure that incorporates strong emotions and allows her characters to overcome very real tragedies in their lives, thus making them stronger in the process.