Dance with the Devil

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Hollywood producer Danny Dennison, 55, keeps his Jewish birthright a secret and bitterly endures the dissolution of his joyless marriage; fortunately, he falls for a quintessential whore-with-a-heart-of-gold whose unconditional love allows him to own up to his identity. PW lamented Douglas's reliance on cliches to put flesh on most characters but called this ``a sometimes spellbinding, solidly commercial tale.'' (Sept.)

Library Journal

Readers of Douglas's autobiography, The Ragman's Son (LJ 10/15/88), will speculate on the parallels in his first novel, which also chronicles the rise to fame of a Russian-Jewish emigre in Hollywood moviedom. The first half of the book alternates chapters about Moishe, who becomes director Danny Dennison, with the story of Luba, a Polish refugee who uses sex as a survival tool. She is a London prostitute when she first encounters the successful but unhappy protagonist, and he is at once captivated by her honest charm and the stories she tells about her hardknocks past. Luba makes Danny realize that he has prostituted his talent and denied a long-suppressed secret. This awkward attempt at fiction is devoid of both style and substance, but public libraries should anticipate high demand from the legion of Douglas's fans. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/90.--Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.