Return to Dead City
This review is from: Return to Dead City (Kindle Edition) Mike Reuther's book is a gritty look at a flawed city which is transitioning from a once attractive hard working neighborhood burg to one that has decayed into a refuge for "city" drug dealers. The consequences and collateral damage to the residents are too much for them to bear. Jobs are diminishing, corruption is rampant. The town's only tourist attraction, a minor league ball park and players, are a metaphor for the burg itself. It is in badly need of gentrification.
Then one of the players is murdered and the protagonist P.I. Crager is mysteriously hired to solve the murder that an overwhelmed police force is unable to do. Crager fits the mold of the town. He too is flawed. He was a former cop who got out before his pension vested and lives more on alcoholic calories than from food. He is tormented by his past. He hangs out at a local bar named Reds' with some of the unemployed or half crazy river rats who spend endless hours there. When he eats at Myrna's for breakfast, it is usually after a binge or after spending the wee small hours of the morning with his so called girlfriend Pat. Crager doesn't like attachments except when he is on the job.
But Crager is no dumb drunk. He is aggressive, indeed reckless in his pursuit of the murderer. Suspects abound in this noir "whodunit". Which one has the most compelling motive and will Crager live to solve the case.
I enjoyed the atmosphere created by Reuther and the mix of baseball, corruption, investigative work, and trying to guess the outcome. It's a good read.(You'll also see how Reuther gets his own name in the book; likely a job fantasy of sorts
The Pitch that Killed
An engrossing and fascinating story of the tragically sad end to the life of one of baseball's most popular players Ray Chappie Chapman.The book chronicles the 1920 pennant race in the American League and brings to life the personalities of greats like Tris Speaker and his Cleveland team that beat the Babe and his Yankee team despite the death of their shortstop in August.
It is a little known story that grabs your heart because you know that no matter how much you hope for a change in the historical record, Carl Mays the man that everybody found easy to despise was still going to throw a pitch that killed the beloved Chappie.
It is fascinating to read about the personal loss to his teammates and the emotional havoc that it created for them in human terms. Yet we get to feel that Chappie was still celebrating when the pennant is clnched in the form of rookie replacement Joe Sewell who takes it upon himself to embody the spirit of the fallen leader.
This is a book that captures baseball in the early 20th century and makes the game and personalities of the players inriguing
A Pitch For Justice
I watched a Phillies and Mets game in 2010 and saw the Mets reaction to a take-out slide by Chase Utley of the Phillies towards Rueben Tejada the Mets shorstop. There had been bad blood between the two teams since 2007. I began to fear for Utley and the genesis for my novel soon followed.
What would happen in today's society if a manager ordered his pitcher to intentionally try to disable an opposing batter with a pitch? What if the pitch turned into a lethal bean ball?
Would the victim's family or the press demand a criminal investigation? If so, what would be the appropriate charge?
If there were criminal charges, what impact would that have for the way the game of baseball is played?
Would pitchers be fearful of throwing high and inside pitches? Would they fear that a prosecutor would be watching over their shoulder? Would baseball fans believe it was just part of the game or would the public see the bean ball as retaliation and no different from the motive in any criminal case?These questions are debated and vetted in my novel A Pitch for Justice
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
"A Pitch For Justice" was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. From one who is somewhat of a novice both in baseball and legal jargon, I found the book to be very educational in both areas. The author's clever use of legal and baseball terms keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. This book will make the reader feel like they are part of the unfolding drama from each detailed description of the characters to the gripping drama of the legal battle at the conclusion. The author is adept at combining his in-depth legal expertise with his love for baseball resulting in a book that will leave any reader anxious to see what comes next. Even if you know little about baseball and the intricacies of courtroom drama, you will feel like you graduated after reading this book! The reader will be drawn in by the emotions played out in the book and may even feel like they are part of the story - even feeling like a juror hearing the arguments both in favor and against the defendant - a true testament to the author's amazing literary talent.
This book will keep you entertained from cover to cover!
“It may be a kid’s game, but it is played by adults who are armed with a potentially deadly weapon. I ask you to listen to the judge’s description of the definition of a deadly weapon because you have the right to draw a conclusion that by using a deadly weapon, the defendant Charles’ purpose was to cause serious bodily injury resulting in death. Pass the ball around again and imagine the impact that would cause at 95mph at just 60 feet away, and you will have no question in your minds that it qualifies as a deadly weapon
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Jaime Brooks the lead prosecutor in the case against the major league pitcher on trial for a fatal pitch in A Pitch For Justice.