Baseball fans will welcome Shefchik’s second mystery to feature sports sleuth Sam Skarda (after 2007’s Amen Corner
). A claim that the Boston Red Sox’ victory in the 2004 World Series resulted from a fix takes Sam from Minneapolis to Boston, L.A. and Caracas as he fends off hit men and fights the clock: he has five days to break the case before Red Sox owner “Lucky” Louie Kenwood must pay an extortionist $50 million. Otherwise, a confession from a key St. Louis Cardinal player will reveal the Sox victory to have been a sham, thereby disgracing—if not destroying—Major League Baseball. Kenwood’s executive assistant, the beautiful and brainy Heather Canby, helps Sam investigate, while Fenway Park’s iconic “Green Monster” provides the setting for two climactic scenes. Like a pitcher changing speeds, Shefchik takes enough off his characterizations to avoid straight-out stereotypes, and he spins a fair simile now and then—a pitch he should add to his regular repertoire. (Sept.)
