Open Season

This twisty mystery from Schindler (Murder Across the Street) will catch even veteran whodunit readers off guard. The night after the Golden Rockets Little League team wins the last spring tournament, making them the top-ranked squad on Long Island’s North Shore, a groundskeeper finds the bludgeoned corpse of head coach Wayne Savage on the home plate of a baseball field belonging to the Fort Jefferson Youth Organization. Savage inspired strong positive and negative reactions, giving police detective Jonas no shortage of suspects. They include Savage’s widow, who wastes little time after her husband’s death to start flirting online with an assistant coach for the Golden Rockets. The murder also brings into the open problems at the youth organization, including nepotism and bullying, further muddying the investigative waters. Schindler makes effective use of transcripts of chats of the team members as a choruslike device. Her plausible depiction of the interpersonal dynamics surrounding a competitive youth sports team enhances her clever solution. Readers will hope for a sequel. [em](BookLife) [/em]