Double Reverse

Ex-pro-football player Green, author of the nonfiction NFL expos The Dark Side of Paradise, sets his fifth novel in the high-stakes world of NFL football. The cast of characters in this fast-paced thriller says it all: Angel Cassidy, a Hollywood playgirl out for kicks up until her grisly end; Conrad Dobbins, a shady pro sports agent; African-American Trane Jones, Dobbins's one big client, the key figure in a lucrative campaign for a new athletic shoe; Kurt Lunden, the scheming shoe manufacturer; Clark Cromwell, a born-again NFL journeyman; and a couple of stoned killers who like nothing better than racking up a large body count. When Trane is accused of Angel's murder, Madison McCall--ace trial lawyer, athletics agent and familiar from her appearance in previous Green novels--takes on his defense, though she disapproves of his brutal treatment of women. Meanwhile, Trane is capitalizing on his notoriety in TV ads (""Zeus Shoes... they're killer"") and sales go through the roof. The sudden appearance of a videotape clears Trane, and suspicion falls on his teammate, Clark Cromwell, who once had a relationship with Angel, too. Readers will probably not be surprised that good-hearted (to the point of goofiness) Clark is being framed. But NFL commentator and USA Today columnist Green knows the territory and he leads us briskly right through the bloody, satisfying climax. (Aug.)