Jen Estes pulled me in within the first two pages. She combined, sports, mystery and humor in this Cat McDaniel Mystery. This is third book of the series. So of course I have to find the first two.
We follow the main character Cat McDaniel who is the sports writer for the Buffalo Solders baseball team. We also get to meet her half-brother Quinn. There are events that have Cat going in circles trying to keep the police at bay after one of the star player's falls off her balcony. Or does He? Cat is also dealing with the nightmares she is having of her up coming wedding to Benji.
Cat's nightmares are pretty funny. Benji wants to get married and he keeps finding different places to have the wedding. Cat of course because of the nightmares, keeps putting if off.
Jen Estes combines not only the game, but what goes on behind the scenes. I am sure that some of the things that happen are a little made up. But it does make you wonder how much of it is true. Since I am a baseball fan, I find myself thinking about my state's team. Do some of these things really happen?
Jen Estes' writing is great. If I can't get into a book within the first 50 pages, I put it down. But she had me right from the start. DOUBLE PLAY is a quick read, and I didn't find one boring moment in it. In reading DOUBLE PLAY, I put myself in Cat's position and was picturing players from my state's team. This is the kind of story that I like. When I can get into a book and become the main character, I know it will be a hit.
I feel that Jen Estes must be a baseball fan. Otherwise, this book would not be as good as it is. This being the third book in the series, it was not hard to get to know some of the other characters. Jen Estes gives you a quick review of who these people are. This was another item that I liked about her writing. It is really hard to read a book, and not be able to identify with the other characters from previous books. Jen Estes makes sure you can relate to who the other characters are.
I give DOUBLE PLAY a thumbs up and can't wait for the next one in the series to come out.
Team reporter Cat McDaniel finally has her perfect lineup in
Double Play. She's reporting for the playoff-bound
Buffalo Soldiers, she's living large in a two-bedroom loft
overlooking the Niagara River, and she's sporting a diamond
on her ring finger--nowhere as big as a baseball diamond,
but big enough for her.
Just when Cat seems to be on top of her game, life throws
her an off-speed pitch. A screwball clad in a leather jacket
and biker boots--also known as her half-brother and
full-leech, Quinn--shows up on her doorstep, or more
accurately, her balcony. Her fiance, Benji, although shocked
to find out he has a future brother-in-law, welcomes the
flighty Quinn, little knowing what havoc the man's boozing
and betting ways will wreak on their lives.
Soon after Quinn moves in, Cat's team's innings become his
fat winnings. As the long shots turn into locks and hundreds
turn into thousands, Cat's curiosity steps up to the plate.
Between the betting lines, she finds greedy gamesters,
desperate ballplayers and an enterprising bookie looking to
raise the stakes. Sometimes baseball isn't just a game,
it's
a matter of life or death.
No excerpt available.
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