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Double Play: A Thriller
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About the Author

Robert B. Parker was the author of seventy books, including the legendary Spenser detective series, the Jesse Stone series, and the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch Westerns. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award and long considered the undisputed dean of American crime fiction, he died in January 2010.

Reviews

Praise for Double Play

“A noirish take on the Jackie Robinson story...engrossing...a refreshing change of pace.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“Told with lean brilliance...The prose and dialogue are clipped, the images cold and dark as anything in 1940s noir, and yet between the lines beats a pulse of heart and hope. Finding out if they exist to be nurtured or snuffed is one reason these pages turn so quickly.”—New York Daily News
 
“Gracefully written...Parker weaves an engaging, fast-paced tale.”—USA Today
 
“Honest and vivid.”—Sports Illustrated
 
“Intelligent crime fiction...A crisp and insistent story line that gets you to the finish in a hurry. Mr. Parker’s tight prose style makes Hemingway seem almost blabby by comparison. It will probably help reinforce Mr. Parker’s reputation as one of the best crime fiction writers around. And give lots of readers a few hours of pleasure.”—The Washington Times

“Robert B. Parker hits a grand slam with his approach to the story of Jackie Robinson. This is a beautiful book, an important novel that helps us remember what it was like for those who fought the good fight in World War II, what racism was like in the bad old days, and a tale of the healing of a broken heart. The writing is like engraving the highest quality crystal; Parker guides the light to show us his levels of meaning.”—The Miami Herald

“Superb...Parker, always a clean writer, has never written so spare and tight a book; this should be required reading for all aspiring storytellers. Parker fans will recognize with joy many of the author’s lifelong themes (primarily, honor and the redemptive power of love), and in the Burke/Robinson dynamic, echoes of Spenser/Hawk (the PI’s black colleague). Here they will treasure the very essence of Parker in a masterful recreation of a turbulent era that’s not only a great and gripping crime novel but also one of the most evocative baseball novels ever written.”—Publishers Weekly

In this standalone historical from Parker, it is 1947, and the Brooklyn Dodgers have signed Jackie Robinson at first base. While a young Bobby Parker (that is, the author) avidly follows the national pastime, Joseph Burke, a shell-shocked World War II veteran, is working as a bodyguard in New York City. Emotionally stunted, Joseph lives in a world devoid of feeling-until he becomes Robinson's bodyguard. His confrontations with violent bigots as well as his own demons make up the main story line of Parker's baseball homage (besides the author and Jackie Robinson, it features real-life people like Branch Rickey, the Dodgers' then general manager). Bobby's life, family, and love of baseball are separate from that thread but just as compelling. The creator of the popular Spenser series, Parker knows how to tell a story and does his usual masterly job here; it will prove exciting even to those who are indifferent to baseball. Recommended for all libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/03.]-Fred M. Gervat, formerly with Concordia Coll. Lib., Bronxville, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Praise for Double Play

"A noirish take on the Jackie Robinson story...engrossing...a refreshing change of pace."-
Entertainment Weekly


"Told with lean brilliance...The prose and dialogue are clipped, the images cold and dark as anything in 1940s noir, and yet between the lines beats a pulse of heart and hope. Finding out if they exist to be nurtured or snuffed is one reason these pages turn so quickly."-New York Daily News

"Gracefully written...Parker weaves an engaging, fast-paced tale."-USA Today

"Honest and vivid."-Sports Illustrated

"Intelligent crime fiction...A crisp and insistent story line that gets you to the finish in a hurry. Mr. Parker's tight prose style makes Hemingway seem almost blabby by comparison. It will probably help reinforce Mr. Parker's reputation as one of the best crime fiction writers around. And give lots of readers a few hours of pleasure."-The Washington Times

"Robert B. Parker hits a grand slam with his approach to the story of Jackie Robinson. This is a beautiful book, an important novel that helps us remember what it was like for those who fought the good fight in World War II, what racism was like in the bad old days, and a tale of the healing of a broken heart. The writing is like engraving the highest quality crystal; Parker guides the light to show us his levels of meaning."-The Miami Herald

"Superb...Parker, always a clean writer, has never written so spare and tight a book; this should be required reading for all aspiring storytellers. Parker fans will recognize with joy many of the author's lifelong themes (primarily, honor and the redemptive power of love), and in the Burke/Robinson dynamic, echoes of Spenser/Hawk (the PI's black colleague). Here they will treasure the very essence of Parker in a masterful recreation of a turbulent era that's not only a great and gripping crime novel but also one of the most evocative baseball novels ever written."-Publishers Weekly

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