TITLE INFORMATION
MURDER ON THE MOUND
David Feldman
Lulu (260 pp.)
$32.40 hardcover, $15.40 paperback, $8.99 e-book
ISBN: 978-1-68471-441-4
November 26, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
In this whodunit, a shortstop-turned-lawyer tries to prove his best friend’s innocence.
Scott Davis, a college baseball star at Stanford, was one of the two best players on the premier team in the country.
Drafted by the Boston Red Sox, he becomes their starting shortstop, American League MVP, and a World Series
champion. But when Scott blows out his knee, his career is over, and he tries to pivot to a new job as an attorney. The
other Stanford star, Doug Simons, is Scott’s best friend. The two of them become brothers-in-law when they marry twin
sisters, Debbie and Jackie Gordon. Doug’s pro career gets off to a slower start, as he fails to manage his fast ways and
stay faithful to Jackie. One day, a threatening letter arrives for Doug. It contains an ominous promise from an unknown
man: “One day you will pay for what you’ve done.” Evidently, Doug got the man’s wife pregnant; a botched abortion
nearly killed her. Doug and Scott don’t take the threat seriously. As Scott thinks to himself, “what maniac seeking
revenge would ever hint before they strike?” Seven years later, it’s spring training in Peoria, Arizona, and Doug’s
showing promise as a San Diego Padres pitcher. Scott has opened a law practice with his father. And Jackie is having an
affair with Pete Marcus, Doug’s teammate and mentor. When Pete is brutally murdered, the liaison comes to light and
Doug becomes a suspect. Carl Craven, the detective on the case for the much maligned Peoria Police Department,
investigates. Feldman is an economical writer with a particular knack for courtroom drama. He ambitiously weaves
several strands of plot together and assembles a rich cast of characters in the telling, including Scott and Doug. As a
minor league manager reflects about Doug, “the kid was blessed with amazing talent, but he was going to throw it all
away over a bottle of booze and an endless string of women.” Though certain storylines don’t deserve the attention they
get, in the end, the author brings the tale to a satisfying, tidy conclusion.
An engaging mystery featuring friendship, revenge, and America’s pastime.
Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 2600 Via Fortuna Suite 130 Austin, TX 78746
indie@kirkusreviews.com
