Murder At The Foul Line: Original Tales Of Hoop Dreams And Deaths From Today's Great Writers (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Basketball is my all time favorite sport and when i found out that there was a murder anthology dedicated to the game featuring the editing talents of Otto Penzler, i knew i had to get it. Fortunately my girlfriend bought me a copy and i enjoyed it, for the most part. not sure how to tackle reviewing anthologies seeing as some just choose to highlight their fave stories, bash their hated ones and leave the rest on the bench. i'll try to tackle each one individually to get a better spectrum of the writers:Keller's Double Dribble by Lawrence Block: This tale revolves around an assassin's attempt at knocking-off a pacers fan. Like how the main character just goes through life with a dullness despite his exciting profession. He even collects stamps for a hobby! Enjoyed this story and will put it in my top 5 faves from the anthology.Nothing But Net by Jeffery Deaver: This story filled with twists and turns feature con men and a baller who hates paying taxes. But who cons whom? I'll be sure to look for more of Deaver's full novels if his short stories are this good.Bank Shot by Sue DeNymme: Easily my least favorite tale about a gambler in deep trouble trying to pawn his wife's watch to cover a bet. Real letdown of an ending. Let's hope miss "Denymme" stays anonymous.The Taste of Silver by Brendan DuBois: A bitter sweet story of revenge with a former b-ball legend and a tale of lost pride. Liked this story but not too much to say about it.Fear of Failure by Parnell Hall: A representative from a law firm visits a dead college players family to fill out some paper work when he receives a call telling him the case is closed due to drugs found in the victims body, meaning all claims are null and void. But something seems fishy when he stays on the case and finds out the player has a heart condition and witnesses telling him doesn't use. A good story.Cat's Paw by Laurie R. King: Repressed memories and roadkill make up this tale of a girl's basketball coach haunted by visions of the past. A nice, dark mood throughout.Mrs. Cash by Mike Lupica: This brings up issues i have with stories using real world subjects like using the orlando magic as the backdrop for cheating superstar husbands. If a fictional team was used instead it would have been fine but why go through the effort of creating a new league in a separate universe when you can just take from real life? Of course the story doesn't help when the main characters are so unlikeable.White Trash Noir by Michael Malone: Domestic abuse from a former NCAA star leads to murder as told through the eye of the victim's long suffering wife. You feel for her with all the troubles she goes through in the aftermath.Galahad, INC by Joan H. Parker and Robert B. Parker: My favorite out of the anthology featuring married detectives who try to clear the name of a college player charged with molestation charges. Love how non-PC the characters are and the witty word play between them and the other characters. A must read section!String Music by George Pelecanos: Streetball tiffs are the contents of this story. Told from the the perspectives of an urban youth and a veteran beat officer, it's interesting seeing two sides of the same sad story of street life. Mamzer by R. D. Rosen: No-nonsense jew tells his grandson of the glory days of the jewish basketball league and the dangers within. Another story i'd recommend, with the larger than life grandfather's tale a real gem.Shots by S. J. Rozan: The longest story in the anthology and easily the most boring. A whodunnit detective tale that left me disappointed, seeing as i figured out who the killer was about 1/3 of the way through. One of the biggest sins to me in mysteries is figuring out who the killer is without putting too much thought into it.In The Zone by Justin Scott: At first i thought this was a comedy but later turned out to be much darker than i initially thought. Read this from beginning to end for full effect. A little pretentious but worth your time.Bubba by Stephen Solomita: A great story about prison league ball to finish the collection. A drug deal during the game goes bad went the coke is stolen and the go-between is found murdered. The title character gets to the bottom of things while covering bets on the rematch. A bad-ass setting for a basketball story, the main character draws you into the world of upscale prison life and corruption. What works really works and the cool thing is the story themes are connected to basketball in varying degrees from being the main focus to just a side thought. Penzler knows how to pick them.
Book DescriptionWhen murder, msytery and suspense are thrown onto the court, basketball can become a deadly game. Amazing athletic displays, astronomical salaries, outrageous bets, rich and famous owners, coaches, managers and groupies...all are part of the game of hoops and appear in this collection, the fifth in the popular series by noted mystery anthologist Otto Penzler. With contributions from the finest names in crime and suspense writing today, including Alexie Sherman, Harlen Coben, Jeffery Deaver, Brendan DuBois, Lawrence Block, Laurie R. King and more...this latest collection is sure to please hoops fans and mystery lovers both.
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