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Hard Lines
Earning a D-1 football scholarship was gratifying. Leading his new team into the top ten was stunning. Being charged with rape and suspended indefinitely was terrifying.
Jake Zarephath hadn’t seen it coming when his world explodes after a wild night with Robin Dunellen. The campus erupts when the story goes public, but local sportswriter Hamilton Newton trusts his instincts and accepts Jake's denial. Jake is angry and confused, but everything changes after Newton discovers Robin’s horrifying past and nightmarish present. Something is very wrong at Appalachian University.
When crunch time comes it’s all moving so fast that Jake can’t remember who he can trust. But with a championship within reach and somebody’s soul on the line, there’s no time to wait for everyone to choose up sides.
Jake Zarephath hadn’t seen it coming when his world explodes after a wild night with Robin Dunellen. The campus erupts when the story goes public, but local sportswriter Hamilton Newton trusts his instincts and accepts Jake's denial. Jake is angry and confused, but everything changes after Newton discovers Robin’s horrifying past and nightmarish present. Something is very wrong at Appalachian University.
When crunch time comes it’s all moving so fast that Jake can’t remember who he can trust. But with a championship within reach and somebody’s soul on the line, there’s no time to wait for everyone to choose up sides.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2012
3 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 30, 2013
COLLEGE FOOTBALL CORRUPTION EXPOSED!
I am not familiar with this author and I usually read an author’s bio and tend to pick books if they have a background in sports. This author has some background being a coach for kids’ sports, but no formal training that I can see. However, I took an interest in this book because it deals with college sports. As many of you know, college sports are sure getting its share of headlines.
It starts off with Jake Zarephath and Robin Dunellen going to a party. As all college parties go, both of them drank too much and slept over at the host’s home. Jake woke up the next morning only to find Robin gone.
The story picks up with Jake talking to his roommate about what happened to him at the party. Po (the roommate) wants Jake to call Robin to find out if she was okay. Jake explains why he hesitates to call. He explains about the family he left behind for college football. His ex-girlfriend and baby lived with his mother and he didn’t want any more bad news.
Things get interesting when Jake comes back from a football game and the athletic officials wanted to talk with him. He finds out that they know about what happened at the party. But, they waited to talk about the potential rape case until after Jake’s football game so he would not lose focus. Did you catch that? The college athletic officials put a game before a rape investigation. Just so everyone knows, this is more fact then fiction!
Jake became friends with a newspaper reporter and he gave him a warning. He said that the college lawyer was “legit”, but the other man, Phillip Chatham, is a consultant who was not employed by the college. He was brought it to clean up “messes” for the University.
Phillip Chatham has a talk with the University Lawyer. If this isn’t an eye opener to the politics of college athletics, then nothing else will be!
"This university is more important than your client, and right now this university needs the team to keep winning," Chatham said, glowering across the table. "You don't want to forget that. This university is paying me to make sure your client stays out of jail for the next three months. I'll do whatever I have to do. That's my job. After that, it's up to you. Knock yourself out. But take my word on this. Right here, right now, my job is more important than your job."
Conifer, Dave (2012-10-08). Hard Lines (p. 91). Kindle Edition.
Robin has an interesting background. Robin Dunellen wasn't her birth name. She’d been born to a teenage mother and grown up as Kelly Brigantine after being named by her aunt, who took her in as an infant.
Robin/Kelly used to go to a different college where she was raped by a basketball and a football player. Phillip Chatham was hired at the college to do his usual dirty work – making the problems of the college’s football team go away. Robin ended up leaving her college and ended up meeting Jake after her transfer.
Robin didn't feel that Jake did the accused act. After talking to a psychologist, she was told that something must have triggered memories of her previous rape.
In the beginning, it was a professor from the college who met her in the hospital and forced Robin to press charges. Professor Linden stated that he wouldn’t leave until she did so. Later on, Robin went to the Police to withdraw her statement and the case was dropped. She knew that this incident didn’t occur, but felt pressure to make her statement.
The ending was a little overboard. The author wanted a white picket fence type of ending which gave the last part of the book a “too good to be true” scenario. The only real life event noted was:
“The committee at Southwestern University wrote a report condemning the lack of investigation and diligence by those who had been in power when Robin was raped, but concluded that too much time had passed and too much evidence had been lost to pursue criminal charges. The football player who committed the second rape refused to comment on the report, as did the NFL team that employed him. The basketball players who had participated in the first rape were never identified.”
Conifer, Dave (2012-10-08). Hard Lines . Kindle Edition.
Now that’s more realistic! This is such a great subject with the unusual twist of a football player who actually was innocent. My “five star” part of the review is appreciating how much the author knows about the political college sports machine. But just like another book that I have read recently (BOOST), it has too much filler!
Jake was falsely accused of rape. A rare situation indeed! He had a rough time for a while at the college until he was cleared by the D.A. While this is understandable and should be noted in the story line, it dwells too long on the issue and made the story stall out.
The second dragged out part was almost a play by play football game. Now I am interested in this sport, but this is a story and the author should have wrote a more abbreviated form of the game events.
One last thought about the football game scene. This book was written in 2012 and the author still uses an old saying that needs to be out of every player’s vocabulary.
Jake fell and hurt his head and his knee. The trainer was more worried about the knee. I did the teenage eye roll! It got worse when Jake said that he, “just got my bell rung. I’m okay”. And back in the game he goes!
I’m a personal trainer and if any player reads this, know this is not how it’s done. And we no longer use the above terminology. Please be sure that your trainers are sound!
I am not familiar with this author and I usually read an author’s bio and tend to pick books if they have a background in sports. This author has some background being a coach for kids’ sports, but no formal training that I can see. However, I took an interest in this book because it deals with college sports. As many of you know, college sports are sure getting its share of headlines.
It starts off with Jake Zarephath and Robin Dunellen going to a party. As all college parties go, both of them drank too much and slept over at the host’s home. Jake woke up the next morning only to find Robin gone.
The story picks up with Jake talking to his roommate about what happened to him at the party. Po (the roommate) wants Jake to call Robin to find out if she was okay. Jake explains why he hesitates to call. He explains about the family he left behind for college football. His ex-girlfriend and baby lived with his mother and he didn’t want any more bad news.
Things get interesting when Jake comes back from a football game and the athletic officials wanted to talk with him. He finds out that they know about what happened at the party. But, they waited to talk about the potential rape case until after Jake’s football game so he would not lose focus. Did you catch that? The college athletic officials put a game before a rape investigation. Just so everyone knows, this is more fact then fiction!
Jake became friends with a newspaper reporter and he gave him a warning. He said that the college lawyer was “legit”, but the other man, Phillip Chatham, is a consultant who was not employed by the college. He was brought it to clean up “messes” for the University.
Phillip Chatham has a talk with the University Lawyer. If this isn’t an eye opener to the politics of college athletics, then nothing else will be!
"This university is more important than your client, and right now this university needs the team to keep winning," Chatham said, glowering across the table. "You don't want to forget that. This university is paying me to make sure your client stays out of jail for the next three months. I'll do whatever I have to do. That's my job. After that, it's up to you. Knock yourself out. But take my word on this. Right here, right now, my job is more important than your job."
Conifer, Dave (2012-10-08). Hard Lines (p. 91). Kindle Edition.
Robin has an interesting background. Robin Dunellen wasn't her birth name. She’d been born to a teenage mother and grown up as Kelly Brigantine after being named by her aunt, who took her in as an infant.
Robin/Kelly used to go to a different college where she was raped by a basketball and a football player. Phillip Chatham was hired at the college to do his usual dirty work – making the problems of the college’s football team go away. Robin ended up leaving her college and ended up meeting Jake after her transfer.
Robin didn't feel that Jake did the accused act. After talking to a psychologist, she was told that something must have triggered memories of her previous rape.
In the beginning, it was a professor from the college who met her in the hospital and forced Robin to press charges. Professor Linden stated that he wouldn’t leave until she did so. Later on, Robin went to the Police to withdraw her statement and the case was dropped. She knew that this incident didn’t occur, but felt pressure to make her statement.
The ending was a little overboard. The author wanted a white picket fence type of ending which gave the last part of the book a “too good to be true” scenario. The only real life event noted was:
“The committee at Southwestern University wrote a report condemning the lack of investigation and diligence by those who had been in power when Robin was raped, but concluded that too much time had passed and too much evidence had been lost to pursue criminal charges. The football player who committed the second rape refused to comment on the report, as did the NFL team that employed him. The basketball players who had participated in the first rape were never identified.”
Conifer, Dave (2012-10-08). Hard Lines . Kindle Edition.
Now that’s more realistic! This is such a great subject with the unusual twist of a football player who actually was innocent. My “five star” part of the review is appreciating how much the author knows about the political college sports machine. But just like another book that I have read recently (BOOST), it has too much filler!
Jake was falsely accused of rape. A rare situation indeed! He had a rough time for a while at the college until he was cleared by the D.A. While this is understandable and should be noted in the story line, it dwells too long on the issue and made the story stall out.
The second dragged out part was almost a play by play football game. Now I am interested in this sport, but this is a story and the author should have wrote a more abbreviated form of the game events.
One last thought about the football game scene. This book was written in 2012 and the author still uses an old saying that needs to be out of every player’s vocabulary.
Jake fell and hurt his head and his knee. The trainer was more worried about the knee. I did the teenage eye roll! It got worse when Jake said that he, “just got my bell rung. I’m okay”. And back in the game he goes!
I’m a personal trainer and if any player reads this, know this is not how it’s done. And we no longer use the above terminology. Please be sure that your trainers are sound!
February 28, 2018
I really liked this book. It is so real-life that I sometimes had a hard time remembering it is fiction. It is about a college athlete faced with very serious criminal charges. I don't want to give away any more details but it is extremely relevant to today's campus life. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
November 15, 2012
Jake Zarephath's life couldn't be better. He's the star player for the Appalachian University football team. For the first time in years, the team actually has a chance to go all the way to the state championship, mostly thanks to Jake's peerless athletic skills. What makes it extra sweet is that they told him he couldn't do it. A star player in High School, college scouts called him too small for Division 1. As a result he lingered around in a Junior College for two years until he caught the eye of Appalachian. It wasn't an easy road for Jake, but he's proven them wrong. He has the respect of his teammates, coaches, the sports media and the entire school. He's living the dream--until he wakes up one morning in a strange room after a party he went to with Robin, a quiet and mysterious acquaintance of his. When she's not in the room the following morning, he thinks nothing of it and goes about his business, attending classes and football practice. Everything's seemingly normal until two police officers come knocking on the door.
Robin has accused Jake of rape. From that point on, his world begins to tear apart at the seams and even the people who seem to be on his side have their own agenda.
Much like his novel E-Bully, Conifer writes another gripping story that is also very topical, but where e-bully dealt with cyber bullying and its affect on teens, Hard Lines deals heavily with the juggernaut that is high level college sports. College sports are big business. They mean money for the school and national recognition. There are some people that are willing to do just about anything to bury things that could sully the school's reputation. With headlines about college scandals like that of Penn State so fresh in the collective memory, Hard Lines has that `ripped from the headlines' feel.
While Hard Lines uses football as a backdrop, it's also about choices and their consequences. As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished--a theme that overlays every facet of the novel--and sometimes the people who say they're looking out for you aren't always as sincere as they seem. When Jake starts to go against the establishment, he finds that out the hard way.
Of course, without well written characters, the story--no matter how good--wouldn't mean much. As always, Conifer pens a well written cast. Jake is upstanding and likeable, but naïve to a fault. Robin is reserved and troubled. The supporting cast, including the coaches, administration, teammates, and even some of the local sports media are also a pleasure to read, each with their own mannerisms and agendas.
As for the writing style, it's clean and fast. The dialogue pops and conversations are genuine. There are several football game sequences and Conifer writes them in such a way that the reader will feel like they're inside Jake's helmet, playing in front of thousands of people, always on the verge of making a huge play. In addition, he really puts his characters through the wringer at just the right times, which helps ratchet up the tension more and more as the book progresses. There are many times when Jake wonders who he can trust; you can't help but get inside the heads of his point of view characters.
Conifer's not afraid to do things differently. He doesn't just write thrillers or mysteries. He covers a broad range of subjects. From his twist on the Kennedy assassination in `Man of Steel' to topical fiction like `E-bully', to mystery thrillers like `Primary Justice' and the revenge heavy and twisted `Wrecker', Dave Conifer proves again with Hard Lines that he's got a large bag of tricks and the ability to put them on paper.
Hard Lines is a fantastic Sampson and Goliath story, filled with well drawn characters, tight plot and fast flow. Conifer is an excellent writer and I wouldn't be surprised if he breaks big, sooner rather than later. And who knows? Hard Line could be the catalyst for that. Highly recommended.
Robin has accused Jake of rape. From that point on, his world begins to tear apart at the seams and even the people who seem to be on his side have their own agenda.
Much like his novel E-Bully, Conifer writes another gripping story that is also very topical, but where e-bully dealt with cyber bullying and its affect on teens, Hard Lines deals heavily with the juggernaut that is high level college sports. College sports are big business. They mean money for the school and national recognition. There are some people that are willing to do just about anything to bury things that could sully the school's reputation. With headlines about college scandals like that of Penn State so fresh in the collective memory, Hard Lines has that `ripped from the headlines' feel.
While Hard Lines uses football as a backdrop, it's also about choices and their consequences. As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished--a theme that overlays every facet of the novel--and sometimes the people who say they're looking out for you aren't always as sincere as they seem. When Jake starts to go against the establishment, he finds that out the hard way.
Of course, without well written characters, the story--no matter how good--wouldn't mean much. As always, Conifer pens a well written cast. Jake is upstanding and likeable, but naïve to a fault. Robin is reserved and troubled. The supporting cast, including the coaches, administration, teammates, and even some of the local sports media are also a pleasure to read, each with their own mannerisms and agendas.
As for the writing style, it's clean and fast. The dialogue pops and conversations are genuine. There are several football game sequences and Conifer writes them in such a way that the reader will feel like they're inside Jake's helmet, playing in front of thousands of people, always on the verge of making a huge play. In addition, he really puts his characters through the wringer at just the right times, which helps ratchet up the tension more and more as the book progresses. There are many times when Jake wonders who he can trust; you can't help but get inside the heads of his point of view characters.
Conifer's not afraid to do things differently. He doesn't just write thrillers or mysteries. He covers a broad range of subjects. From his twist on the Kennedy assassination in `Man of Steel' to topical fiction like `E-bully', to mystery thrillers like `Primary Justice' and the revenge heavy and twisted `Wrecker', Dave Conifer proves again with Hard Lines that he's got a large bag of tricks and the ability to put them on paper.
Hard Lines is a fantastic Sampson and Goliath story, filled with well drawn characters, tight plot and fast flow. Conifer is an excellent writer and I wouldn't be surprised if he breaks big, sooner rather than later. And who knows? Hard Line could be the catalyst for that. Highly recommended.
October 14, 2012
The author sent me this book just a couple of days ago asking if I'd read and review it and I honestly had plans to toss it to the side for a while, but for some reason I kept being drawn to reading it. Finally, last night, I gave in and just started reading the darn thing already. I knew from the blurb that it was going to be a tough one.
Let me first say that I know a little less than nothing about football. There's a fair amount of that in there, but the Conifer does a decent job of not losing you in it. I figured out enough to know what I needed to know from it, however football fans might think that part is awesome, I just read it and nodded a lot because what does "rushing" mean, anyway? And who cares? Take your time people, sheesh. (sorry, bad joke)... anyway...
The central story is one that we all hear now and then on the news... athletic superstar accused of rape, denies it, accuser is strewn through the mud, who knows what goes on in the background and half the time it just disappears into the ether and we forget all about it, right?
So, what is it that goes on in the background? The author comes up with a story that, while you don't want to believe it's possibly true, you cannot help but feel a nasty ulcer festering in your stomach that this kind of stuff happens. Probably more often than we could ever want it to. The interesting part is that it all could have been avoided if not for the converging of so many lives of so many people at the wrong place and the wrong time.
It's not an easy read, in many ways. It's tough in places. BUT it was a fast read. I managed to read it in less than 24 hours because I simply could not put it down. I cared about these character - all of them - and I needed to know that they were going to be okay.
The bad? The ending. Too trite, too perfect and WAY too far out of left field for me. Having said that, I'm notorious for hating endings like this, but yet if you don't tell me what happens, I complain about that too. You simply will never make me happy. BUT this one really went a little overboard for me. It does NOT detract from the story or the work at all though, the story is still very much there, very relevant and very much needed to be written.
Recommended for those that enjoy not only timely fiction, but a little bit of a mystery/thriller as well.
Let me first say that I know a little less than nothing about football. There's a fair amount of that in there, but the Conifer does a decent job of not losing you in it. I figured out enough to know what I needed to know from it, however football fans might think that part is awesome, I just read it and nodded a lot because what does "rushing" mean, anyway? And who cares? Take your time people, sheesh. (sorry, bad joke)... anyway...
The central story is one that we all hear now and then on the news... athletic superstar accused of rape, denies it, accuser is strewn through the mud, who knows what goes on in the background and half the time it just disappears into the ether and we forget all about it, right?
So, what is it that goes on in the background? The author comes up with a story that, while you don't want to believe it's possibly true, you cannot help but feel a nasty ulcer festering in your stomach that this kind of stuff happens. Probably more often than we could ever want it to. The interesting part is that it all could have been avoided if not for the converging of so many lives of so many people at the wrong place and the wrong time.
It's not an easy read, in many ways. It's tough in places. BUT it was a fast read. I managed to read it in less than 24 hours because I simply could not put it down. I cared about these character - all of them - and I needed to know that they were going to be okay.
The bad? The ending. Too trite, too perfect and WAY too far out of left field for me. Having said that, I'm notorious for hating endings like this, but yet if you don't tell me what happens, I complain about that too. You simply will never make me happy. BUT this one really went a little overboard for me. It does NOT detract from the story or the work at all though, the story is still very much there, very relevant and very much needed to be written.
Recommended for those that enjoy not only timely fiction, but a little bit of a mystery/thriller as well.
January 1, 2013
This is a book about a college football player caught in the middle of a possibly career ending scandal.
But there's another, more disturbing, element here: to what lengths will a university go to cover itself?
The story is good enough to keep you interested, whether you know (or like) football, and the "inner-workings" of a Div 1 athletic program just add meat to the novel.
I picked this quick read up for .99 at Amazon. It's better than many books I've paid full price for. A great way, too, to help football fans get a football fix with the end of the season looming! It's a dollar well spent.
But there's another, more disturbing, element here: to what lengths will a university go to cover itself?
The story is good enough to keep you interested, whether you know (or like) football, and the "inner-workings" of a Div 1 athletic program just add meat to the novel.
I picked this quick read up for .99 at Amazon. It's better than many books I've paid full price for. A great way, too, to help football fans get a football fix with the end of the season looming! It's a dollar well spent.
January 23, 2013
Another great read by Dave Conifer. Hard Lines is an apt title for what takes place within its pages.
In a matter of minutes Jake's life comes crashing down around him and whether he was the cause of it or not, you will uncover as you read what can and does happen somewhere every day.
Because something from the beginning "scene" was left unexplained - something that is vital to the story, I cannot give this otherwise 5-star book, a 5-star review. Could be something the author leaves to the reader to figure out.
The very ending including the epilogue was a bit rushed.
In a matter of minutes Jake's life comes crashing down around him and whether he was the cause of it or not, you will uncover as you read what can and does happen somewhere every day.
Because something from the beginning "scene" was left unexplained - something that is vital to the story, I cannot give this otherwise 5-star book, a 5-star review. Could be something the author leaves to the reader to figure out.
The very ending including the epilogue was a bit rushed.
November 8, 2021
This is a fascinating look at college sports
January 9, 2013
I really liked this book. It had a lot of "didn't see that coming" moments for me.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews