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Willie Black #3
Parker Field
Les Hacker doesn't seem to have an enemy in the world - other than whoever tried to kill him with a high-powered rifle while he was sitting on a park bench six floors below Willie Black's living room window. Les is the closest thing Willie has had to a father figure in a checkered life of drinking, divorces and journalism. He certainly has better qualifications than any of the other mn Willie's mother, Peggy, took in over the years. Of course, as Willie would say, that would only make him a tall midget.
Now, with Les clinging to life, Willie decides to take a short sabbatical and do a story about his surrogate dad and the last minor league baseball team Les played on, the 1964 Richmond Virginians.
There's only one problem. As Willie tries to get in touch with other members of that team, he discovers that they are almost all below ground, most of them long before their allotted three-score and ten years. The cops already have Les's shooter in jail, a homeless guy who hangs out in the park. The shot was fired in his coat pocket, case closed. Willie's publishr and the police want him to stop wasting his time and theirs and get back on the beat. Willie becomes convicned, though, that someone, against all logic, is killing the entire starting lineup of a long-forgotten minor-league baseball team. And when Willie gets his teeth on the truth, he's a pit bull who won't let anything short of a shot to the head force him to let go.
In this third Willie Black novel, after Hammett Prize finalist Oregon Hill (2012 and The Philadelphia Quarry (2013) Howard Owen brings back his flawed, ink-stained hero, a reporter who seems to do his best work when he's chasing a story nobody else wants, who can be his own worst enemy and the underdog's best friend.
Now, with Les clinging to life, Willie decides to take a short sabbatical and do a story about his surrogate dad and the last minor league baseball team Les played on, the 1964 Richmond Virginians.
There's only one problem. As Willie tries to get in touch with other members of that team, he discovers that they are almost all below ground, most of them long before their allotted three-score and ten years. The cops already have Les's shooter in jail, a homeless guy who hangs out in the park. The shot was fired in his coat pocket, case closed. Willie's publishr and the police want him to stop wasting his time and theirs and get back on the beat. Willie becomes convicned, though, that someone, against all logic, is killing the entire starting lineup of a long-forgotten minor-league baseball team. And when Willie gets his teeth on the truth, he's a pit bull who won't let anything short of a shot to the head force him to let go.
In this third Willie Black novel, after Hammett Prize finalist Oregon Hill (2012 and The Philadelphia Quarry (2013) Howard Owen brings back his flawed, ink-stained hero, a reporter who seems to do his best work when he's chasing a story nobody else wants, who can be his own worst enemy and the underdog's best friend.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2014
About the author
Howard Owen
33 books69 followersHoward Owen was born March 1, 1949, in Fayetteville, N.C. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1971, journalism) and has a master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University (1981, English).
He and his wife since 1973, Karen Van Neste Owen (the former publisher of Van Neste Books), live in Richmond, Va. He was a newspaper reporter and editor for 44 years.
Owen won The Dashiell Hammett Prize for crime literature in the United States and Canada for Oregon Hill, his 10th novel.
His first novel, "Littlejohn," was written in 1989, when he was 40. It was bought by The Permanent Press and published in 1992. Random House bought it from The Permanent Press and reissued it as a Villard hardcover in 1993 and a Vintage Contemporary paperback in 1994. It was nominated for the Abbey Award (American Booksellers) and Discovery (Barnes & Noble) award for best new fiction. It has sold, in all, more than 50,000 copies. It has been printed in Japanese, French and Korean; it has been a Doubleday Book Club selection; audio and large-print editions have been issued, and movie option rights have been sold.
His second novel, "Fat Lightning," came out as a Permanent Press book in 1994. It was bought by HarperCollins and was reissued as a Harper Perennial paperback in 1996. It received a starred review from Publishers' Weekly.
His third novel, "Answers to Lucky," was published by HarperCollins as a hardcover in 1996 and as a paperback in 1997. It received favorable reviews in The New York Times, Southern Living, GW, Publishers' Weekly, the Atlanta Constitution, the Baltimore Sun, the Memphis Commercial Appeal and numerous other publications. It was included in "The Best Novels of the Nineties: A Reader’s Guide."
His fourth novel, "The Measured Man," was published in hardcover by HarperCollins in 1997. It was praised in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Publishers' Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, the Raleigh News & Observer, the Orlando Sentinel, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and many other publications. It was one of the LA Times Book Reviews’ "Recommended Titles" for 1997. It was included in "The Best Novels of the Nineties: A Reader’s Guide."
Owen's fifth novel, "Harry and Ruth," was published by The Permanent Press in September of 2000 to critical acclaim from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly and various weekly publications.
His sixth novel, "The Rail," was published in April of 2002. It is about (among other things) baseball and the parable of the talents. Owen won the 2002 Theresa Pollack Award for Words.
His seventh novel, "Turn Signal," was about a man whose muse drives him either to madness or to the best move he's ever made in his life. It came out in 2004 and was a Booksense selection for July of 2004.
His eighth novel, "Rock of Ages," is something of a sequel to his first novel, "Littlejohn." Georgia McCain returns to her hometown years after her father’s death to sell the family farm and finds herself immersed in baby-boomer guilt and a murder mystery. It was a Booksense pick for July of 2006.
His ninth novel, "The Reckoning," about ghosts of the ’60s, came out in late 2010 and received very positive reviews from, among others, Publishers Weekly and the New York Journal of Books.
His short story, "The Thirteenth Floor," part of "Richmond Noir," came out in early 2010.
The protagonist of “The Thirteenth Floor,” Willie Black, also is at the center of Owen’s 10th novel, “Oregon Hill,” which came in July of 2012 to very positive reviews in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and elsewhere. It's also an audio book.
Willie starred in future Owen novels: The Philadelphia Quarry (2013), Parker Field (2014), The Bottom (2015), Grace (2016) and The Devil's Triangle (2017). His 16th novel, Annie's Bones, comes out in April of 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 21, 2023
“La verità viene sempre a galla. Pensi di averla rinchiusa in una botte di ferro, poi ti giri e la vedi correre nuda in strada di fronte a tutti.”
Siamo al terzo capitolo della serie di Willie Black, reporter cocciuto e un po’ cialtrone, e ormai la sensazione è quella di ritrovare un vecchio amico. Con cui ti siedi volentieri a tavola e ben presto ritrovi la familiarità di un discorso noto, come suggerisce la traduttrice, Chiara Baffa.
Qui però incontriamo anche un argomento ostico a noi mediterranei: il baseball. Di cui gli americani vanno matti e di cui noi sappiamo e capiamo ben poco (per quanto mi riguarda il baseball sono solo le strisce dei Peanuts). Posso quindi capire la difficoltà dichiarata dalla traduttrice e la sua meticolosa applicazione a decifrare quel vocabolario e comprendere quel mondo.
Eppure. Nonostante la diffidenza iniziale la storia è talmente avvincente, intrigante e sorprendente che l’incantesimo del completo assorbimento si ripete, con rinnovata meraviglia.
Anche perché qui la vittima di un misterioso colpo di fucile è nientemeno che Les, il buon, vecchio (e spesso smemorato) Les, compagno stabile di Peggy, la tenera e stordita madre di Willie, e che per Willie, cresciuto senza un genitore, è ciò che più si avvicina all’idea (e al sentimento) di un padre.
Fra quel colpo di fucile e la storia di una celebre squadra di baseball di Richmond del 1964 c’è il segreto di Frannie, dolce ragazza di campagna che sognava un futuro felice e il cui sogno è stato brutalmente infranto (come una mazza di baseball in faccia, mi vien da dire).
Willie Black, con l’ostinazione consueta, ricostruirà l’incredibile vicenda che collega il lontano e brutale passato all’incerto presente. Rischiando la vita, come al solito.
Ma infine…
“Mentre percorro il lungo corridoio, il silenzio mi accompagna, interrotto soltanto dal rumore dei miei passi. Ho una storia da scrivere.”
E noi da leggere.
Siamo al terzo capitolo della serie di Willie Black, reporter cocciuto e un po’ cialtrone, e ormai la sensazione è quella di ritrovare un vecchio amico. Con cui ti siedi volentieri a tavola e ben presto ritrovi la familiarità di un discorso noto, come suggerisce la traduttrice, Chiara Baffa.
Qui però incontriamo anche un argomento ostico a noi mediterranei: il baseball. Di cui gli americani vanno matti e di cui noi sappiamo e capiamo ben poco (per quanto mi riguarda il baseball sono solo le strisce dei Peanuts). Posso quindi capire la difficoltà dichiarata dalla traduttrice e la sua meticolosa applicazione a decifrare quel vocabolario e comprendere quel mondo.
Eppure. Nonostante la diffidenza iniziale la storia è talmente avvincente, intrigante e sorprendente che l’incantesimo del completo assorbimento si ripete, con rinnovata meraviglia.
Anche perché qui la vittima di un misterioso colpo di fucile è nientemeno che Les, il buon, vecchio (e spesso smemorato) Les, compagno stabile di Peggy, la tenera e stordita madre di Willie, e che per Willie, cresciuto senza un genitore, è ciò che più si avvicina all’idea (e al sentimento) di un padre.
Fra quel colpo di fucile e la storia di una celebre squadra di baseball di Richmond del 1964 c’è il segreto di Frannie, dolce ragazza di campagna che sognava un futuro felice e il cui sogno è stato brutalmente infranto (come una mazza di baseball in faccia, mi vien da dire).
Willie Black, con l’ostinazione consueta, ricostruirà l’incredibile vicenda che collega il lontano e brutale passato all’incerto presente. Rischiando la vita, come al solito.
Ma infine…
“Mentre percorro il lungo corridoio, il silenzio mi accompagna, interrotto soltanto dal rumore dei miei passi. Ho una storia da scrivere.”
E noi da leggere.
May 3, 2014
Another Willie Black mystery, another great standalone drama of hard-drinking journalism and hard-hitting crime, and a wonderfully evocative literary novel founded in the history of baseball’s minor league, Howard Owen’s Parker Field is fascinating, absorbing and enjoyable.
Willie Black is a protagonist full of flaws, like a wonderful old house riddled with character and dry rot. He’s faithful, but easily tempted; he’s quickly wounded, then he wounds; and his dogged determination lands him in some seriously dangerous places. But he’s surely someone you’d want on your side if the world started falling apart. And he’s no more broken than the land where he lives, his wounded friend is no more forgetful than history, and the newspaper where Willie works is no more honest or dishonest than the cops.
The story’s told in first person with a convincingly cynical voice, reminiscent of old noir movies brought all up to date. Time and place feel vividly real, and authentic dialog carries the reader along with the protagonist, finding and following clues as he tries to guess at the history and mystery behind his friend's most unexpected attacker. After all, who would shoot at an Alzheimer's patient sitting peacefully on a bench?
Parker Field is the sort of thinking man’s mystery where every detail’s important, every character has a tale to tell, and every path explored will promise just another step toward the solution. No rabbits pulled out of hats; just great storytelling, characters and plot, and another stage in the life of Willie Black.
Disclosure: I was given a free preview edition by the publisher, the Permanent Press, and I offer my honest review.
Willie Black is a protagonist full of flaws, like a wonderful old house riddled with character and dry rot. He’s faithful, but easily tempted; he’s quickly wounded, then he wounds; and his dogged determination lands him in some seriously dangerous places. But he’s surely someone you’d want on your side if the world started falling apart. And he’s no more broken than the land where he lives, his wounded friend is no more forgetful than history, and the newspaper where Willie works is no more honest or dishonest than the cops.
The story’s told in first person with a convincingly cynical voice, reminiscent of old noir movies brought all up to date. Time and place feel vividly real, and authentic dialog carries the reader along with the protagonist, finding and following clues as he tries to guess at the history and mystery behind his friend's most unexpected attacker. After all, who would shoot at an Alzheimer's patient sitting peacefully on a bench?
Parker Field is the sort of thinking man’s mystery where every detail’s important, every character has a tale to tell, and every path explored will promise just another step toward the solution. No rabbits pulled out of hats; just great storytelling, characters and plot, and another stage in the life of Willie Black.
Disclosure: I was given a free preview edition by the publisher, the Permanent Press, and I offer my honest review.
September 11, 2022
È un libro da 3 stelle, la quarta è tutta per la nota della traduttrice.
Storia meno intrigante delle altre due che la precedono, a tratti un tantino noiosa soprattutto sulle scende di baseball (nota dolente anche per la traduttrice).
Un Black sottotono, complice il lutto domestico, una vicenda che poteva essere “gestita meglio” per generare più suspance e attesa.
Continuo ad adorare la madre Peggy e i luoghi; l’America della provincia con i suoi diners, le sue strade e, perché no, i suoi “stadi”.
Storia meno intrigante delle altre due che la precedono, a tratti un tantino noiosa soprattutto sulle scende di baseball (nota dolente anche per la traduttrice).
Un Black sottotono, complice il lutto domestico, una vicenda che poteva essere “gestita meglio” per generare più suspance e attesa.
Continuo ad adorare la madre Peggy e i luoghi; l’America della provincia con i suoi diners, le sue strade e, perché no, i suoi “stadi”.
November 8, 2019
The third in the series, Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery begins in April and with a gunshot. The weather cuts like a knife and feels more like the middle of March so nobody really should have been sitting on a bench in Monroe Park. Yet, somebody was out there and was shot. That park is just across the street from Willie’s apartment building. As he is the reporter for the crime beat, one of his several bosses at the paper sends him over to cover the story.
It isn’t until he is on scene and sees the victim that Willie realizes the man that was shot is Les Hacker. For all intents and purposes, the man is his father as he has had such a huge presence and role in his life in recent years. Not that they are related by blood, they are still family and he has been the best thing to ever happen to Willie’s mom, Peggy. Les Hacker has no enemies and yet somebody has deliberately shot him.
Answering the question as to who shot him and why seems to be a police matter so Willie is more than content to let them figure out the case as he spends time at the hospital. As many contacts and family friends begin to show up at the hospital, one is Jimmy Deacon, better known to all as “Jumpin’ Jimmy.” A man of nervous energy with a nearly constant ability to speak in the third person about himself, the man is intense. He is also a reservoir of knowledge regarding minor league baseball in Richmond, Virginia, and the surrounding areas. So, he knows a considerable amount of history regarding the last team Les Hacker played for, the 1964 Richmond Vees.
As Jumpin’ Jimmy explains it, Les Hacker isn’t the only one on the team to be shot. Fellow players Lucky Whitestone and Phil Holt were both victims of gun violence as well in recent years. They are not the only players who are dead before their time either.
The more he learns from Les when he is awake enough to talk and from Jumpin’ Jimmy, the more it seems that the shooting has to be connected in some way to that 1964 team. Many of whom who have died in the years since and often in violent ways long before their age and health issues would have naturally struck them down. Pitching the story to the newspaper bosses as a follow-up to the members if the 1964 team—a where are they now type piece--- gets Willie the freedom to chase leads as he starts trying to identify the motive of the shooter as well as that person’s identity. Hopefully, chasing the story won’t get Willie Black killed.
Third in the series behind Oregon Hill and The Philadelphia Quarry, Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery is another very good read. All the established characters make return appearances. Some of those appearances result in discussions of past events. Plenty of mystery and the frequent flashes of sarcastic humor prevalent in the previous books are also present here. Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery is another very good read in a series that should be read in order.
Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
July 2014
ISBN# 978-1-57962-361-6
Hardback (also available in audio and digital formats)
224 Pages
Material supplied by the White Rock Hills Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
It isn’t until he is on scene and sees the victim that Willie realizes the man that was shot is Les Hacker. For all intents and purposes, the man is his father as he has had such a huge presence and role in his life in recent years. Not that they are related by blood, they are still family and he has been the best thing to ever happen to Willie’s mom, Peggy. Les Hacker has no enemies and yet somebody has deliberately shot him.
Answering the question as to who shot him and why seems to be a police matter so Willie is more than content to let them figure out the case as he spends time at the hospital. As many contacts and family friends begin to show up at the hospital, one is Jimmy Deacon, better known to all as “Jumpin’ Jimmy.” A man of nervous energy with a nearly constant ability to speak in the third person about himself, the man is intense. He is also a reservoir of knowledge regarding minor league baseball in Richmond, Virginia, and the surrounding areas. So, he knows a considerable amount of history regarding the last team Les Hacker played for, the 1964 Richmond Vees.
As Jumpin’ Jimmy explains it, Les Hacker isn’t the only one on the team to be shot. Fellow players Lucky Whitestone and Phil Holt were both victims of gun violence as well in recent years. They are not the only players who are dead before their time either.
The more he learns from Les when he is awake enough to talk and from Jumpin’ Jimmy, the more it seems that the shooting has to be connected in some way to that 1964 team. Many of whom who have died in the years since and often in violent ways long before their age and health issues would have naturally struck them down. Pitching the story to the newspaper bosses as a follow-up to the members if the 1964 team—a where are they now type piece--- gets Willie the freedom to chase leads as he starts trying to identify the motive of the shooter as well as that person’s identity. Hopefully, chasing the story won’t get Willie Black killed.
Third in the series behind Oregon Hill and The Philadelphia Quarry, Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery is another very good read. All the established characters make return appearances. Some of those appearances result in discussions of past events. Plenty of mystery and the frequent flashes of sarcastic humor prevalent in the previous books are also present here. Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery is another very good read in a series that should be read in order.
Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
July 2014
ISBN# 978-1-57962-361-6
Hardback (also available in audio and digital formats)
224 Pages
Material supplied by the White Rock Hills Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
September 9, 2023
When Willie Black's almost stepfather, Les Hacker is shot in Monroe Park just below Willie's abode he decides to do a story on the 1964 Richmond Vees, of which Les was the catcher. With the help of a friend's sister he gets some discount airfare and takes time off from his reporting job to talk to survivors of some of the minor league baseball players to find out more about these many deceased members of the team. How Willie discovers a connection between all these deceased players and the present day makes for a great story. Another great story in the series and a really great read. Really enjoying this author's books and have a hard time putting them down. Great writing, great editing and a great storyteller. Highly recommend this author's books.
October 7, 2017
This was of interest to me because it deals with former baseball players.
I don't usually jump into book 3 of a series without at least reading book 1.
This did not hamper my understanding of the characters. The writing was good, but it is in first person, which is not always what I enjoy. I liked the plot and the detecting of this reporter. After awhile I got used to the tense.
I might try more of this series even if it does not focus on baseball.
I don't usually jump into book 3 of a series without at least reading book 1.
This did not hamper my understanding of the characters. The writing was good, but it is in first person, which is not always what I enjoy. I liked the plot and the detecting of this reporter. After awhile I got used to the tense.
I might try more of this series even if it does not focus on baseball.
October 14, 2022
Anche stavolta Owen fa centro, romanzo interessante e trama avvincente
May 9, 2023
Richmond author Howard Owen writes solid mysteries. I enjoyed this installment with a baseball twist - timely now that they’re finally possibly going to replace The Diamond.
October 6, 2023
I'm enjoying the Willie Black series. Modern day Richmond noir
August 3, 2014
I got this book on the good reads first view sweepstakes. As a 39-year-old man who lives in Denver now and grew up in Richmond Virginia the title of the book caught My eye. When they tore down Parker field in the mid-80s I was at the last game with my dad. I can still remember the win in the last game at the field Larry Wissington hit an inside the park homerun. I love that old stadium especially playing "cup ball" down by the concession stands with all the kids from around town. It had so much character oozing out of it that I could recognize even as an 8,9 or 10 year old. When the Diamond opened the following spring I could tell that the experience. of the game would never be the same again. Before we left the stadium my dad pulled some of the old wooden box seats out they were painted orange we kept them in our backyard until they rotted away. I don't know what he wanted to do with them but I guess he wanted to take a piece of his childhood with him that night also.
. I found the storyline to be a little slow to start. the hero of the book is hard to embrace at times. All that being said once you hit about page 100 and it starts building the murder mystery involving the Virginians , the book gain some steam and becomes intriguing. The character of Franny fling is intriguing I guess I would like to have gotten a little bit more into the backstory of what the other Virginians thought about what was going on.
Overall it was summer they need and I would recommend it to family and friends already have. Thanks to first reads for the copy of the book and thanks to Mr. Howard Owen on for producing literature about the area where I grew up.
. I found the storyline to be a little slow to start. the hero of the book is hard to embrace at times. All that being said once you hit about page 100 and it starts building the murder mystery involving the Virginians , the book gain some steam and becomes intriguing. The character of Franny fling is intriguing I guess I would like to have gotten a little bit more into the backstory of what the other Virginians thought about what was going on.
Overall it was summer they need and I would recommend it to family and friends already have. Thanks to first reads for the copy of the book and thanks to Mr. Howard Owen on for producing literature about the area where I grew up.
May 31, 2014
Baseball & Murder
Got an advance copy of Parker Field by Howard Owen from Goodreads
The plot is relatively simple: someone is killing off all the members of a 1964 minor-league baseball team. Although the baseball part of this novel is pretty much on the periphery of the action, you still get a sense of the sights, sounds and especially the smells of a worn-down, minor league stadium on a hot summer afternoon.
What I especially liked about this particular mystery is the author doesn’t throw in a lot of red-herrings. I mean in your typical murder/mystery novel, there seems to always be 5 or 6 people - who it seems – at one point or another – could have ‘done it’. Not here. You may have a clue as to WHY they’re being stalked, but – at least for me – until the very end I had no idea by whom they were being stalked. Because it just seems impossible that any of the characters we meet would have had it in for Les. They truly loved the guy.
One slight caveat, there are a lot of characters. We don’t necessarily ‘meet’ them all, but there are a lot of names being bandied about. And because a lot of them are baseball players, they also have nicknames. About 25 or 30 pages into this, my head started to spin. I started a list at that point. I haven’t done that since taking a course in Russian Literature in college. Now, I’m not comparing this to War and Peace – just saying that it helps to keep a list to keep all the characters straight – at least for me it did.
This is a very good story and a fairly quick read. I liked it a lot.
Got an advance copy of Parker Field by Howard Owen from Goodreads
The plot is relatively simple: someone is killing off all the members of a 1964 minor-league baseball team. Although the baseball part of this novel is pretty much on the periphery of the action, you still get a sense of the sights, sounds and especially the smells of a worn-down, minor league stadium on a hot summer afternoon.
What I especially liked about this particular mystery is the author doesn’t throw in a lot of red-herrings. I mean in your typical murder/mystery novel, there seems to always be 5 or 6 people - who it seems – at one point or another – could have ‘done it’. Not here. You may have a clue as to WHY they’re being stalked, but – at least for me – until the very end I had no idea by whom they were being stalked. Because it just seems impossible that any of the characters we meet would have had it in for Les. They truly loved the guy.
One slight caveat, there are a lot of characters. We don’t necessarily ‘meet’ them all, but there are a lot of names being bandied about. And because a lot of them are baseball players, they also have nicknames. About 25 or 30 pages into this, my head started to spin. I started a list at that point. I haven’t done that since taking a course in Russian Literature in college. Now, I’m not comparing this to War and Peace – just saying that it helps to keep a list to keep all the characters straight – at least for me it did.
This is a very good story and a fairly quick read. I liked it a lot.
May 26, 2014
A former minor league baseball player in his seventies is shot with a high powered rifle and is lying in a hospital bed clinging to life. No one can figure out who would want to shoot Les, an unassuming, kind man who does not seem to have any enemies. When it is discovered that an addled former military man, now homeless, appears to have broken into a vacant condo and shot him, Les' sort of adopted son decides to investigate.
Willie Black is a newspaper man, heavy drinker and three time loser in the marital game. Listening to Les' buddy, Jimmy, talk about the old days and the team members and a team groupie, not so affectionately called Fannie Fling, Willie decides to do a piece on the old starting line up of Les' old team, the Richmond Vees. He soon discovers that a number of the old guys are dead, their deaths, in some instances, rather premature and, in others, somewhat suspicious.
Connecting with the younger sister of one of his boyhood friends, Cindy Peroni, Willie heads out to interview the kids, widows and ex-wives of some of the deceased as well as the one other remaining Vee. What he discovers brings him to death's door and the solution to a puzzle he didn't know existed.
Fast moving, surprising, interesting, amusing and sad this slim volume is the perfect rainy Sat afternoon read. Going to look for more Willie Black stories--he's a good old fashioned story teller, that guy. Think he has printers' ink for blood.
Willie Black is a newspaper man, heavy drinker and three time loser in the marital game. Listening to Les' buddy, Jimmy, talk about the old days and the team members and a team groupie, not so affectionately called Fannie Fling, Willie decides to do a piece on the old starting line up of Les' old team, the Richmond Vees. He soon discovers that a number of the old guys are dead, their deaths, in some instances, rather premature and, in others, somewhat suspicious.
Connecting with the younger sister of one of his boyhood friends, Cindy Peroni, Willie heads out to interview the kids, widows and ex-wives of some of the deceased as well as the one other remaining Vee. What he discovers brings him to death's door and the solution to a puzzle he didn't know existed.
Fast moving, surprising, interesting, amusing and sad this slim volume is the perfect rainy Sat afternoon read. Going to look for more Willie Black stories--he's a good old fashioned story teller, that guy. Think he has printers' ink for blood.
June 9, 2014
Howard Owen’s Parker Field is the third in his series featuring Willie Black, reporter for a struggling newspaper in Richmond Virginia, functioning alcoholic, and baseball enthusiast. Having read only this one so far, its fast-pace, engaging narrative voice, and interesting plot moves me to go back and read the other two. Les Hatcher, a former minor league baseball player, the longtime boyfriend of Peggy, Black’s mother, and the “closest thing to a father” Black has had, is shot while sitting on a bench outside Black apartment building. Searching for the shooter brings Black back to the the minor league Richmond Vees. As he discovers that almost all of the 1964 starting lineup for the Vees is no longer living—with most dying under suspicious circumstances—Black is led back into the team’s 1960’s history, and particularly the involvement of a young woman who left her Vermont home for a larger, more exciting world and ended up committing suicide. Baseball lore figures large in the plot, which was no problem for this baseball fan, but even more engrossing was the character of Willie—flawed in many ways, with ex-wives and a serious drinking career in his past and present, but deeply committed to the people he loves and cares about, no matter how flawed they, too, may be. I recommend this book to people interested in mystery fiction, the current state of print journalism, tough guys with interesting interior lives and engaging writing.
August 25, 2015
Willie Black book number three is an enjoyable, but not particularly substantial work of crime fiction. Sometimes it's enough to just be entertained. I give this a little extra for the baseball backstory since I'm a fan of the sport.
September 24, 2014
An easy read, with good character development. I am not a baseball fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed how baseball was introduced throughout the story.
July 2, 2014
It's very good but the edge is taken off the excitement by the overly melodramatic ending.
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July 17, 2014
Another winner in the series about Richmond newspaper reporter Willie Black by journalist Howard Owen written in clear, concise prose that displays both wit and compassion.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews