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Duffy House Mystery #1
Murder in Wrigley Field
When Chicago pitching ace Dean "Dream" Weaver is shot dead in the tunnel underneath Wrigley Field, the commissioner of baseball assigns veteran sportswriter Duffy House to investigate
247 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1991
39 people want to read
About the author
Crabbe Evers
5 books4 followersCrabbe Evers is a pseudonym for the writing team of William Brashler and Reinder Van Til, who wrote the Duffy House mystery series.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 17, 2018
By far one of the worst books I have ever tried to read, and like... just as a physical object, this is one of the worst things I've ever touched. Its badness transcends the literary realm. This was awful. This was so awful I gagged a little. And with the kind of sick shit I usually read online, that's *really* saying something.
So it starts off with baseball. Baseball baseball, baseball baseball baseball? Baseball baseball. Baseball baseball baseball baseball, baseball baseball baseball - baseball baseball. Baseball!
(It's pretty much like that, except more pretentious - except pretentious about baseball, which is hard.)
Seriously, every sentence in this book is a reference of varying obscurity to baseball history that you're assumed to know. It's written annoyingly, like a ham-fisted noir parody's main character inner dialogue, except BASEBALL REFERENCES. How does anyone read this drivel? This was probably the worst written book I've ever read. The writing was like getting hit by a baseball bat, except more irritating.
And like... I don't dislike baseball. I have nothing against baseball. It's a great sport. And I read plenty of mysteries that are themed about various topics that I don't necessarily have to be familiar or enthused about, and I can normally still enjoy them. But not this package of stinking excrement with a cover and spine. No, this was utter trash in every shape and form.
Anyway, that's how it started out, but I kept pushing through. These were my thoughts only 30 pages in or so. "Hey, it can't get any worse, can it?"
Oh, how wrong I was.
So the main character, Duffy House - ok, he's a retired sports writer, I guess in his 60s or 70s, and he is exactly the kind of character that an actual sports writer would write about because everyone in the story treats him like he's a god. Like his ability to one-up everyone with obscure sports trivia gives him the right to be smug and snappy and ... investigate a murder, I guess. It's just written masturbation for sports writers here, which, I mean, if that's your thing, cool I guess.
The part where this book really left a bad taste in my mouth and moved from "annoying" to "abhorrent" is when his mid-20s niece Petey drops in on him.
She's written first as an old flame, before it's revealed who she is. Yeah, really. She's introduced as a mysterious femme fatale and there's all kinds of flirting going on. He's looking her up and down, commenting on her figure, talking about how her legs scissor and perform movements only Russian gymnasts should do, and she's giving it right back to him... while also calling him Uncle. Occasionally he sees hints of her mother in her or she comes across like a little kid to him again, which only makes it worse when he's back to thinking about how sexy she is a second later. Absolutely disgusting.
She, of course, also is written to play up the "sports writers are literal gods" angle of the book. "Oh, Uncle, of course I'm in law school, but that's only something to fall back on! I've always *dreamed* of being a sports writer like you! Oh, won't you show me your sports writing ways?" yeah ok wow
Of course she then follows it up with a flirty "besides, if you take me out for drinks tonight, everyone else will think you got majorly lucky~~~"
GAG
Eventually they start making jokes about how she's like Cinderella and will turn into a pumpkin at midnight and then he'll have to be "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" - that's right, they started joking about an elderly retired uncle eating out his mid-20s niece - and that's when I put this fucking book down for the last time.
This book is a disgusting, revolting waste of paper and ink. I'm going to throw my copy in the trash and hope it's not considered too toxic for the local landfill. One of the worst books even on my "worst books" shelves here. Absolutely terrible.
So it starts off with baseball. Baseball baseball, baseball baseball baseball? Baseball baseball. Baseball baseball baseball baseball, baseball baseball baseball - baseball baseball. Baseball!
(It's pretty much like that, except more pretentious - except pretentious about baseball, which is hard.)
Seriously, every sentence in this book is a reference of varying obscurity to baseball history that you're assumed to know. It's written annoyingly, like a ham-fisted noir parody's main character inner dialogue, except BASEBALL REFERENCES. How does anyone read this drivel? This was probably the worst written book I've ever read. The writing was like getting hit by a baseball bat, except more irritating.
And like... I don't dislike baseball. I have nothing against baseball. It's a great sport. And I read plenty of mysteries that are themed about various topics that I don't necessarily have to be familiar or enthused about, and I can normally still enjoy them. But not this package of stinking excrement with a cover and spine. No, this was utter trash in every shape and form.
Anyway, that's how it started out, but I kept pushing through. These were my thoughts only 30 pages in or so. "Hey, it can't get any worse, can it?"
Oh, how wrong I was.
So the main character, Duffy House - ok, he's a retired sports writer, I guess in his 60s or 70s, and he is exactly the kind of character that an actual sports writer would write about because everyone in the story treats him like he's a god. Like his ability to one-up everyone with obscure sports trivia gives him the right to be smug and snappy and ... investigate a murder, I guess. It's just written masturbation for sports writers here, which, I mean, if that's your thing, cool I guess.
The part where this book really left a bad taste in my mouth and moved from "annoying" to "abhorrent" is when his mid-20s niece Petey drops in on him.
She's written first as an old flame, before it's revealed who she is. Yeah, really. She's introduced as a mysterious femme fatale and there's all kinds of flirting going on. He's looking her up and down, commenting on her figure, talking about how her legs scissor and perform movements only Russian gymnasts should do, and she's giving it right back to him... while also calling him Uncle. Occasionally he sees hints of her mother in her or she comes across like a little kid to him again, which only makes it worse when he's back to thinking about how sexy she is a second later. Absolutely disgusting.
She, of course, also is written to play up the "sports writers are literal gods" angle of the book. "Oh, Uncle, of course I'm in law school, but that's only something to fall back on! I've always *dreamed* of being a sports writer like you! Oh, won't you show me your sports writing ways?" yeah ok wow
Of course she then follows it up with a flirty "besides, if you take me out for drinks tonight, everyone else will think you got majorly lucky~~~"
GAG
Eventually they start making jokes about how she's like Cinderella and will turn into a pumpkin at midnight and then he'll have to be "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" - that's right, they started joking about an elderly retired uncle eating out his mid-20s niece - and that's when I put this fucking book down for the last time.
This book is a disgusting, revolting waste of paper and ink. I'm going to throw my copy in the trash and hope it's not considered too toxic for the local landfill. One of the worst books even on my "worst books" shelves here. Absolutely terrible.
September 22, 2020
This novel's author, Crabbe Evers, is actually the writing team of William Brashler and Reinder Van Til. As I attended college with both of them, I'm naturally drawn to read their stuff. It's germane to note that Brashler was a catcher of some note on the Calvin College baseball team, so it's not surprising that whe he turns his hand to mystery writing, the ball park is his chosen locale. I don't know what expertise Van Til brought to project, but I'd guess that his knowledge of the game is extensive as well. I've read all five Duffy House books penned by this duo.
Murder in Wrigley Field is the first book in the Duffy House series, so it sets up the premise. The Commissioner of Baseball, Grand Chambliss, is faced with a crisis when the star pitcher for the Cubbies is found murdered in the tunnel outside the clubhouse. He enlists Duffy House, the recently retired sportswriter for one of the Chicago newspapers, to investigate who and the why of the murder. House protests that he's a sportswriter, not a private eye, but Chambliss prevails. When House's niece, Petronella, learns of his involvement in the case, she appoints herself his assistant. In the manner of most mysteries, they have a few close calls, they get led up a few blind alleys, and they ultimately unravel the mystery to the delight of the commissioner. In the process, they also establish their chops as detectives. Thus, a mystery series is born.
I enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. I'm a baseball fan, so I enjoyed House's references to baseball history. He delivers his reminiscences, insights and wisdom in a writing voice honed by 40+ years of sportswriting, so the prose is usually pithy and always entertaining - if you like sportswriting. House's niece, Petey, provides a nice counterpoint to the crusty old guy, and her flirting with ballplayers and others is entirely believable, Duffy and Petey are not exactly complex characters, but they are entertaining.
Murder in Wrigley Field is the first book in the Duffy House series, so it sets up the premise. The Commissioner of Baseball, Grand Chambliss, is faced with a crisis when the star pitcher for the Cubbies is found murdered in the tunnel outside the clubhouse. He enlists Duffy House, the recently retired sportswriter for one of the Chicago newspapers, to investigate who and the why of the murder. House protests that he's a sportswriter, not a private eye, but Chambliss prevails. When House's niece, Petronella, learns of his involvement in the case, she appoints herself his assistant. In the manner of most mysteries, they have a few close calls, they get led up a few blind alleys, and they ultimately unravel the mystery to the delight of the commissioner. In the process, they also establish their chops as detectives. Thus, a mystery series is born.
I enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. I'm a baseball fan, so I enjoyed House's references to baseball history. He delivers his reminiscences, insights and wisdom in a writing voice honed by 40+ years of sportswriting, so the prose is usually pithy and always entertaining - if you like sportswriting. House's niece, Petey, provides a nice counterpoint to the crusty old guy, and her flirting with ballplayers and others is entirely believable, Duffy and Petey are not exactly complex characters, but they are entertaining.
June 15, 2018
Enjoyable read, especially if you’re a big baseball fan.
May 3, 2024
This book is GREAT is love a slow build up to a murder mystery. The characters are great and the author is wonderful. This book just wasn’t for me.
September 14, 2010
I liked the story and even though I didn't recognize half the player names that were tossed around (and I assume most are real people as I did recognized some names) it was still fun to get to read a story set in a legendary ballpark. There was something about the book though that made it kind of hard to read, something in the way it was written but if you enjoy baseball you'll probably enjoy this book.
September 5, 2023
This is the first book in the series, according to the original publication dates at FictionDB. https://www.fictiondb.com/author/crab...
COMPLETE SERIES LIST IN ORDER:
1) Murder in Wrigley Field (Apr-1991)
2) Murderer's Row (Jul-1991)
3) Bleeding Dodger Blue (Oct-1991)
4) Fear in Fenway (Apr-1993)
5) Tigers Burning (Mar-1994)
COMPLETE SERIES LIST IN ORDER:
1) Murder in Wrigley Field (Apr-1991)
2) Murderer's Row (Jul-1991)
3) Bleeding Dodger Blue (Oct-1991)
4) Fear in Fenway (Apr-1993)
5) Tigers Burning (Mar-1994)
October 14, 2008
Written in the style of Raymond Chandler or old time mystery writers. A quick read, but not a great read.
Fun for Cub fans. Assumes a lot of knowledge about the Cubs
Fun for Cub fans. Assumes a lot of knowledge about the Cubs
March 19, 2017
Lots of great Chicago-isms in this fun murder mystery read. Bit characters named after old time Cub greats, Old Style beer, and tough old reporters populate the plot. Crabbe Evers is actually a pseudonym for the two men who wrote the book. Fun.
March 24, 2014
Entertaining murder mystery set in the friendly confines. I liked this book mostly because it surrounded the Cubs and Wrigley Field. If it were in a different setting, I probably would have lost interest. Good book for Cubs fans!
February 9, 2016
A mystery, set in/around Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs, narrated by a reporter. It's like my own personal trifecta in the book world. Stopped short of giving it 5 stars because I recognize the things that struck me the most will not be universally appealing.
July 23, 2013
Read this series in order, there are spoilers of earlier books.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews