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Duffy House Mystery #3
Bleeding Dodger Blue
IN THIS OLD TIMERS' GAME, THE STAKES ARE LIFE AND DEATH
Dodger Stadium, where the grizzled Bums of Brooklyn gave way to the tanned pretty boys of Tinseltown. Where sushi vendors ply their trade in the box seats and "seventh-inning stretch" refers to the stretch limousines that carry away spectators during the seventh inning to beat the freeway traffic. But Dodger Stadium, nestled in Chavez Ravine high above the City of Angels, is much too close to Sunset Boulevard, the site of a very grisly piece of recent history — the fifth murder by L.A.'s "Sunset Slasher."
Before the commissioner of baseball can even ask, veteran sportswriter Duffy House begins to look into the killing. This time Duffy doesn't need an invitation — this murder investigation is personal. For the latest victim is not only one of California's most popular showmen, he's also one of Duffy's oldest friends. And Duffy'd better take care not to get caught off base, because he's captured the attention of a killer with one hell of a pickoff move.
Dodger Stadium, where the grizzled Bums of Brooklyn gave way to the tanned pretty boys of Tinseltown. Where sushi vendors ply their trade in the box seats and "seventh-inning stretch" refers to the stretch limousines that carry away spectators during the seventh inning to beat the freeway traffic. But Dodger Stadium, nestled in Chavez Ravine high above the City of Angels, is much too close to Sunset Boulevard, the site of a very grisly piece of recent history — the fifth murder by L.A.'s "Sunset Slasher."
Before the commissioner of baseball can even ask, veteran sportswriter Duffy House begins to look into the killing. This time Duffy doesn't need an invitation — this murder investigation is personal. For the latest victim is not only one of California's most popular showmen, he's also one of Duffy's oldest friends. And Duffy'd better take care not to get caught off base, because he's captured the attention of a killer with one hell of a pickoff move.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
27 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 24, 2018
Well enough written and an ok story, but just not as entertaining or as full of baseball lore as the previous Crabbe Evers books. (Goodreads shows this as Duffy House # 1 but I believe it’s #3 after “Murder in Wrigley Field” and “Murderers Row.”) Still, an entertaining (but light) read.
October 3, 2020
Under the nom de plume "Crabbe Evers," the writing team of Reinder Van Til and William Brashler wrote five Duffy House mysteries, all set in and around venerable major league ball parks. From the back cover:
"Dodger Stadium, where the grizzled Bums of Brooklyn gave way to the tanned pretty boys of Tinseltown. Where sushi vendors ply their trade in the box seats and 'seventh inning stretch' refers to the stretch limousines that carry away spectators during the seventh inning to beat the freeway traffic. But Dodger Stadium, nestled in Chavez Ravine high above the City of Angels, is much too close to Sunset Boulevard, the site of a very grisly piece of recent history - the fifth murder by L.A.'s 'Sunset Slasher.' Before the commissioner of baseball can even ask, veteran sportswriter Duffy House begins to look into the killing. This time Duffy doesn't need an invitation - this murder investigation is personal. For the latest victim is not only one of California's most popular showmen, he's also one of Duffy's oldest friends. And Duffy'd better take care not to get caught off base, because he's captured the attention of a killer with one hell of a pickoff move."
As with the other entries in the Duffy House series, the mystery is only half the story. The other half is the character - the former sportswriter whose memory extends back to the Babe Ruth era, and whose great delight is to talk baseball with the potbellied old fellas whose years as major league baseball players were the best years of their lives. There's no particular reason to read this book if you're not a baseball fan, and every reason to read it if you are.
The baseball banter is the throughline of the novel, but it's hung on a plot superstructure that holds its own. It doesn't seem particularly contrived. Events happen plausibly. As with the other Duffy House novels, he's assisted in this one by his niece Petronella, familiarly known as Petey, who adds youthful zest, spunk and indiscretion to the mix of elements that keep the reader entertained. Since Duffy's not really a detective and Petey is actually a law student, not a professional at anything, one of the necessary contrivances is to get them both plausibly to the scene of the crime. In Duffy's case, he goes to L.A. to gather material for his baseball memoir by talking with Jack Remsen, the venerable old skipper of the Dodgers. In Petey's case, she intrudes where her gruff old uncle tells her she's not wanted, and proceeds to make herself indispensable to the investigation. It's the Duffy House mystery formula.
Prior to Duffy's arriving in LA., the slasher had set the city abuzz by killing elderly denizens of Sunset Boulevard. When Duffy stumbles into the aftermath of the slasher's latest murder, it becomes a personal reality for him. When the slasher's next victim becomes someone at the heart of the Dodger baseball enterprise, Duffy's investigative instinct kicks into high gear. When the slasher sends a message to Duffy that suggests Duffy's next on the hit list, solving the mystery takes on great urgency.
Since these novels were written in the early 1990s, it's interesting to see what about them holds up and what seems dated. It takes a bit of a mental shift, for example, to realize that it's plausible for a 75 year old writer in 1990 to have seen and spoken with Babe Ruth. Another difference between the early 1990s milieu and the mindset of 2020 has to do with attitudes toward women. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, women are objectified - not only by characters in the novel, but also in the structure of the narrative itself. Had Brashler and Van Til begun the series in 2020, their editors would require quite a different approach from them. To a lesser extent, the novel's treatment of minority characters is similarly unwoke. One can't expect a 1991 novel to have 2020 sensibilities, but it is interesting to see what elements of this novel are lasting (the characters, the breezy writing style, the immersion in baseball) and what elements are painful reminders of attitudes best left behind us.
"Dodger Stadium, where the grizzled Bums of Brooklyn gave way to the tanned pretty boys of Tinseltown. Where sushi vendors ply their trade in the box seats and 'seventh inning stretch' refers to the stretch limousines that carry away spectators during the seventh inning to beat the freeway traffic. But Dodger Stadium, nestled in Chavez Ravine high above the City of Angels, is much too close to Sunset Boulevard, the site of a very grisly piece of recent history - the fifth murder by L.A.'s 'Sunset Slasher.' Before the commissioner of baseball can even ask, veteran sportswriter Duffy House begins to look into the killing. This time Duffy doesn't need an invitation - this murder investigation is personal. For the latest victim is not only one of California's most popular showmen, he's also one of Duffy's oldest friends. And Duffy'd better take care not to get caught off base, because he's captured the attention of a killer with one hell of a pickoff move."
As with the other entries in the Duffy House series, the mystery is only half the story. The other half is the character - the former sportswriter whose memory extends back to the Babe Ruth era, and whose great delight is to talk baseball with the potbellied old fellas whose years as major league baseball players were the best years of their lives. There's no particular reason to read this book if you're not a baseball fan, and every reason to read it if you are.
The baseball banter is the throughline of the novel, but it's hung on a plot superstructure that holds its own. It doesn't seem particularly contrived. Events happen plausibly. As with the other Duffy House novels, he's assisted in this one by his niece Petronella, familiarly known as Petey, who adds youthful zest, spunk and indiscretion to the mix of elements that keep the reader entertained. Since Duffy's not really a detective and Petey is actually a law student, not a professional at anything, one of the necessary contrivances is to get them both plausibly to the scene of the crime. In Duffy's case, he goes to L.A. to gather material for his baseball memoir by talking with Jack Remsen, the venerable old skipper of the Dodgers. In Petey's case, she intrudes where her gruff old uncle tells her she's not wanted, and proceeds to make herself indispensable to the investigation. It's the Duffy House mystery formula.
Prior to Duffy's arriving in LA., the slasher had set the city abuzz by killing elderly denizens of Sunset Boulevard. When Duffy stumbles into the aftermath of the slasher's latest murder, it becomes a personal reality for him. When the slasher's next victim becomes someone at the heart of the Dodger baseball enterprise, Duffy's investigative instinct kicks into high gear. When the slasher sends a message to Duffy that suggests Duffy's next on the hit list, solving the mystery takes on great urgency.
Since these novels were written in the early 1990s, it's interesting to see what about them holds up and what seems dated. It takes a bit of a mental shift, for example, to realize that it's plausible for a 75 year old writer in 1990 to have seen and spoken with Babe Ruth. Another difference between the early 1990s milieu and the mindset of 2020 has to do with attitudes toward women. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, women are objectified - not only by characters in the novel, but also in the structure of the narrative itself. Had Brashler and Van Til begun the series in 2020, their editors would require quite a different approach from them. To a lesser extent, the novel's treatment of minority characters is similarly unwoke. One can't expect a 1991 novel to have 2020 sensibilities, but it is interesting to see what elements of this novel are lasting (the characters, the breezy writing style, the immersion in baseball) and what elements are painful reminders of attitudes best left behind us.
maybe
December 19, 2021Hey, Goodreads! This is #3 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 28, 2021
For the love of god let me give things a half star rating. This is a 2.5 book and it's getting a 3 because it lucked out being logged on this app.
December 27, 2010
Alright at best.
July 23, 2013
Read this series in order, there are spoilers of earlier books.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews