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Mickey Rawlings #5
The Cincinnati Red Stalkings:: A Mickey Rawlings Baseball Mystery
"Equal parts baseball and mystery are the perfect proportion." --Robert Parker
The Big Dead Machine
It's 1921, and journeyman infielder Mickey Rawlings finds himself on yet another team, the Cincinnati Reds, who everyone remembers for "winning" the 1919 World Series against the infamous Chicago Black Sox. In an effort to refurbish their image, Oliver Perrimen, a die-hard Reds fan cooks up a memorabilia exhibit of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, who went undefeated in a historic coast-to-coast romp. But before the tour can reach first base, someone strikes Ollie out with a well-placed bullet. Since murder seems to follow Mickey around like a hitting slump he can't quite quit, he starts snagging clues. Soon enough he finds his hands full with a forgotten murder, breaking and entering, and an angry girlfriend. But when the game of his own life is on the line, Mickey Rawlings is a born survivor. At least he hopes. . .
Praise for the Mickey Rawlings Baseball Mysteries
"Full of life." --The New York Times Book Review on Hanging Curve
"A perfect book for the rain delay. . .a winner!" --USA Today on Murder at Fenway Park
"Delightful. . .mixing suspense, period detail that will leave readers eager for subsequent innings." --Publishers Weekly on Murder at Fenway Park
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1998
22 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Troy Soos
26 books89 followersTroy Soos is a writer and teacher based in Winter Park, Florida. Soos is best known for his "Mickey Rawlings" series of historical baseball novels (seven books set from 1912 to 1923). He also authored a four-book historical mystery series set in 1890s New York featuring Marshall Webb and Rebecca Davies. Soos has written a nonfiction history of early New England baseball history, "Before the Curse," and two mystery short stories ("Pick-Off Play" and "Decision of the Umpire") now available as e-books. His newest release is "The Tomb That Ruth Built," the seventh in the Mickey Rawlings series (published March 2014).
Series:
* Mickey Rawlings
* Marshall Webb and Rebecca Davies
Series:
* Mickey Rawlings
* Marshall Webb and Rebecca Davies
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 14, 2020
With this unprecedented sixty game baseball season winding down, I thought it was as good as time as any to complete the Mickey Rawlings mystery series by Troy Soos. Soos wrote seven mysteries featuring journeyman utility player Rawlings that take place between 1911-1923 as he moves from one storied franchise to the next. One gets a feel for how baseball was played during the era while also learning about the cities, team’s history, and the overall historical importance of the year written about. Cincinnati Red Stalkings takes readers back to 1921 with baseball’s future at a crossroads. Rawlings finds himself playing for baseball’s original franchise as Soos deftly brings the city I know call home to life.
In 1919 the Chicago White Sox infamously accepted money from gamblers to lose the World Series. Although the series was extended to seven games so as to look competitive, White Sox players tried to lose, booting a ground ball here and missing a pitch right down the middle there. Having read the now classic Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof, I know the history behind the scandal, the important part being that White Sox owner Charles Comiskey was notorious for being cheap, underpaying even his star players like pitchers Buck Weaver and Eddie Cicotte and outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson. Weaver was behind the fix and recruited underpaid teammates to join him. When the scandal came out, baseball did not know how to react to this unprecedented act even though players such as the New York Giants’ Hal Chase had been taking money from gamblers for years. If baseball was to remain as America’s game, it would have to clean up its image and rid itself of gamblers. Both league presidents, American League power hungry Ban Johnson included, gave authority to Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis to preside as the first league commissioner. Landis proceeded to ban the eight White Sox players for life and made it known that baseball would not tolerate anyone in a league with gamblers. What is often forgotten by history is the White Sox’ 1919 opponents: the Reds.
Mickey Rawlings joined a 1921 Reds team who still believed that in 1919 that they were the better team. Veterans Heinie Groh and Edd Rousch remained from the pennant winning team and circulated the belief that the Reds play on the field was indeed superior to the White Sox. History would have to determine that, but in 1921 the Reds found themselves fighting to stay out of the league’s cellar. The team needed extra revenue and was going to open an exhibit honoring the 1869 team, the first professional team in baseball history. That first Red Stockings team went 53-11 and declared themselves champions even though baseball at the time was loosely organized; there was no national league until 1876. Yet, the Reds of 1921 needed revenue because their product in the field was not very good. Honoring the team’s past would be the impetus to bring more fans to the ballpark. Rawlings has long been a student of baseball history and offers to help with the project, until the its organizer is found murdered in his office, and Rawlings finds himself wrapped up in another ballpark mystery.
Mickey and his long time girl friend Margie Turner have settled in the Queen City’s Mount Healthy neighborhood. Their home is modest and indicative of players’ salaries at the time. To supplement income, Margie takes a job at the Cincinnati Zoo, only to become embroiled in a mystery of her own. All of the landmarks Soos mentions in this case I know well as I’ve either visited them or passed by on many occasions: the downtown library, the zoo, fountain square, the train terminal, which is now the museum center. In 1921, Cincinnati was a city of electric trolleys and well to do neighborhoods, made nationally famous by President Howard Taft and Senator Nicholas Longworth of the Rookwood Pottery Company and husband of Alice Roosevelt. Cincinnati was also a city of speakeasies and still smarting from the Boss Cox rebellion of a few years back. Cox’s cronies still ran the city, and these movers and shakers also patronized the Reds: the Bonner and Whitaker families. As Rawlings would find out, both families had a long history with the Reds well before Boss Cox came to power. This would add multiple layers to the mystery that Rawlings would need to solve soon or his own life could be at stake.
Soos paints a picture of prohibition era America as well as the best historical writers. The predominately German Cincinnati was openly against prohibition and the beer flowed freely. Baseball still reeled from the Black Sox scandal, and in passing Rawlings notes that Babe Ruth was challenging his own home run record from the year before. It was the Babe who in the 1920s saved baseball from itself, and he makes himself front and center in another of Rawlings’ mysteries. Meanwhile, Mickey with the help of Margie and long time friend Karl Landfors get to the bottom of both the Reds and zoo mysteries, but not before Rawlings pays multiple visits to Commissioner Landis who makes it known that he rules baseball with an iron fist and will not tolerate those who associate with gamblers or minorities. This is foreshadowing for both future Rawlings mysteries and baseball history itself. By taking readers back to baseball’s origins, Soos gives readers a glimpse of baseball in two different eras, giving people a window into Cincinnati of 1869 when it was the Queen City. As usual, the case was a fast paced read on a weekend afternoon, a perfect way to pass the time as baseball season winds down for the year.
3.75 stars ⚾️
In 1919 the Chicago White Sox infamously accepted money from gamblers to lose the World Series. Although the series was extended to seven games so as to look competitive, White Sox players tried to lose, booting a ground ball here and missing a pitch right down the middle there. Having read the now classic Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof, I know the history behind the scandal, the important part being that White Sox owner Charles Comiskey was notorious for being cheap, underpaying even his star players like pitchers Buck Weaver and Eddie Cicotte and outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson. Weaver was behind the fix and recruited underpaid teammates to join him. When the scandal came out, baseball did not know how to react to this unprecedented act even though players such as the New York Giants’ Hal Chase had been taking money from gamblers for years. If baseball was to remain as America’s game, it would have to clean up its image and rid itself of gamblers. Both league presidents, American League power hungry Ban Johnson included, gave authority to Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis to preside as the first league commissioner. Landis proceeded to ban the eight White Sox players for life and made it known that baseball would not tolerate anyone in a league with gamblers. What is often forgotten by history is the White Sox’ 1919 opponents: the Reds.
Mickey Rawlings joined a 1921 Reds team who still believed that in 1919 that they were the better team. Veterans Heinie Groh and Edd Rousch remained from the pennant winning team and circulated the belief that the Reds play on the field was indeed superior to the White Sox. History would have to determine that, but in 1921 the Reds found themselves fighting to stay out of the league’s cellar. The team needed extra revenue and was going to open an exhibit honoring the 1869 team, the first professional team in baseball history. That first Red Stockings team went 53-11 and declared themselves champions even though baseball at the time was loosely organized; there was no national league until 1876. Yet, the Reds of 1921 needed revenue because their product in the field was not very good. Honoring the team’s past would be the impetus to bring more fans to the ballpark. Rawlings has long been a student of baseball history and offers to help with the project, until the its organizer is found murdered in his office, and Rawlings finds himself wrapped up in another ballpark mystery.
Mickey and his long time girl friend Margie Turner have settled in the Queen City’s Mount Healthy neighborhood. Their home is modest and indicative of players’ salaries at the time. To supplement income, Margie takes a job at the Cincinnati Zoo, only to become embroiled in a mystery of her own. All of the landmarks Soos mentions in this case I know well as I’ve either visited them or passed by on many occasions: the downtown library, the zoo, fountain square, the train terminal, which is now the museum center. In 1921, Cincinnati was a city of electric trolleys and well to do neighborhoods, made nationally famous by President Howard Taft and Senator Nicholas Longworth of the Rookwood Pottery Company and husband of Alice Roosevelt. Cincinnati was also a city of speakeasies and still smarting from the Boss Cox rebellion of a few years back. Cox’s cronies still ran the city, and these movers and shakers also patronized the Reds: the Bonner and Whitaker families. As Rawlings would find out, both families had a long history with the Reds well before Boss Cox came to power. This would add multiple layers to the mystery that Rawlings would need to solve soon or his own life could be at stake.
Soos paints a picture of prohibition era America as well as the best historical writers. The predominately German Cincinnati was openly against prohibition and the beer flowed freely. Baseball still reeled from the Black Sox scandal, and in passing Rawlings notes that Babe Ruth was challenging his own home run record from the year before. It was the Babe who in the 1920s saved baseball from itself, and he makes himself front and center in another of Rawlings’ mysteries. Meanwhile, Mickey with the help of Margie and long time friend Karl Landfors get to the bottom of both the Reds and zoo mysteries, but not before Rawlings pays multiple visits to Commissioner Landis who makes it known that he rules baseball with an iron fist and will not tolerate those who associate with gamblers or minorities. This is foreshadowing for both future Rawlings mysteries and baseball history itself. By taking readers back to baseball’s origins, Soos gives readers a glimpse of baseball in two different eras, giving people a window into Cincinnati of 1869 when it was the Queen City. As usual, the case was a fast paced read on a weekend afternoon, a perfect way to pass the time as baseball season winds down for the year.
3.75 stars ⚾️
September 1, 2015
Tied in the Pick It For Me thread at A Good Thriller for August.
I really, really love this series. Not only is it baseball. But it's old-timey baseball. This book starts in the wake of the 1919 Black Sox scandal and Mickey is now a utility baseball player for the Reds (who played the Black Sox in the infamously thrown World Series).
This series is wonderful for the real people thrown in. The first commissioner for baseball, references to the trial against Sacco & Vanzetti, Hollywood, World War I veterans, the Negro leagues, etc.
The mystery ain't half bad either! Poor Mickey gets involved with murder, blackmail, gambling, and - oh what else? - trying not to get blackballed from baseball.
A real treat! Just wish I'd had some Cracker Jacks.
I really, really love this series. Not only is it baseball. But it's old-timey baseball. This book starts in the wake of the 1919 Black Sox scandal and Mickey is now a utility baseball player for the Reds (who played the Black Sox in the infamously thrown World Series).
This series is wonderful for the real people thrown in. The first commissioner for baseball, references to the trial against Sacco & Vanzetti, Hollywood, World War I veterans, the Negro leagues, etc.
The mystery ain't half bad either! Poor Mickey gets involved with murder, blackmail, gambling, and - oh what else? - trying not to get blackballed from baseball.
A real treat! Just wish I'd had some Cracker Jacks.
February 15, 2020
This is the fifth novel in the Mickey Rawlings Mystery Series that I've read and it doesn't disappoint. It is 1921 and Rawlings is now playing with the Cincinnati Reds. He volunteers to help a local baseball super fan, Oliver Penniman, set up an exhibit of memorabilia to honor the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team in American history.
But before the exhibit could take place, Penniman is murdered and Rawlings "soon finds himself embroiled in a mix of conspiracy, lies, and murder that [could] end his career ... and his life."
But before the exhibit could take place, Penniman is murdered and Rawlings "soon finds himself embroiled in a mix of conspiracy, lies, and murder that [could] end his career ... and his life."
February 7, 2020
For the baseball fans!
I’m trying really hard to be objective about this book but this is the one I started reading this series for. It was so much fun having a book set in my hometown and I loved that Mickey got to play for my Reds. This one really showed me how much research is put into these books as I could recognize places and people included in the book. I enjoyed the story in this one and it was fun to see them celebrating the 1869 team as we just celebrated the teams 150th anniversary. I’m already kind of sad that Mickey probably won’t be a Red in the next book.
I’m trying really hard to be objective about this book but this is the one I started reading this series for. It was so much fun having a book set in my hometown and I loved that Mickey got to play for my Reds. This one really showed me how much research is put into these books as I could recognize places and people included in the book. I enjoyed the story in this one and it was fun to see them celebrating the 1869 team as we just celebrated the teams 150th anniversary. I’m already kind of sad that Mickey probably won’t be a Red in the next book.
August 22, 2022
I live in Cincinnati and enjoy baseball history so those facts influenced my rating- it would be lower otherwise. It’s hard to believe the clue in the memorabilia would have existed. It’s hard to believe the final confession would have happened. It’s hard to believe the secrets kept from the police and public at the end could have been kept.
April 6, 2024
Troy Soos is a good baseball writer involving crime and murder. Bob introduced him to me. He has a number of other novellas
August 18, 2022
It's been a while since I read this book. I'd forgotten who the killer was. All around good book in the Troy Soos oeuvre. Soos really takes the reader to 1920s Cincinnati. I thought plot device of having a note inside the ball was very clever. Highly recommended.
September 2, 2018
The first of this series of Mickey Rawlings that I have read, the premise is that of a journeyman baseball player in the early 20th century (this one set in 1920) who finds himself trying to solve a murder.
Set primarily in Cincinnati, I found myself visualizing the settings as the author accurately recalls life in that time and place. Soos describes parts of historic Cincinnati accurately while also recounting some of the history of the Reds. For those who like baseball history this is a good read. For those who like Cincinnati and appreciates its history, it is also a good read.
As a mystery the story has plenty of potential murderers, and if the information about the attempts to fix the 1919 World Series (the Black Sox Scandal) on both sides is accurate, there is a lot of education for this longtime fan as well. I learned more about the 1869 Reds than I knew previously. (e.g., George Wright was not only a star with the team, but also designed the first public golf course in the U.S. He also owned a sporting goods store in Boston.)
The story itself moves along quickly and has good characters. There are twists and turns that add interest, but the only and minimal deficiency was the ending. The reveal and solution was a little bit out of left field (sorry, couldn't avoid the baseball adage) rather than being sufficiently prepared throughout the story. By the end of the reveal it was no surprise but somehow it seemed to be a side story rather than making sense from all that precedes.
Nonetheless, it is worth reading. My next read in this series, Murder Ebbets Field, will either solidify my endorsement of this series or show this to be an anamoly.
But a good read.
Set primarily in Cincinnati, I found myself visualizing the settings as the author accurately recalls life in that time and place. Soos describes parts of historic Cincinnati accurately while also recounting some of the history of the Reds. For those who like baseball history this is a good read. For those who like Cincinnati and appreciates its history, it is also a good read.
As a mystery the story has plenty of potential murderers, and if the information about the attempts to fix the 1919 World Series (the Black Sox Scandal) on both sides is accurate, there is a lot of education for this longtime fan as well. I learned more about the 1869 Reds than I knew previously. (e.g., George Wright was not only a star with the team, but also designed the first public golf course in the U.S. He also owned a sporting goods store in Boston.)
The story itself moves along quickly and has good characters. There are twists and turns that add interest, but the only and minimal deficiency was the ending. The reveal and solution was a little bit out of left field (sorry, couldn't avoid the baseball adage) rather than being sufficiently prepared throughout the story. By the end of the reveal it was no surprise but somehow it seemed to be a side story rather than making sense from all that precedes.
Nonetheless, it is worth reading. My next read in this series, Murder Ebbets Field, will either solidify my endorsement of this series or show this to be an anamoly.
But a good read.
September 6, 2021
As I mentioned in my review of the first book in this series, I love baseball, history, and mysteries. Therefore, it's amazing to me that I had never read any entries in this series before, given that the books combine all three of those loves.
As I also mentioned in that review, I I know I've seen these books in bookstores over the years. And I think I even thumbed through one of them a time or two. But for some reason, I never read them...until now. And I'm SO glad I did.
This fifth entry in the series was somewhere in between the first two books and the third & fourth books. It wasn't quite as dark as the most recent entries; however, it wasn't quite as happy-go-lucky as the first two books. Still, I thought that the protagonist (utility infielder Mickey Rawlings) was more like his old self in this book. Also, I found the historical aspect of this book - which dealt with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team - fascinating.
The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars was the complexity of the plot. I've noticed this trend in Soos' writings: sometimes the plot gets so complicated as to become unbelievable. And this was a good example of that. (I never go into plot details to avoid spoilers, but this one involved multiple murders and attempted murders, the 1919 Black Sox gambling scandal, and a number of other crimes and misdemeanors.)
Still, I continue to enjoy reading all about Mickey and his love interest: former film actress Margie Turner. And I look forward to finishing the final few books in the series.
As I also mentioned in that review, I I know I've seen these books in bookstores over the years. And I think I even thumbed through one of them a time or two. But for some reason, I never read them...until now. And I'm SO glad I did.
This fifth entry in the series was somewhere in between the first two books and the third & fourth books. It wasn't quite as dark as the most recent entries; however, it wasn't quite as happy-go-lucky as the first two books. Still, I thought that the protagonist (utility infielder Mickey Rawlings) was more like his old self in this book. Also, I found the historical aspect of this book - which dealt with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team - fascinating.
The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars was the complexity of the plot. I've noticed this trend in Soos' writings: sometimes the plot gets so complicated as to become unbelievable. And this was a good example of that. (I never go into plot details to avoid spoilers, but this one involved multiple murders and attempted murders, the 1919 Black Sox gambling scandal, and a number of other crimes and misdemeanors.)
Still, I continue to enjoy reading all about Mickey and his love interest: former film actress Margie Turner. And I look forward to finishing the final few books in the series.
January 11, 2020
The author obviously did a lot of research. He integrates baseball history and the local flavor well. May not be 100% accurate on some of the city details, but very close. He was a little unfair to the Cincinnati zoo, but it is fiction He also did a good job of tying up all the clues/possible motives along the way in a believable conclusion, which was good because it was a very complex story.
August 22, 2022
Maybe 3.5. A historical fiction murder with lots of real people included. I wasn’t always sure what was history and what was fiction. I enjoyed the baseball information the descriptions of Cincinnati. I think the subplot about the zoo was unnecessary as there was already plenty of story to keep track.
April 7, 2022
Mickey Rawlings is a utility player for the Cincinnati Reds in 1921. An old baseball shows up in some memorabilia for a museum, and it is given to Mickey because it is inauthentic. He tears it apart, and there is a clue to a murder mystery inside. Recommended.
February 2, 2018
I loved this book. Not only as a Reds fan, but also as a Cincinnati native and a persnickety reader. Soos hit every pitch.
Want to read
May 2, 2021How can I not read this?!
June 22, 2021
Closer to 3.75.
September 3, 2021
Mickey Rawlings Mystery Series #5. This time he is in Cincinnati playing for the Red Stockings and looking at events in the 1869 team. Enjoyable read.
October 25, 2022
Grand slam
Best of this wonderful series! Good mystery, good history, good mix of good guys and bad guys! Best one yet.
Best of this wonderful series! Good mystery, good history, good mix of good guys and bad guys! Best one yet.
July 8, 2023
Good history, good baseball, good mystery
May 10, 2025
So much fun! Richly detailed historical fiction threaded with tons of baseball action and crimes solved by a baseball-playing amateur sleuth and his girlfriend with moxie.
February 1, 2015
The Cincinnati Red Stalkings is fifth in a series of six similar books, so in some respects this is a review of the whole series. I really like the series, and I think this is the best of the bunch so far. I've often thought that if time travel were possible, I'd really like to go back in time and spend time at baseball games from different eras. I think this quote from the book does a nice job summing up my feelings:
One reason I like the series so much is the mix of baseball, historical fiction, and mystery is just to my liking. Fans of only one of those three genres might find the series lacking, but for me there is enough of each to make it supremely entertaining. It's fascinating to look at history through the lense of baseball. The mystery, while suspenseful, is not so tense that it will keep you up at night.
Another reason I enjoy this series so much is that I find the narrator, Mickey Rawlings, to be a very likeable person. Part of his likeability to me is that he is a down-to-earth professional athlete with a genuine love for the game of baseball and concern for other people. This book was my favorite in the series so far partly because it has so many intertwining mysteries and partly because
If you like the Mickey Rawlings series, I'm confident you'll enjoy this book. If you haven't read the series yet, I would highly recommend it, especially for fans of historical fiction and baseball. It isn't necessarily one that you need to start at the beginning, but I think that's the best way to get to know the characters who are, in my mind, what makes the series so great.
I may not be a Reds fan, but this book gets me excited for pitchers and catchers reporting later this month!
I wasn't sure what it is about baseball that makes such a phenomenon possible, however. Perhaps it's because the essence of the game has changed so little over the years; boys playing ball on paved city streets do much the same as their grandfathers did when those streets were village cow paths. Or maybe because baseball history is more a collective memory than a sequence of events; stories told by old-timers, personal experiences at the ballpark, and yesterday's box scores all mingle together in one vast pool of shared experience. You can dip your foot in any part of it, stir up the mixture, and wade right into the past.
One reason I like the series so much is the mix of baseball, historical fiction, and mystery is just to my liking. Fans of only one of those three genres might find the series lacking, but for me there is enough of each to make it supremely entertaining. It's fascinating to look at history through the lense of baseball. The mystery, while suspenseful, is not so tense that it will keep you up at night.
Another reason I enjoy this series so much is that I find the narrator, Mickey Rawlings, to be a very likeable person. Part of his likeability to me is that he is a down-to-earth professional athlete with a genuine love for the game of baseball and concern for other people. This book was my favorite in the series so far partly because it has so many intertwining mysteries and partly because
If you like the Mickey Rawlings series, I'm confident you'll enjoy this book. If you haven't read the series yet, I would highly recommend it, especially for fans of historical fiction and baseball. It isn't necessarily one that you need to start at the beginning, but I think that's the best way to get to know the characters who are, in my mind, what makes the series so great.
I may not be a Reds fan, but this book gets me excited for pitchers and catchers reporting later this month!
July 24, 2011
I had never heard of Troy Soos, or his fictional baseball player, Mickey Rawlings, until my Dad gave me this book that he had read. This book was so much fun, and I can't wait to get my hands on another one. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a HUGE baseball fan, so finding an adult fiction book that centers around baseball was truly amazing.
The Cincinnati Red Stalkings is a mystery set in 1921, as Mickey Rawlings, a utility infielder for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, attempts to solve several mysteries that are really making his life miserable. He lives with an actress named Margie (which is scandalous for 1921, and quite humorous every time he tries to describe their relationship to someone), who winds up solving her own mystery. There are historical facts included in this book, which makes it even more enjoyable.
This story centers around events that involved the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Baseball Club, which was the first completely professional nine. The team, led by Harry Wright, went 57-0 in 1869. (True story!) But when Mickey Rawlings is given an old baseball, among some other memorabilia from 1869 that appears mostly worthless, things really start to get interesting. Was a young girl truly murdered in 1869 and buried in Eden Park? Whatever happened to Dick Hurley, the utility infielder for the 1869 team? Is the man who showed up in 1921 claiming to be Dick Hurley really him? And why was Mickey Rawlings apparently set up with a photo showing him shaking hands with a known gambler (who just happened to be handing him an envelope) right in the middle of the Chicago Black Sox trial? This, of course, caused him to be suspended and questioned by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first baseball commissioner. Rawlings certainly had his hands full!
Baseball and murder mystery! What a great combination! This book is, according to the description on Goodreads, is number 5 in the series, and I know there is at least one more after this one. I'll be looking for all of them.
The Cincinnati Red Stalkings is a mystery set in 1921, as Mickey Rawlings, a utility infielder for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, attempts to solve several mysteries that are really making his life miserable. He lives with an actress named Margie (which is scandalous for 1921, and quite humorous every time he tries to describe their relationship to someone), who winds up solving her own mystery. There are historical facts included in this book, which makes it even more enjoyable.
This story centers around events that involved the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Baseball Club, which was the first completely professional nine. The team, led by Harry Wright, went 57-0 in 1869. (True story!) But when Mickey Rawlings is given an old baseball, among some other memorabilia from 1869 that appears mostly worthless, things really start to get interesting. Was a young girl truly murdered in 1869 and buried in Eden Park? Whatever happened to Dick Hurley, the utility infielder for the 1869 team? Is the man who showed up in 1921 claiming to be Dick Hurley really him? And why was Mickey Rawlings apparently set up with a photo showing him shaking hands with a known gambler (who just happened to be handing him an envelope) right in the middle of the Chicago Black Sox trial? This, of course, caused him to be suspended and questioned by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first baseball commissioner. Rawlings certainly had his hands full!
Baseball and murder mystery! What a great combination! This book is, according to the description on Goodreads, is number 5 in the series, and I know there is at least one more after this one. I'll be looking for all of them.
December 30, 2009
This actually refers to the audio book, which for some reason I could not get to come up, despite using the ISBN.
This is one of the later books in the Mickey Rawlings "baseball" series set in the late 1910's/early 1920's. I needed an audiobook quickly to listen to on a long drive, and this one was there, so I snabbed it--very uncharacteristic for me, who never reads series out of order! Mickey is a utility infielder who's been traded all over the league, currently doing duty with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. He has an interest in baseball history and spends some time with a guy whom the team's owner has hired to set up a baseball museum to help draw in some crowds. When that man turns up dead, Mickey is at first a suspect and then becomes the hunted himself, as he figures the killer must have the idea that Mickey has something that the murdered man passed on to him--but for the life of him, he can't figure out what it might be. Until he does, the mystery is going to remain just that--the police aren't overly interested and seem content to let the murder go off as death in the midst of a robbery. I really enjoyed this book--enough that I went ahead and downloaded the first book to my MP3 player already. Mickey is interesting and I like the secondary characters too. It's interesting hearing about what baseball was like during those long-ago days, a time even before my parents were born. The reader had kind of an odd voice, not your "classical" deep, bounding male voice, but it suited Mickey's personality very well and was pleasant enough to listen to. Looking forward to going back to the beginning to hear about how it all started.
This is one of the later books in the Mickey Rawlings "baseball" series set in the late 1910's/early 1920's. I needed an audiobook quickly to listen to on a long drive, and this one was there, so I snabbed it--very uncharacteristic for me, who never reads series out of order! Mickey is a utility infielder who's been traded all over the league, currently doing duty with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. He has an interest in baseball history and spends some time with a guy whom the team's owner has hired to set up a baseball museum to help draw in some crowds. When that man turns up dead, Mickey is at first a suspect and then becomes the hunted himself, as he figures the killer must have the idea that Mickey has something that the murdered man passed on to him--but for the life of him, he can't figure out what it might be. Until he does, the mystery is going to remain just that--the police aren't overly interested and seem content to let the murder go off as death in the midst of a robbery. I really enjoyed this book--enough that I went ahead and downloaded the first book to my MP3 player already. Mickey is interesting and I like the secondary characters too. It's interesting hearing about what baseball was like during those long-ago days, a time even before my parents were born. The reader had kind of an odd voice, not your "classical" deep, bounding male voice, but it suited Mickey's personality very well and was pleasant enough to listen to. Looking forward to going back to the beginning to hear about how it all started.
May 22, 2011
Troy Soos writes a great story for baseball fans, of which I am one. I love the stories about the earlier days of baseball when the salaries weren't so high and players weren't so removed from the fans. This mystery takes place in 1921, the year that the Chicago "Black Socks" were supposed to have thrown the world series. I had always heard about it and felt that Shoeless Joe Jackson got a raw deal, but I never understood all the mysteries surrounding the scandal. While that isn't the the major theme in this book, a great deal of information is given, especially about the extreme actions of the Commissioner of Baseball and the feelings of the fans.
I also enjoyed the cameo appearances of Eppa Rixey who was from Rixeyville, just up the road from where I lived in Virginia. I had heard about him and saw a plaque dedicated to him, but never had any other information. Troy Soos fleshes out his character and gives some details about a few games he played in.
This book centers around the murder of a man who was gathering memorabilia from the earliest players and games. It is how the Baseball Hall of Fame must have started. Unfortunately, this young man was murdered and Mickey Rawlings is determined to find out how and why after his own house is broken into. Mickey was given some of the material that wasn't going to end up in the museum and he figures that the killer did not get the thing he sought when he broke into the museum.
I also enjoyed the cameo appearances of Eppa Rixey who was from Rixeyville, just up the road from where I lived in Virginia. I had heard about him and saw a plaque dedicated to him, but never had any other information. Troy Soos fleshes out his character and gives some details about a few games he played in.
This book centers around the murder of a man who was gathering memorabilia from the earliest players and games. It is how the Baseball Hall of Fame must have started. Unfortunately, this young man was murdered and Mickey Rawlings is determined to find out how and why after his own house is broken into. Mickey was given some of the material that wasn't going to end up in the museum and he figures that the killer did not get the thing he sought when he broke into the museum.
January 25, 2016
This is the second baseball mystery by Troy Soos I've read, and they both were enjoyable. I'm a fan of baseball, history, mysteries, and baseball history, so this is right in my wheelhouse, as it were. Each book is rich with local details of the cities Rawlings lives in and plays for, baseball lore from the time period, and the mysteries are enjoyable. Rawlings is hardly a top sleuth, but he is persistent and lucky, and with some help he digs up the truth.
People who love baseball, history, mysteries, and attention to historical detail delivered in an entertaining and easy read will enjoy these books.
The only thing I've noticed so far in the books is the main character's Communist friend Karl, who is presented as perhaps eccentric but harmless and usually wise and insightful. Given the history of Socialism and Communism in the 20th century, that's like having a goofy Klansman pal or a Nazi sidekick. Its very offputting and I cannot enjoy the scenes
People who love baseball, history, mysteries, and attention to historical detail delivered in an entertaining and easy read will enjoy these books.
The only thing I've noticed so far in the books is the main character's Communist friend Karl, who is presented as perhaps eccentric but harmless and usually wise and insightful. Given the history of Socialism and Communism in the 20th century, that's like having a goofy Klansman pal or a Nazi sidekick. Its very offputting and I cannot enjoy the scenes
July 14, 2011
This book was definitely not my normal reading fare, mainly for two reasons. One, I don't read many fictional mystery novels (but I do enjoy History's mysteries). I honestly don't know why. Two, the book featured baseball. However, even with those two points weighing against it, I didn't hate the novel but at the same time, it felt sort of bland. Nothing really popped out at me all throughout it. Maybe a true baseball fan could appreciate it more. As for me, I doubt I'll be reading any other novels in this series of books.
January 26, 2013
I read some Troy Soos novels as a kid. I really enjoyed the concept of an old-time baseball player solving murders in the early days of the league. This one doesn't disappoint, it's well-plotted with a good mystery (that stretches a little too much near the end but still) set amidst the rich backdrop of the game and the era. I look forward to reading more of this series now that I'm older and can appreciate it more.
August 10, 2009
What fun to read a book placed in Cincinnati about baseball set in the 1920's! Lots of descriptions of placed in the city and history of the team from it's beginning with a mystery entwined in the story. I really like the main character.
I have ordered all the other books by this author such as Murder at Fenway Park, Murder at Ebbets Field, etc.
I have ordered all the other books by this author such as Murder at Fenway Park, Murder at Ebbets Field, etc.
October 29, 2014
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed the world of Mickey Rawlings. It was interesting to read about what baseball was like during the fallout of the Black Sox scandal.
I thought the mystery was rather complicated, it took some work to keep all of the threads straight in my mind while they were being unraveled.
I thought the mystery was rather complicated, it took some work to keep all of the threads straight in my mind while they were being unraveled.
March 15, 2016
Mickey Rawlings has settled into the role of utility infielder after 9 years in the majors. His new team the, Reds, is planning a memorabilia exhibit of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, who went undefeated in a historic coast-to-coast romp. Murder occurs before the exhibition get to first base.
Read
January 26, 2011The Cincinnati Red Stalkings, by Tony Soos. Baseball, local (to me) history, and a murder mystery nicely rolled up. Did you know the 1869 Red Stockings are the only professional baseball team to go undeafeted? Now you do.
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