Green Monster

Sam Skarda Mystery #2

by Rick Shefchik

After a second World Championship in four years, the Boston Red Sox have finally buried the Curse of the Bambinoaor have they? Sox owner Louis Kenwood receives an extortion note signed aBabe Rutha claiming that the 2004 World Series was fixedaand demanding $50 million to keep the information from getting to the press and the Commissioneras office.
If the allegation of a fix becomes public, Kenwood fears irreparable damage to the value of his franchise and to his legacy as aLucky Louie, a the man who finally brought a championship to Boston after 86 years. Thus, the Red Sox turn to private detective Sam Skarda to find out whoas behind the extortion plot.
Kenwood insists that his beautiful executive assistant Heather Canby accompanyaand monitoraSam on every step of his investigation. Unsure whom he can trust, Sam follows the clues to the Los Angeles underworld and then to the slums of Venezuela. Can he assemble all of the pieces to this puzzle before more lives are lost and scandal blasts the Red Sox Nation? Green Monster is the second novel in the Sam Skarda series, following Amen Corner.

ebook

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Rick Shefchik was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1974 and worked at the Duluth News-Tribune for three years. He then spent 26 years at the St. Paul Pioneer Press as a media critic, feature writer/columnist, enterprise reporter and sportswriter.

He lives in Stillwater, Minnesota, with his wife, Barbara. He's a lifelong golfer and played guitar with several bands.

Series:
* Sam Skarda Mystery

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not much of a mystery reader, but my former coworker Rick Shefchik spun a pretty good tale that made me remember all of those Columbo episodes I loved to watch when I was a kid.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read mysteries as a rule, but I do read baseball books, so this was a good choice as my first mystery. It had all the elements of the mystery genre, as delineated in “Murder By Death” (the movie parody of detective novels):

“You've tricked and fooled
your readers for years.

You've tortured us with
surprise endings that made no sense.

You've introduced characters at the
end that weren't in the book before!

You've withheld
clues and information...

...that made it impossible for us
to guess who did it.”

The baseball background rang true. Throw in lots of plot twists and you’re got a great mystery.

[Randy Grossman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to determine who was the main "bad guy" was good, and there were a couple times I said to myself "I didn't see THAT coming!" I enjoyed the Boston-Babe Ruth history parts of the book as well. There were some scenes I didn't feel comfortable about and thought were unnecessary, but overall kept me interested to see how it concluded.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, great for the beach or a long plane ride. Interesting characters, especially Sam Skarda, the main character. Sox fans and baseball fans in general will enjoy this mystery.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing mystery concerning the fictional owner of the Red Sox being blackmailed over whether the 2004 World Series was fixed. Fun read, especially for fans of the Red Sox!

[Eugene Lee]

Post-curse Red Sox, international kidnapping, extortion plot based on inside betting, and characters that feel real - what's not to like? A fun mind candy book for any member of Red Sox Nation.