Ace

by Ralph Bland

Ralph Bland’s fourth novel, ACE, follows the flights, fancies, and comic pratfalls of John (Ace) Hardaway as he navigates eight months of life in 2005 Nashville, Tennessee. Ace, former pitching phenom and athlete extraordinaire, is now 55 years old and attempting to weather the midlife crisis threatening to envelop him - sexual temptations, ghostly visitations, Burmese Pythons beneath his porch, even a mysterious stalker who wants him dead - but through it all, Ace, oft-poetic and unflappable, continues to seek answers for the overwhelming questions swirling about him, while also learning a few things about baseball, women, and why sometimes a fellow’s talents refuse to stay buried in the ground.

278 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2012

About the author

Ralph Bland is the author of eleven novels. He lives with his wife, a pack of spoiled dogs, and an eccentric MG on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee.

Once In Love With Amy
Where Or When
Past Perfect
Ace
Long Long Time
Bright Red Devil
Super Sport
Stars Rain Sun Moon
Anticipation
Exeunt
Lockhart

Not Dead Again: Stories

Reviews

[Monte Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our anti-hero former high school star athlete, Ace, is now middle age and seeking to find out who he is and what he wants to do. The author does a good job of creating many of the questions that are asked by folks as they age. He does this in a stream of consciousness manner where you can see where Ace is thinking and reacting the events around his life. He has many unusual things occur to him and he stays true to himself and how he wants to live his life. It took me awhile to get into this book, but when I did, I really had fun reading it.