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Mickey Rawlings #1
Murder at Fenway Park
Young Mickey Rawlings stumbles across a murder in 1912 Fenway Park, where he learns an entirely new lesson about foul play as he becomes the number one suspect in a case that forces him to launch his own investigation. Reprint.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
78 people are currently reading
731 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 108 reviews
July 28, 2017
Even before I discovered the world of books, my first love was baseball. While I follow the game regularly and have passed the love onto my kids, I also enjoy studying the history of the game. Last year I found the Mickey Rawlings Baseball Mystery series by Troy Soos. Set in the 1910s, the novels focus on a utility player named Mickey Rawlings as he moves from team to team in his attempt to hang on in the major leagues. Murder at Fenway Park is the first book in the series and Soos first novel as he takes readers back in time to the early days of America's pastime.
It is 1912. Mickey Rawlings, age nineteen, has just been called up to the Red Sox to play in brand new Fenway Park. The first modern ball park, the Red Sox with the backing of Boston mayor Honey Fitzgerald and the Royal Rooters and hoping for a World Series victory. Assembling a stellar team featuring ace pitcher Smokey Joe Wood and batting star Tris Speaker, the Red Sox have the talent to win it all. Yet, as soon as Rawlings arrives in Boston, he discovers a dead body in one of Fenway's corridors, a plot that could possibly derail the Red Sox's special season.
Rawlings soon finds out that the body is none other than Detroit Tigers third baseman Red Corriden, a young man just a little older than himself. Even though he only stumbled upon the body, Rawlings desires to identify Corriden's murderer and bring him to justice. With the help of his friend New York Times reporter Karl Landfors, Rawlings slowly pieces together a gambling ring lead by bookie Arnold Rothstein, which employs ball players to fix games. Rothstein, who was later involved with the 1919 Black Sox scandal, had placed a fix on the American League batting race in addition to the standings, and his well placed players attempted to derail the great Ty Cobb from winning. Corriden was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and, unfortunately, had to be eliminated. If Rawlings refuses to stay out of the way, he could be next.
Soos series focuses on baseball during the 1910s. I have already read the novels about the Cubs and Yankees, and the books are historically accurate. This story predates the Red Sox curse when the Yankees were still the Highlanders, and the Red Sox battled the Cobb lead Tigers for the American League pennant on a yearly basis. In days before players unions, league president Ban Johnson held all of the power and could throw people out of the game on a whim. While the stories focus on Rawlings and perhaps a current love interest, I enjoy hearing about Hall of Famers such as Cobb, Nap Lajoie, Smokey Joe Wood, and Walter Johnson. Soos depiction of Cobb as a violent person is especially accurate, and having a murder cases focused around one of his batting titles was an interesting premise for a novel.
Murder at Fenway Park is Soos' debut novel. For a debut, I thought the writing was above average and paced well for a murder mystery. Rawlings character is not as fleshed out as later in the series, but he is introspective for a ball player and an inquisitive wide eyed kid in this debut. Soos baseball mysteries are a perfect read for during the baseball season as they are fun, fast paced historical whodunits. I eventually would like to read the entire series and rate this debut effort 3.5 stars.
It is 1912. Mickey Rawlings, age nineteen, has just been called up to the Red Sox to play in brand new Fenway Park. The first modern ball park, the Red Sox with the backing of Boston mayor Honey Fitzgerald and the Royal Rooters and hoping for a World Series victory. Assembling a stellar team featuring ace pitcher Smokey Joe Wood and batting star Tris Speaker, the Red Sox have the talent to win it all. Yet, as soon as Rawlings arrives in Boston, he discovers a dead body in one of Fenway's corridors, a plot that could possibly derail the Red Sox's special season.
Rawlings soon finds out that the body is none other than Detroit Tigers third baseman Red Corriden, a young man just a little older than himself. Even though he only stumbled upon the body, Rawlings desires to identify Corriden's murderer and bring him to justice. With the help of his friend New York Times reporter Karl Landfors, Rawlings slowly pieces together a gambling ring lead by bookie Arnold Rothstein, which employs ball players to fix games. Rothstein, who was later involved with the 1919 Black Sox scandal, had placed a fix on the American League batting race in addition to the standings, and his well placed players attempted to derail the great Ty Cobb from winning. Corriden was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and, unfortunately, had to be eliminated. If Rawlings refuses to stay out of the way, he could be next.
Soos series focuses on baseball during the 1910s. I have already read the novels about the Cubs and Yankees, and the books are historically accurate. This story predates the Red Sox curse when the Yankees were still the Highlanders, and the Red Sox battled the Cobb lead Tigers for the American League pennant on a yearly basis. In days before players unions, league president Ban Johnson held all of the power and could throw people out of the game on a whim. While the stories focus on Rawlings and perhaps a current love interest, I enjoy hearing about Hall of Famers such as Cobb, Nap Lajoie, Smokey Joe Wood, and Walter Johnson. Soos depiction of Cobb as a violent person is especially accurate, and having a murder cases focused around one of his batting titles was an interesting premise for a novel.
Murder at Fenway Park is Soos' debut novel. For a debut, I thought the writing was above average and paced well for a murder mystery. Rawlings character is not as fleshed out as later in the series, but he is introspective for a ball player and an inquisitive wide eyed kid in this debut. Soos baseball mysteries are a perfect read for during the baseball season as they are fun, fast paced historical whodunits. I eventually would like to read the entire series and rate this debut effort 3.5 stars.
April 5, 2024
Combining two of my favorite genres, baseball and murder mysteries, the author put together a really engaging story.
The protagonist, rookie utilityman Mickey Rawlings of the Boston Red Sox of 1912, finds himself in the middle of two deadly actions involving other players. There seems to be a coverup happening so Mickey decides to do some sleuthing on his own with the help of two friends.
Some of the greatest players of that era are mentioned during descriptions of games being played and one of them becomes a prime suspect.
Overall, I really enjoyed kicking off the new baseball season with this book. It warrants a look at the sequel.
The protagonist, rookie utilityman Mickey Rawlings of the Boston Red Sox of 1912, finds himself in the middle of two deadly actions involving other players. There seems to be a coverup happening so Mickey decides to do some sleuthing on his own with the help of two friends.
Some of the greatest players of that era are mentioned during descriptions of games being played and one of them becomes a prime suspect.
Overall, I really enjoyed kicking off the new baseball season with this book. It warrants a look at the sequel.
May 27, 2019
Eh. That is how I feel about this first book in the Mickey Rawlings Mystery series. I really love Baseball and heard a podcast about this book so I thought I would give it a try. Probably won't try others. So what did I like? Well it is a first time mystery author and so that is a good thing. The time period of the book, 1912, and the the use of the early days of baseball as the basis of the book. And some of the research.
That also is bad, because some of the research is outdated and there is nothing that I dislike more than when an author uses real people as part of the plot and then changes their bio to fit the plot. Here the author had two different people murdered, a baseball player and a former player, back in 1912. Unfortunately those two individual were neither murdered nor died in real life at that time, as a matter of fact the player who was killed off actually continued playing baseball after 1912. See, that in itself turns me off. Either create a character or fit the book to actually portray the individual you are going to use in the plot. I do not know why the author did this, other than he felt that was the best way to write the book. The other issue is the actual character Mickey Rawlings, who is prone to being both hopeless in his bumbling into problems, as well as his thought process as to who was the killer. The author wants us to believe that Ty Cobb was a suspect according to Rawlings, then it was AL League President Ban Johnson. It just gets dumber and dumber. And by the end the actual solution is rushed and how he solves the mystery makes little sense. I was rushing to finish this book, not because it was a page-turner, but rather because I just wanted to get this over with! There are 5 more books in this series, and despite my love of old-time baseball and baseball players, I am just going to pass on any more.
That also is bad, because some of the research is outdated and there is nothing that I dislike more than when an author uses real people as part of the plot and then changes their bio to fit the plot. Here the author had two different people murdered, a baseball player and a former player, back in 1912. Unfortunately those two individual were neither murdered nor died in real life at that time, as a matter of fact the player who was killed off actually continued playing baseball after 1912. See, that in itself turns me off. Either create a character or fit the book to actually portray the individual you are going to use in the plot. I do not know why the author did this, other than he felt that was the best way to write the book. The other issue is the actual character Mickey Rawlings, who is prone to being both hopeless in his bumbling into problems, as well as his thought process as to who was the killer. The author wants us to believe that Ty Cobb was a suspect according to Rawlings, then it was AL League President Ban Johnson. It just gets dumber and dumber. And by the end the actual solution is rushed and how he solves the mystery makes little sense. I was rushing to finish this book, not because it was a page-turner, but rather because I just wanted to get this over with! There are 5 more books in this series, and despite my love of old-time baseball and baseball players, I am just going to pass on any more.
February 1, 2023
It was great reading about the Red Sox in 1912 when Fenway Park was new and weeks after the Titanic disaster. It's a fictional story about murder and cheating and corruption in baseball. A Rookie ball player tries to figure out who the killer is.
November 4, 2011
Combing MLB player and crime-solver into one protagonist shouldn't work. Not only are the two roles vastly different, they could redouble off-putting arrogance. Enter a utility player of marginal ability who guesses wrong and isn't smooth, and you have the start of a good story. Envision 1912 when Fenway was state-of-the-art and ballplayers were outside the adult mainstream, and you have a journey worth taking -- with groudwork for sequels.
January 16, 2020
The time is the 1970s. The novel begins with the reminiscences at the Baseball of Fame (HOF) in Cooperstown (NY) of a man in his dotage, who, in his youth, had been a journeyman baseball player in the major leagues. The reason he was there was that he had received an invitation to attend an exhibition game between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs, 2 teams he had played with earlier in the century. The man, as the last survivor of a generation of pioneer ball players, had been given the honor of throwing out the first ball at the game. His name: Mickey Rawlings.
The reader is then fully immersed in Mickey's salad days in April 1912, after he was hired by the Boston Red Sox as a utility player. Rawlings has just arrived in Boston too late to attend the Saturday game at Fenway Park (then a new stadium that stood out like a great cathedral). But he -- a lad barely out of his teens with a keen love and devotion to the sport -- is determined to report to the Red Sox. The sooner he's a full-fledged member of the team, the more secure he'll feel. (Rawlings' brief stint with the Boston Braves the previous year attested to the precarious position often held by journeyman ball players.) So, after meeting with a stadium attendant at the entrance to Fenway Park, Rawlings wanders into the heart of the stadium, in search of the manager's office. He walks into a tunnel and is halfway inside and ventures past an intersecting corridor when he hears a dull, echoing THUNK from a recessed doorway. There Rawlings discovers to his horror a well-dressed man slumped on the ground whose face had been mutilated. He is sickened by what he sees and passes out. A short time later, he is found and brought before Robert Tyler, the Red Sox treasurer and a local cop who questions Rawlings about his discovery of the dead man.
This dramatic development -- Rawlings' discovery of a dead man -- takes the reader into the heart of the novel which follows Rawlings throughout the 1912 season as he endeavors to find out who murdered the man, whose death the Boston police seemed set on holding him accountable for! There are a lot of twists and turns in this novel that I can't begin to describe, because that would be giving away the heart of the story. But I can say for anyone who takes up "MURDER AT FENWAY PARK" to read that he/she will be treated to a roller-coaster ride full of thrills, chills, and surprises.
The reader is then fully immersed in Mickey's salad days in April 1912, after he was hired by the Boston Red Sox as a utility player. Rawlings has just arrived in Boston too late to attend the Saturday game at Fenway Park (then a new stadium that stood out like a great cathedral). But he -- a lad barely out of his teens with a keen love and devotion to the sport -- is determined to report to the Red Sox. The sooner he's a full-fledged member of the team, the more secure he'll feel. (Rawlings' brief stint with the Boston Braves the previous year attested to the precarious position often held by journeyman ball players.) So, after meeting with a stadium attendant at the entrance to Fenway Park, Rawlings wanders into the heart of the stadium, in search of the manager's office. He walks into a tunnel and is halfway inside and ventures past an intersecting corridor when he hears a dull, echoing THUNK from a recessed doorway. There Rawlings discovers to his horror a well-dressed man slumped on the ground whose face had been mutilated. He is sickened by what he sees and passes out. A short time later, he is found and brought before Robert Tyler, the Red Sox treasurer and a local cop who questions Rawlings about his discovery of the dead man.
This dramatic development -- Rawlings' discovery of a dead man -- takes the reader into the heart of the novel which follows Rawlings throughout the 1912 season as he endeavors to find out who murdered the man, whose death the Boston police seemed set on holding him accountable for! There are a lot of twists and turns in this novel that I can't begin to describe, because that would be giving away the heart of the story. But I can say for anyone who takes up "MURDER AT FENWAY PARK" to read that he/she will be treated to a roller-coaster ride full of thrills, chills, and surprises.
July 30, 2017
The book is Soos' first in a series set in the past, revolving around baseball stadiums. The protagonist is Mickey Rawlings, who is a rookie with the Red Sox, playing at the brand new Fenway Park. His first day, Mick arrives late after a train delay, and stumbles over a dead body. Afraid he is being looked at for the murder, Mick decides to investigate. Although he is a decent ball player, he is a pretty bad detective. Luckily his would-be girlfriend, Peggy and a friend of hers who's a newspaper journalist, are much better investigators.
I learned a good amount of baseball history from this novel. The famous 1912 pitching battle between Joe Wood and Walter Johnson was included in the novel, as was, no surprise, the 1912 World Series which Boston won, defeating the NY Giants. I didn't know Fenway had a hill, later known as Duffy's Cliff, which forced left fielder's to play running uphill. Ty Cobb is a bad guy in the story, no surprise. Soos' description of Boston geography, though not extensive, is accurate. Trolleys were the way to get to Jamaica Plain, and Arnold Arboretum.
This was Soos's debut baseball mystery and a decent novel. I'd read more though this was going to be my favorite being a Red Sox fan, and considering Boston, my hometown. And I am watching the Sox playing in Fenway on tv while writing this.
I learned a good amount of baseball history from this novel. The famous 1912 pitching battle between Joe Wood and Walter Johnson was included in the novel, as was, no surprise, the 1912 World Series which Boston won, defeating the NY Giants. I didn't know Fenway had a hill, later known as Duffy's Cliff, which forced left fielder's to play running uphill. Ty Cobb is a bad guy in the story, no surprise. Soos' description of Boston geography, though not extensive, is accurate. Trolleys were the way to get to Jamaica Plain, and Arnold Arboretum.
This was Soos's debut baseball mystery and a decent novel. I'd read more though this was going to be my favorite being a Red Sox fan, and considering Boston, my hometown. And I am watching the Sox playing in Fenway on tv while writing this.
June 19, 2014
"Murder at Fenway Park" by Troy Soos.
This book is basically for baseball history enthusiasts more than mystery lovers. The narrator throughout is the main character, Mickey Rawlings. The story takes place in 1912 with Mickey's entry into professional baseball with the Boston Red Sox.
Mickey discovers a body in the stadium, but this comes after endless narration of baseball history told with little or no emotion.
I was so disappointed with this book and cannot actually call it a mystery. The mundane reciting of baseball history, although I too love the sport, turned me off completely. I finished more than half of the book and returned it to the library.
This book is basically for baseball history enthusiasts more than mystery lovers. The narrator throughout is the main character, Mickey Rawlings. The story takes place in 1912 with Mickey's entry into professional baseball with the Boston Red Sox.
Mickey discovers a body in the stadium, but this comes after endless narration of baseball history told with little or no emotion.
I was so disappointed with this book and cannot actually call it a mystery. The mundane reciting of baseball history, although I too love the sport, turned me off completely. I finished more than half of the book and returned it to the library.
June 6, 2014
As a baseball lover and mystery lover, I found this book to be a fun beginning to a baseball mystery series. In 1912, a young baseball player, Mickey Rawlings, has just gotten his call to play in the big leagues with the Boston Red Socks. He's come into the brand new Fenway Park to check in and immediately finds the body of one of his team mates. Red Corriden's head is bash up badly, but the police and team owner just seem to want everything hushed up. Would've want any bad publicity for the new stadium. But there's much more to it than that, and Mickey finds he has to discover the murderer before someone kills him too.
I found this book to be a real winner. The mystery was interesting, and was filled with numerous fun facts about real historical players and team owners of that time period. It was also interesting living the life of a ball player of that time. Surely different from today's players. Lots of big names came into play, Ty Cobb and Cy Young amongst them. Troy Soos managed to be factual about the real people and maintain a fictional story as well. Great reading for mystery lovers during baseball season!!
I found this book to be a real winner. The mystery was interesting, and was filled with numerous fun facts about real historical players and team owners of that time period. It was also interesting living the life of a ball player of that time. Surely different from today's players. Lots of big names came into play, Ty Cobb and Cy Young amongst them. Troy Soos managed to be factual about the real people and maintain a fictional story as well. Great reading for mystery lovers during baseball season!!
June 6, 2013
So boring! Couldn't maintain my interest nor did I have a desire to read and/or finish this book--I did because I was reading it for a book club. I usually like books that are cozies and that don't have serial killers or include a lot of suspense. But this one was awful, with so many typographical and grammatical errors, that the reader even had a hard time following the name of a main character. Maybe the paperback version was clean, but the Kindle edition had constant replacements of the letter "l" with the letter "t." Maybe a fanatical baseball history buff would enjoy this story, but I sure didn't.
November 28, 2020
"Murder at Fenway Park" was the first Mickey Rawlings mystery. Years ago I had read many of the others, so it was great fun to read the first one. It takes place in 1912, when the twenty year old Rawlings joins the Boston Red Sox after the season started to be a back up infielder. On his first day at the brand new stadium he stumbles across a dead body. It turns out the dead man was Red Corriden, a back up infielder on the Detroit Tigers. Rawlings is told to stay out of the investigation, but of course he doesn't, in part because the police think he is the number one suspect. While Mickey tries to figure out what is going on, with the help of his girlfriend and later a news paper reporter, we get a look at life in 1912, both concerning baseball and in general. On the field we meet some of the great players of the day, such as Red Sox stars Tris Speaker, Smoky Joe Wood, Larry Gardner and Duffy Lewis as well as other team's stars such as Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Hal Chase and Nap Lajoie. The author presents Ty Cobb in an unflattering light, which was common at the time, even making him Rawlings' number one suspect for much of the book. A few of the ballplayers are fictional. Interestingly, the murder victim was a real player. Red Corriden was a back up infielder who in 1910 played an unwitting role in an effort to give the batting crown (and a new car) to Lajoie instead of Cobb. In 1912, he was on the Detroit Tigers, teammates with Cobb. He wasn't murdered, however, but stayed in the majors a few more years, mainly with the Cubs. He then returned to the minor leagues where he played for many years. He later became a long time coach with the Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees. He managed the Chicago White Sox in 1950. He died of a heart attack in 1959 at the age of 72. I wonder if Red's great grand children were bothered by this book.
I love baseball history and mystery books, so this book was up my alley. The resolution of the crimes came rather too easily in my opinion, considering his lack of success up to that point, but that hardly takes away from the fun. I really enjoyed how the novel bookends the main story with an aged Mickey's visit to Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame. Mickey is a guest, not because he was a great player but because he is the last living member of the 1912 Red Sox. Mickey is an interesting character, a little more so than in some of the later books - which I will have to reread - when his attitudes seemed more in tune with the 1990's than the 1910's. I highly recommend this novel to all baseball or mystery fans.
I love baseball history and mystery books, so this book was up my alley. The resolution of the crimes came rather too easily in my opinion, considering his lack of success up to that point, but that hardly takes away from the fun. I really enjoyed how the novel bookends the main story with an aged Mickey's visit to Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame. Mickey is a guest, not because he was a great player but because he is the last living member of the 1912 Red Sox. Mickey is an interesting character, a little more so than in some of the later books - which I will have to reread - when his attitudes seemed more in tune with the 1990's than the 1910's. I highly recommend this novel to all baseball or mystery fans.
March 21, 2025
I read pretty much the entire series (maybe minus the last one or two) when I was a nerdy, baseball-obsessed 13-year-old circa 1999. They were probably one of the first "adult" mystery novels I read. (I even emailed the author asking a question about the biographies of some of the ballplayers in the book... I think I was wondering which ones were real and which were made-up for story purposes. I can't remember his response, but he was way nicer than he needed to be about a question that I could have just as easily googled, since I had access to email.) So on a whim I decided to do this one again on audiobook to see if it still holds up. And... sorta? Some of the offhand commentary about players going on strike and the "old ballplayer hates modern baseball while walking around Cooperstown" thing kind of made me roll my eyes (I really hate the "back in MY day, baseball was PURE) type stuff, and part of me is not sure if that's the author's subtle commentary or not. I kind of lean towards yes, but also it's not like he was alive in 1912 so if so then it's especially weird. Who knows! Anyway, this series is probably where my love of noir and mysteries kicked in, and it's a perfectly serviceable period one of those. (Mickey Rawlings is no Bernie Gunther, TBH, but that's fine.) I'll probably burn through all of these this baseball season, because it's the perfect distraction to keep myself from thinking about fascism.
October 1, 2018
Loved it!
If you are a baseball fan you will enjoy this book. It was a lot of fun reading about baseball in 1912 and you gotta love that it took a whole season to catch a murderer. I was as clueless as Mickey was. Looking forward to the next one.
If you are a baseball fan you will enjoy this book. It was a lot of fun reading about baseball in 1912 and you gotta love that it took a whole season to catch a murderer. I was as clueless as Mickey was. Looking forward to the next one.
December 25, 2020
I read this series when I was in high school. It was fun to revisit. Especially during a stressful year, I've definitely relied on some books to help me escape the day-to-day bad news that we've all had to deal with. A historical-fiction baseball murder mystery does the trick!
January 13, 2024
It was ok. Definitely need to know more about baseball.
March 18, 2017
1912, Boston. The Titanic is only a few weeks lost to the North Atlantic bottom, but Mickey Rawling's mind isn't on one of the biggest maritime disasters of history. No, he's just been inducted into the Major Leagues, hired to play with the Boston Red Sox, and his first night he's stumbled upon a man beaten so badly the victim's face no longer exists. And then Mickey threw up on it, just for good measure. Murder at Fenway Park is the story of a rookie ball player who turns amateur detective when he realizes the police intend on fingering him for the crime. While the cozy relationship between the Red Sox and the police might protect him during the baseball season, come fall he'll be left to his own devices.
The first in Trey Soos' baseball-murder mysteries, Murder at Fenway takes readers through a violence summer, in which Rawlings rubs shoulders with baseball greats like Ty Cobb, and does his best -- with the aide of a nickelodeon musician and a Socialist working on the garment factory-version of The Jungle -- to figure out who did it before either being arrested or beaten to a pulp by the original murderer. The writing is sometimes unpolished, but the opening framing device -- an old man wandering through the Baseball Hall of Fame, feeling he and the sport have become long-distant strangers, then flashing back to the murder story on seeing the victim on a baseball card -- was well executed. I suspect readers will find the setting more interesting than the mystery, considering how dramatic this era was in baseball. This was the decade that produce legends who gave their names to awards -- Cy Young, Ty Cobb -- although we're two years away from Babe Ruth stepping up to the plate. This is technically alt-fiction, considering that Soos kills off a player who -- in reality, died of a heart attack in 1959.
Murder at Fenway Park is by no means amazing literature, but it's enjoyable if you like early-20th century mysteries, or golden age baseball.
The first in Trey Soos' baseball-murder mysteries, Murder at Fenway takes readers through a violence summer, in which Rawlings rubs shoulders with baseball greats like Ty Cobb, and does his best -- with the aide of a nickelodeon musician and a Socialist working on the garment factory-version of The Jungle -- to figure out who did it before either being arrested or beaten to a pulp by the original murderer. The writing is sometimes unpolished, but the opening framing device -- an old man wandering through the Baseball Hall of Fame, feeling he and the sport have become long-distant strangers, then flashing back to the murder story on seeing the victim on a baseball card -- was well executed. I suspect readers will find the setting more interesting than the mystery, considering how dramatic this era was in baseball. This was the decade that produce legends who gave their names to awards -- Cy Young, Ty Cobb -- although we're two years away from Babe Ruth stepping up to the plate. This is technically alt-fiction, considering that Soos kills off a player who -- in reality, died of a heart attack in 1959.
Murder at Fenway Park is by no means amazing literature, but it's enjoyable if you like early-20th century mysteries, or golden age baseball.
December 27, 2019
This book way given to me by a friend when I was in Boston on business a few weeks ago. He knows I have been a lifelong Red Sox fan and he has held season tickets to Fenway for almost 30 years. In any case, lots of connections to Fenway Park and the Boston Red Sox. In short, I was going to enjoy this read regardless of the story!
Turns out that this was the first effort by the author Troy Soos, who now has seven more books he's written in this Mickey Rawlings series (baseball fans will get the "catch"...lol... in the name of the primary character.) And frankly, while there is nothing fancy about the writing, in my opinion this is a nice first book for a mystery author.
Uncomplicated writing style, mixed with some wonderful historic baseball facts (and fiction), and an insight into how the game was played in years gone by, all add up to a little fun. The plot is not complicated, yet it is complex enough to keep you turning the pages. The book is a short 250 pages (small sized...less than a minute per page reading time) and it kept me just hooked enough that it was a fast read.
All in all, I was happy with the mystery and pleased by the history! I'm writing my friend a thank you note tonight, and I've already ordered "Murder At Ebbets Field" (the next in the Mickey Rawlings mystery series) and plan to read it early March when Spring Training starts and I want to get mentally revved up for baseball season.
Turns out that this was the first effort by the author Troy Soos, who now has seven more books he's written in this Mickey Rawlings series (baseball fans will get the "catch"...lol... in the name of the primary character.) And frankly, while there is nothing fancy about the writing, in my opinion this is a nice first book for a mystery author.
Uncomplicated writing style, mixed with some wonderful historic baseball facts (and fiction), and an insight into how the game was played in years gone by, all add up to a little fun. The plot is not complicated, yet it is complex enough to keep you turning the pages. The book is a short 250 pages (small sized...less than a minute per page reading time) and it kept me just hooked enough that it was a fast read.
All in all, I was happy with the mystery and pleased by the history! I'm writing my friend a thank you note tonight, and I've already ordered "Murder At Ebbets Field" (the next in the Mickey Rawlings mystery series) and plan to read it early March when Spring Training starts and I want to get mentally revved up for baseball season.
September 24, 2017
Boston, 1912. A rookie ballplayer who has recently been acquired by the Red Sox arrives at brand new Fenway Park just in time to find the body of a Tigers' third baseman. The police arrive shortly thereafter just in time to find the rookie ballplayer, who is now also a murder suspect.
This book had a great hook, and I enjoyed the supporting cast of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and other early legends of the game that weren't really characters in the story but their presence lent authenticity to a compelling story set in the early part of the 20th century. A murder mystery in that era, with limited means of communication, was fun to read and experience. However, I prefer a mystery that allows the reader to do the thinking. The story had a nice build up, but really jumped around quite a bit toward the end and introduced a lot of red herrings that I had not even considered and detracted from what could have been a great read. Baseball fans will enjoy this much more than mystery enthusiasts, and that's not saying much.
This book had a great hook, and I enjoyed the supporting cast of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and other early legends of the game that weren't really characters in the story but their presence lent authenticity to a compelling story set in the early part of the 20th century. A murder mystery in that era, with limited means of communication, was fun to read and experience. However, I prefer a mystery that allows the reader to do the thinking. The story had a nice build up, but really jumped around quite a bit toward the end and introduced a lot of red herrings that I had not even considered and detracted from what could have been a great read. Baseball fans will enjoy this much more than mystery enthusiasts, and that's not saying much.
February 26, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, my first by this author. It is the first in a series and it covers fictional incidents from the 1912 Boston Red Sox season. Being a longtime baseball fan, I was impressed with the research that comes out clearly in this book. I am familiar with many of the names noted in this book and the writer brought them to life in a dynamic way. His methods brought you back to a time when major league baseball was really in its infancy. He also touched on how corrupt our society was in those days and how easy it was for someone to get away with a heinous crime. I plan to read the next installment in this series.
February 8, 2019
I'm not very knowledgeable about baseball, and I thought I would learn a lot from this book. Well, not really. The setting is 1912, so almost all of the baseball info is from that time for earlier.
Typical of a mystery, there isn't any character development, but, unlike most good mysteries, there aren't really enough clues to let the reader try to solve the crime. Everything is wrapped up at the end with a bow by an explanation, without much lead in. Nope, I won't be reading this series again.
Typical of a mystery, there isn't any character development, but, unlike most good mysteries, there aren't really enough clues to let the reader try to solve the crime. Everything is wrapped up at the end with a bow by an explanation, without much lead in. Nope, I won't be reading this series again.
February 20, 2019
Good but not great. Fans of baseball, especially historic baseball, should find this entertaining. Its greatest strength is not its plot but the use of period detail and interweaving of fact with fiction. (Readers may want to use baseball-reference.com from time to time when a new character is introduced -- it just might be a real ballplayer!) There are a few inside jokes for Bostonians as well. Entertaining.
April 9, 2020
I liked it but it's hard especially in the age of the Internet not to check Wikipedia or Baseball Reference and go "well this player definitely existed, so he's definitely not the murderer", or, "this guy is a composite so he definitely had something to do with it". Maybe Ty Cobb was more of a red herring 25, 30 years ago but if you know anything about baseball you can easily eliminate some of the suspects. That said, I might continue with the series, as the protagonist was likable enough.
August 17, 2020
(4.5 stars)
Overall a great book, ending felt a little rushed...
I loved getting to read about baseball, especially the scenes at games, play by play...
It was a good mystery. I never guessed whodunit.
I loved that there are historic characters in here, makes me want to look them all up online. And that he used bits of the actual history in his story.
I will likely continue the series. I'm interested in the Wrigley Field one.
Overall a great book, ending felt a little rushed...
I loved getting to read about baseball, especially the scenes at games, play by play...
It was a good mystery. I never guessed whodunit.
I loved that there are historic characters in here, makes me want to look them all up online. And that he used bits of the actual history in his story.
I will likely continue the series. I'm interested in the Wrigley Field one.
September 19, 2021
First in the Mickey Rawlings baseball mystery series.
The year is 1912, Roosevelt, Taft, and Debs are running for president. Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson are battling for baseball's batting crown. Mickey Rawlings, a young ballplayer gets a major league education when he stumbles on a body in Fenway Park.
Great plot, fresh characters, and lots of details about baseball the way it was played in 1912. Recommended for fans of sports and historical mysteries. I'm reading #5 now.
The year is 1912, Roosevelt, Taft, and Debs are running for president. Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson are battling for baseball's batting crown. Mickey Rawlings, a young ballplayer gets a major league education when he stumbles on a body in Fenway Park.
Great plot, fresh characters, and lots of details about baseball the way it was played in 1912. Recommended for fans of sports and historical mysteries. I'm reading #5 now.
January 15, 2022
Humor, mystery, suspense--and baseball!
I'm not a huge baseball fan, because I was never coordinated enough to play growing up! But author Soos has come very close to making me a fan with his excellent mystery starting Mickey Rawlings! Great use of both humor and heart racing suspense, I'm looking forward to taking the next installment in the series. And learning even more about baseball! Go Braves!
I'm not a huge baseball fan, because I was never coordinated enough to play growing up! But author Soos has come very close to making me a fan with his excellent mystery starting Mickey Rawlings! Great use of both humor and heart racing suspense, I'm looking forward to taking the next installment in the series. And learning even more about baseball! Go Braves!
July 28, 2025
There is an art to writing fiction using real life people. Soos attempted, but didn't master it. The book was enjoyable, but would have been better to have taken a few less liberties. For instance, the real victim was a baseball player that wasn't murdered. Maybe have it been a fictional staff member or a fake player that never existed. It was a decent esacpe.
How did this book find me? It is a baseball book and leaving Audible+ catalog on July 29.
How did this book find me? It is a baseball book and leaving Audible+ catalog on July 29.
December 31, 2018
I was drawn to this because of the setting - Fenway is our home ball park. I liked the mystery and enjoyed the baseball history and player trivia. But I had some trouble keeping track of all the characters as they came and went.
I finished this and picked up the best in the series, which I suppose says something good.
I finished this and picked up the best in the series, which I suppose says something good.
August 4, 2019
This book should have been right up my alley... I like baseball, enjoy historical fiction and mysteries; especially when those stories are set around real people and events... However, this book fell short on the plot for me. The writing was fine, but the storyline just didn't keep me interested enough to make it further than halfway through the book.
March 28, 2020
A Baseball Fan's mystery
I really enjoyed this book. The story was good, and I loved the baseball references...past players, hitting and fielding from a young player's perspective, stats. I would have given it 4 stars, but apparently the spell checker wasn't working. There were so many typos! I plan to continue reading the series. Hopefully the proofreading improves.
I really enjoyed this book. The story was good, and I loved the baseball references...past players, hitting and fielding from a young player's perspective, stats. I would have given it 4 stars, but apparently the spell checker wasn't working. There were so many typos! I plan to continue reading the series. Hopefully the proofreading improves.
July 14, 2022
Diamonds are Forever
I have finished all of Mr. Soos’ historical novels placed in baseball’s antiquity and each with a murder played out in the great, early cathedrals of baseball. He brings the era to life for those of us who enjoy the game’ history at least as much as the game itself.
I have finished all of Mr. Soos’ historical novels placed in baseball’s antiquity and each with a murder played out in the great, early cathedrals of baseball. He brings the era to life for those of us who enjoy the game’ history at least as much as the game itself.
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