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Pickoff: A Novel
A ballplayer. A diva. The mob. Trouble, 1920s style."an incredibly gripping story" - Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite"Pickoff by G.P. Hutchinson offers great action, great baseball, a great love story, a great moral dilemma, and crisp direct prose. Hutchinson has hit this one out-of-the-park!" - Jon Michael Miller for Readers' FavoriteIt's 1927, the year Babe Ruth clouts an unprecedented 60 homeruns. Over in the National League, Joe Rath has just lost his spot as starting catcher for the Baltimore Beacons. The team's front office believes their club, too, needs a bona fide slugger, one they've found in their new backstop, Frank Walsh. Determined to prove his worth to the Beacons, as well as to his dissatisfied young wife, Rath boards a team train bound for Chicago. Little does he know that a spontaneous visit to a speakeasy in The Windy City will land him in a world of ruthless gangsters and in the arms of a ravishing young singer.Each book in Hutchinson's America's Pastime Series is a standalone story and the series can be read in any order. So, jump right in with whichever era strikes your fancy--the 1890s, the 1910s, or the 1920s.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2021
17 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
G.P. Hutchinson
31 books50 followersThree-Time Winner, Readers' Favorite International Book Awards
"GP Hutchinson has the gift to tell a compelling tale, enlighten you without preaching and keep you on the edge of your seat. He takes you on unexpected trails populated by flesh and blood characters of depth and substance," says Western TV & movie star Alex Cord. Nick Wale of Novel Ideas says, "With great mastery GP Hutchinson paints a West I can see, feel and smell. [He] knows how to write, and he knows instinctively."
Hutchinson's first Western novel, "Strong Convictions," won the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best First Western of 2015, as well as a gold medal from the National Indie Excellence Awards. "Strong Suspicions," the second volume in the Emmett Strong Western series, garnered a gold medal in the 2016 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. And "Strong Ambitions" took silver in the 2017 Readers' Favorite Awards.
In addition to his interest in the Old West, GP Hutchinson has been a longtime enthusiast of baseball, America's first true national pastime, a game played from coast to coast by the late 1800s. While he enjoys the game as it is played today, his most recent novels are tales of players caught up in life-and-death struggles during the early years of professional baseball. Steeped in the actual history of the game, as well as societal realities of the times, these stories feature both fictional and actual characters, teams, and leagues.
A graduate of Louisiana State University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Hutchinson has lived in Costa Rica and Spain. He currently resides in upstate South Carolina with his wife, Carolyn. Besides writing, he enjoys spending time in the mountains and horseback riding whenever the opportunity arises.
"GP Hutchinson has the gift to tell a compelling tale, enlighten you without preaching and keep you on the edge of your seat. He takes you on unexpected trails populated by flesh and blood characters of depth and substance," says Western TV & movie star Alex Cord. Nick Wale of Novel Ideas says, "With great mastery GP Hutchinson paints a West I can see, feel and smell. [He] knows how to write, and he knows instinctively."
Hutchinson's first Western novel, "Strong Convictions," won the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best First Western of 2015, as well as a gold medal from the National Indie Excellence Awards. "Strong Suspicions," the second volume in the Emmett Strong Western series, garnered a gold medal in the 2016 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. And "Strong Ambitions" took silver in the 2017 Readers' Favorite Awards.
In addition to his interest in the Old West, GP Hutchinson has been a longtime enthusiast of baseball, America's first true national pastime, a game played from coast to coast by the late 1800s. While he enjoys the game as it is played today, his most recent novels are tales of players caught up in life-and-death struggles during the early years of professional baseball. Steeped in the actual history of the game, as well as societal realities of the times, these stories feature both fictional and actual characters, teams, and leagues.
A graduate of Louisiana State University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Hutchinson has lived in Costa Rica and Spain. He currently resides in upstate South Carolina with his wife, Carolyn. Besides writing, he enjoys spending time in the mountains and horseback riding whenever the opportunity arises.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 10, 2023
A catcher for the 1920's Baltimore Beacons, who has a somewhat troubled marriage, goes on the road with his team for two weeks. Soon enough, he starts messing around with a gangster's girl in a speakeasy.
Melodramatic, but entertaining.
Melodramatic, but entertaining.
May 24, 2021
Major league catcher Joe Rath faces a three-way crisis while he’s visiting Chicago with his team, the Baltimore Beacons. His glamorous wife, who’s stayed at home with their baby, gives him an ultimatum – he can have her or his baseball career, but not both. A costly new signing for the Beacons has squeezed Joe out of his position as starting catcher, forcing a further career dilemma. Meanwhile, one night in a speakeasy, the brooding ballplayer encounters a ravishing young singer, whose winsome qualities prove irresistible. The problem is, she belongs to a vicious local mob boss. Love, chivalry, baseball, and organized crime soon collide with deadly consequences, and Joe must decide what matters most to him.
Author G.P. Hutchison evokes the roaring twenties with infectious style in this wonderfully entertaining romp through Golden Age baseball and the moral margins of the Prohibition era. It’s very much a wish fulfilment tale, and as such walks a fairly predictable path. We have the conflicted but chivalrous hero, the damaged femme fatale, lively baseball buddies, and psychotic mobsters. But it’s all part of the nostalgic charm. The dialogue, vernacular and attitudes are brilliantly of the era – characters talk and behave exactly how I imagined they would in the 1920s. And the punchy prose is full of flavour, a pleasure to read.
I have only a passing knowledge of baseball, but I could follow the lingo well enough. The games are described with verve and passion. The characters are all recognizable in their types, but fun nonetheless. Fans of baseball or period sports tales with a side order of crime should enjoy this. If you’re into both, it’ll be a home run.
Author G.P. Hutchison evokes the roaring twenties with infectious style in this wonderfully entertaining romp through Golden Age baseball and the moral margins of the Prohibition era. It’s very much a wish fulfilment tale, and as such walks a fairly predictable path. We have the conflicted but chivalrous hero, the damaged femme fatale, lively baseball buddies, and psychotic mobsters. But it’s all part of the nostalgic charm. The dialogue, vernacular and attitudes are brilliantly of the era – characters talk and behave exactly how I imagined they would in the 1920s. And the punchy prose is full of flavour, a pleasure to read.
I have only a passing knowledge of baseball, but I could follow the lingo well enough. The games are described with verve and passion. The characters are all recognizable in their types, but fun nonetheless. Fans of baseball or period sports tales with a side order of crime should enjoy this. If you’re into both, it’ll be a home run.
August 23, 2021
An interesting story of a ballplayer in the 1920s who gets himself involved with the wrong crowd while trying to save a young woman. The story kept my attention. The writing was good. I enjoyed the interplay between the mob and true American baseball. I would recommend for lovers of baseball and those interested in Chicago during the mob years.
I received an ARC from The Hutchinson Group through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
I received an ARC from The Hutchinson Group through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
August 25, 2021
An interesting story of a ballplayer in the 1920s who gets himself involved with the wrong crowd while trying to save a young woman. The story kept my attention. The writing was good. I enjoyed the interplay between the mob and true American baseball. I would recommend for lovers of baseball and those interested in Chicago during the mob years.
I received an ARC from The Hutchinson Group through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
I received an ARC from The Hutchinson Group through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
June 17, 2021
This was such a nice quick read! As a baseball fan, I LOVED how the game was integrated so authentically into the story. The romance loving side of me had a love/hate feeling about Joe’s straying thoughts and the happily ever after that was stripped away. The writing and action kept me turning pages and waiting to see what came next. Worth a read especially for lovers of the 20s culture and baseball!
September 22, 2021
This book ticked off many of the things I like: a Roaring 20's gangland adventure, a good baseball story, an upfront, decent hero and a fast-paced read. My kind of book!
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
April 21, 2021
Very interesting book about baseball with a very scary ending. If you like the diamond sport, decent, honest people, coupled with the gangster-world, this book will hold you to the end.
June 9, 2023
Seems like in the early years of baseball a lot of sketchy people were involved with the players and teams. All in all was a pretty good story.
April 24, 2021
FANTASTIC!
I am one of GP Hutchinson’s biggest fans! Pickoff is amazing. Great characters. Scintillating dialogue. Riveting action. Suspense to the very end. The plot wove ball into a real page-turner!
I am one of GP Hutchinson’s biggest fans! Pickoff is amazing. Great characters. Scintillating dialogue. Riveting action. Suspense to the very end. The plot wove ball into a real page-turner!
November 28, 2021
This is an intense suspense story of baseball and mobster connections intertwined. Joe Rath is a catcher facing a dilemma in his marriage. His wife wants him to quit baseball, so he could spend more time with her and his 1 year old son. Adding to his dilemma is he has been placed as a back up player since a home run hitting Walsh had been added to the team.
After a game, Joe accompanies some of his teammates to a Chicago speakeasy. Despite being married, Joe feels a connection with a beautiful singing Amie Davis. Less than a week later, Joe accompanies his friends to a house party. Little does he know that the house is owned by mob boss Gyp Scaletta. When he wanders into a study, Amie is sitting in the room alone. She warns him "Avoid D'Amico, Coppola, and the Italians." Scaletta walks into the study and accuses Amie and Joe of being inappropriate with each other. Amie's fearful reaction disturbed Joe and when he encounters her again in a deli, he offers to help her get away from Scaletta. Does Amie take him up on his offer? Is Joe going to throw away his marriage? The answers will surprise you.
After a game, Joe accompanies some of his teammates to a Chicago speakeasy. Despite being married, Joe feels a connection with a beautiful singing Amie Davis. Less than a week later, Joe accompanies his friends to a house party. Little does he know that the house is owned by mob boss Gyp Scaletta. When he wanders into a study, Amie is sitting in the room alone. She warns him "Avoid D'Amico, Coppola, and the Italians." Scaletta walks into the study and accuses Amie and Joe of being inappropriate with each other. Amie's fearful reaction disturbed Joe and when he encounters her again in a deli, he offers to help her get away from Scaletta. Does Amie take him up on his offer? Is Joe going to throw away his marriage? The answers will surprise you.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews