What do you think?
Rate this book
Harvey Blissberg Mystery #1
Strike Three, You're Dead
First published by Walker & Company in 1984, Strike Three, You're Dead introduced both Richard Rosen, a new voice in crime fiction, and his sleuth, Harvey Blissberg, a former Red Sox center fielder, now playing for a lowly expansion team in Providence, Rhode Island. Both were immediately hailed as fresh and important additions by critics and readers, and Rosen won the MWA's Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel. Sixteen years later, the impact of that book remains: it was chosen by mystery booksellers as one of the hundred best novels of the twentieth century. With the baseball season starting, we're proud to be bringing the book back to readers as we prepare to release a new Harvey Blissberg baseball mystery, Mean Streak, in time to celebrate the first World Series of the twenty-first century.
225 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1984
25 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
R.D. Rosen
20 books32 followersRichard Dean Rosen's writing career spans mystery novels, narrative nonfiction, humor books, and television. Strike Three You're Dead (1984), the first in Rosen's series featuring major league baseball player Harvey Blissberg, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America in 1985. Blissberg's adventures continued in four sequels, including Fadeaway (1986) and Saturday Night Dead (1988), which drew on Rosen's stint as a writer for Saturday Night Live.
Rosen's three nonfiction books include Psychobabble (1979), inspired by the term he coined, and A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West (2007). Over the past decade, he co-created and co-wrote a bestselling series of humor books: Bad Cat, Bad Dog, Bad Baby, and Bad President.
He attended Brown University and graduated from Harvard College.
Rosen's three nonfiction books include Psychobabble (1979), inspired by the term he coined, and A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West (2007). Over the past decade, he co-created and co-wrote a bestselling series of humor books: Bad Cat, Bad Dog, Bad Baby, and Bad President.
He attended Brown University and graduated from Harvard College.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 4, 2015
I like baseball.... a lot. Do you have to like baseball to enjoy this book? No, but it does enhance the experience. Without knowing a bit about MLB's expansion draft, it is harder to put yourself in the shoes of Harvey Blissberg who was with the Boston Red Sox and now is down the road with the Providence Jewels (a fictitious major league team). We quickly find that his new locker room is packed with plenty of colorful characters.
You have probably figured out from the title that this is a murder mystery. It's Rosen's first and he hit the ground running, winning an Edgar for best first mystery. I read the follow ups and may review them if I can find the time to refresh myself about pleasant times of more than a decade ago.
Rosen shows a skillful hand in turning a baseball story into a mystery. It is altogether plausible how Harvey decides to do a little detective work on his own when a teammate dies under suspicious circumstances. There are groupies hanging around the players. There are criminals, too. Is organized crime involved? Harvey has more than the usual difficulties with the local police given that no one sees him as having professional status in crime solving.
The dialogue is nicely handled and there is little to quibble about the plot twists. Things move to a satisfactory conclusion leaving the reader wanting to see what's next for Blissberg.
You have probably figured out from the title that this is a murder mystery. It's Rosen's first and he hit the ground running, winning an Edgar for best first mystery. I read the follow ups and may review them if I can find the time to refresh myself about pleasant times of more than a decade ago.
Rosen shows a skillful hand in turning a baseball story into a mystery. It is altogether plausible how Harvey decides to do a little detective work on his own when a teammate dies under suspicious circumstances. There are groupies hanging around the players. There are criminals, too. Is organized crime involved? Harvey has more than the usual difficulties with the local police given that no one sees him as having professional status in crime solving.
The dialogue is nicely handled and there is little to quibble about the plot twists. Things move to a satisfactory conclusion leaving the reader wanting to see what's next for Blissberg.
January 7, 2014
Well, this isn't the book I expected. I checked it out of the library, and began reading it on Sara's recommendation.......and about 50 pages into the book, I realized that I was reading a book with the same title, but a different author, as the one I had intended to read. But, since it was about baseball, and it was a short mystery, I decided to finish it anyway.
The plot deals with a relief pitcher, Rudy, who is found dead in the club whirlpool. They played on an American League expansion team called the Providence Jewels. Harvey, his road-trip roommate, discovers him, and decides (for a variety of reasons) to solve the mystery of who killed him. There were a lot of characters in here - some with more page space than they deserved. And the story is quite dated: three expensive typewriters were found in Rudy's apartment, which was part of the evidence the police collected. I thought it was a joke until I realized the book was written in 1984.
anyway - there are a lot better mysteries out there, but for a baseball lover this was just passable.
The plot deals with a relief pitcher, Rudy, who is found dead in the club whirlpool. They played on an American League expansion team called the Providence Jewels. Harvey, his road-trip roommate, discovers him, and decides (for a variety of reasons) to solve the mystery of who killed him. There were a lot of characters in here - some with more page space than they deserved. And the story is quite dated: three expensive typewriters were found in Rudy's apartment, which was part of the evidence the police collected. I thought it was a joke until I realized the book was written in 1984.
anyway - there are a lot better mysteries out there, but for a baseball lover this was just passable.
March 1, 2019
(Audiobook Feb 2019) - Every year around spring training I like to get a baseball book. For some reason this book from 1984 was on the front rack at my library and was a random grab for me. Baseball, mystery, start of a series - all good things for me. Being a huge baseball fan made this enjoyable, but even a non-baseball fan would enjoy this mystery. Hearing some of the player salaries definitely dates the book, but the mystery was solid and the characters were likable. I will move on to book 2 - FadeAway.
February 5, 2018
Bought this and started reading it in early Sept. 2016. Stopped and didn't open it again after Jose Fernandez died -- I didn't have the heart to read about a murdered MLB pitcher after that. Finally finished this book in a marathon read today, and it wasn't bad. Not great, but not bad. I didn't figure out who did it until the last 30 pages or so, just before it was revealed.
June 7, 2018
We're a third of the way through the baseball season, and have had this lying around for awhile. Found out it won the Edgar in '84, for Best First Mystery. So, good time of the year to give it a go. :)
With good writing, colorful characters and Spenser like banter.....this was an enjoyable mystery.
With good writing, colorful characters and Spenser like banter.....this was an enjoyable mystery.
March 5, 2022
A nice little baseball-based mystery. Edgar award…sure, why not. But one of the 100 best novels of the twentieth century…really?
Read
September 14, 2022Okay.
February 15, 2020
All star!
I loved this book. Combining baseball and a murder mystery is a unique juxtaposition, since the sport has a reputation for being a peaceful, thoughtful game. I look forward to reading more Harvey Bliss Mysteries!
I loved this book. Combining baseball and a murder mystery is a unique juxtaposition, since the sport has a reputation for being a peaceful, thoughtful game. I look forward to reading more Harvey Bliss Mysteries!
August 14, 2013
Despite mentions of the wretched & atrocious Toronto Blue Jays, this baseball-based murder mystery hits a homerun. It will be difficult not to make reference to every baseball metaphor during this review, I have to be honest. But, I'll try not to. At first mention of the Blue Jays, I just assumed they were the guilty party, since they kill the beauty of baseball daily & nightly. Alright, now that I've gotten my digs against the horrendous Jays out of the way, onto the novel.
Richard Rosen introduces the character of Harvey Blissberg in his first mystery novel, a baseball player who is slowly realizing his best days with the Red Sox are behind him, & his future with the fictional Providence Jewels is his new reality. Blissberg is a great character, something of a Sam-Malone-meets-Crash-Davis-type, but not exactly. He's a little more polished, but his involvement with a local reporter, & his personal investigation into the murder of a teammate really makes him seem like more of a Mike Hammer with cleats. He's the kind of character you really get behind, because part of you relates to him & wants him to succeed at everything he does.
A mystery involving baseball can and usually does go one of two ways; the baseball element can simply be window dressing, and the murder doesn't have anything to do with baseball itself, but provides a convenient way of involving an otherwise-unconnected element to the mystery; or, it can involve baseball fully, and totally. Thankfully this is a book that takes the latter path.
The third act of this story is great. It comes together in a way you can't really predict, but is very plausible. I was worried that it may fall apart with its explanation, but I was quite satisfied by it. I think Harvey Blissberg is going to be a fun character to follow in future books in the series.
Richard Rosen introduces the character of Harvey Blissberg in his first mystery novel, a baseball player who is slowly realizing his best days with the Red Sox are behind him, & his future with the fictional Providence Jewels is his new reality. Blissberg is a great character, something of a Sam-Malone-meets-Crash-Davis-type, but not exactly. He's a little more polished, but his involvement with a local reporter, & his personal investigation into the murder of a teammate really makes him seem like more of a Mike Hammer with cleats. He's the kind of character you really get behind, because part of you relates to him & wants him to succeed at everything he does.
A mystery involving baseball can and usually does go one of two ways; the baseball element can simply be window dressing, and the murder doesn't have anything to do with baseball itself, but provides a convenient way of involving an otherwise-unconnected element to the mystery; or, it can involve baseball fully, and totally. Thankfully this is a book that takes the latter path.
The third act of this story is great. It comes together in a way you can't really predict, but is very plausible. I was worried that it may fall apart with its explanation, but I was quite satisfied by it. I think Harvey Blissberg is going to be a fun character to follow in future books in the series.
March 9, 2013
My View:
An interesting read, the narrative is well crafted, the characters real and sympathetic. This murder/mystery transcends the world of, or knowledge of, American baseball. I know nothing of baseball and yet was able to enjoy and immerse myself in Harvey Blissberg’s world, hats off to the author for creating such a believable cast and script.
Blissberg is a character we can all identify with – he has strength of mind, determination, he is successful, he is the likable boy next door and a lover and a friend – a complex character. He is driven by the doubt that just maybe he wasn’t the friend that he thought he was that he should have been. His guilt drives him to seek answers that the police have not been able to provide him; Bliss turns detective.
All in all a good read, a satisfying read and one that leaves you yearning for the further adventures of Harvey Blissberg.
It is hard to believe that this book was written and published so long ago (originally in 1984 by Walker and Company), and won an Edgar Award in 1985 for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. What an accolade. And well deserved. I look forward to discovering the next books in this series and following the adventures of Bliss.
An interesting read, the narrative is well crafted, the characters real and sympathetic. This murder/mystery transcends the world of, or knowledge of, American baseball. I know nothing of baseball and yet was able to enjoy and immerse myself in Harvey Blissberg’s world, hats off to the author for creating such a believable cast and script.
Blissberg is a character we can all identify with – he has strength of mind, determination, he is successful, he is the likable boy next door and a lover and a friend – a complex character. He is driven by the doubt that just maybe he wasn’t the friend that he thought he was that he should have been. His guilt drives him to seek answers that the police have not been able to provide him; Bliss turns detective.
All in all a good read, a satisfying read and one that leaves you yearning for the further adventures of Harvey Blissberg.
It is hard to believe that this book was written and published so long ago (originally in 1984 by Walker and Company), and won an Edgar Award in 1985 for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. What an accolade. And well deserved. I look forward to discovering the next books in this series and following the adventures of Bliss.
August 28, 2025
Harvey Blissberg, a former Red Sox Center Fielder, has been downgraded to a new expansion team in Providence, Rhode Island. One day, there is a body found in the clubhouse whirlpool who is identified as relief pitcher Rudy, who is also Harvey's road-game roommate. Harvey inserts himself into the investigation to understand what happened to his friend Rudy, but in the process, he finds himself in the line of fire as well.
This may be a good book for people who are baseball lovers and enjoy a mystery book. The story is packed with baseball game stats/descriptions and lingo, though it does come off as a bit dated with the book being written in the 1980s. I wouldn't call this an excellent mystery, and it didn't really compel me to read more books in the series, but it was ok for a quick read.
This may be a good book for people who are baseball lovers and enjoy a mystery book. The story is packed with baseball game stats/descriptions and lingo, though it does come off as a bit dated with the book being written in the 1980s. I wouldn't call this an excellent mystery, and it didn't really compel me to read more books in the series, but it was ok for a quick read.
February 15, 2013
This is a spellbinding tale of friendship and love, baseball and murder.
After five seasons as starting center fielder of the Boston Red Sox, Harvey Blissberg finds himself center fielder for the Providence Jewels, a mythical major league expansion team, going no where that season.
But he is in love with a gorgeous redhead TV sportscaster and friends with an up and coming relief pitcher, who he finds one morning dead in the locker room whirlpool, his head bashed in with a bat. Harvey’s determined to discover his friend’s brutal killer.
If you like a good mystery, a delightful love story and the great American pastime, you’ll want to grab this home run of a mystery.
After five seasons as starting center fielder of the Boston Red Sox, Harvey Blissberg finds himself center fielder for the Providence Jewels, a mythical major league expansion team, going no where that season.
But he is in love with a gorgeous redhead TV sportscaster and friends with an up and coming relief pitcher, who he finds one morning dead in the locker room whirlpool, his head bashed in with a bat. Harvey’s determined to discover his friend’s brutal killer.
If you like a good mystery, a delightful love story and the great American pastime, you’ll want to grab this home run of a mystery.
April 1, 2013
The first book in the Harvey Blissberg series features the former Boston Red Sox player who plays for an affiliated team in Rhode Island, the Providence Jewels. When his buddy and teammate, the Jewels’ relief pitcher Rudy Farth, is found murdered in the locker room, Harvey promises to avenge his death and find the murderer. Rosen’s snappy dialogue, the noir urban setting of Providence, and first-rate baseball-writing combined to make this an Edgar-winning novel by one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live.
July 1, 2014
The one and only reason I picked up this "baseball" mystery was that it is set in Rhode Island and Providence. And yes, the streets, neighborhoods and locales were interesting to relate to in the story.
The stretch is believing that Providence would have a MLB team! LOL.
Any baseball fan would enjoy this since the "crime" and "motive" were not surprisingly both related to the sport. I found the resulting motive a bit unrealistic.
The stretch is believing that Providence would have a MLB team! LOL.
Any baseball fan would enjoy this since the "crime" and "motive" were not surprisingly both related to the sport. I found the resulting motive a bit unrealistic.
May 4, 2016
Murder meets Moneyball, great read. This book (series) could be thought of as a precursor to Harlan Coban's Myron Bolitar series. Both lead characters are Jewish athletes turned detective, just in this early '80s series the sport is baseball, a former Red Sox player, while Myron is a washed up Celtic. Rosen and Harvey Blissberg won the Edgar for best first novel with this book.
May 16, 2015
Excellent; Continuing character: Harvey Blissberg (first in series); an expansion MLB team and it's veteran center fielder (and amateur investigator) are shocked when one of the team's relief pitchers is murdered in the clubhouse
March 31, 2014
If you are a mystery fan, it's not a great mystery. If you are a baseball fan, it's not a great sport book. But it stills ends up being a couple of hours of good entertainment.
May 12, 2014
A bit dated but fun for a baseball fan and Boston/Providence area native.
October 1, 2014
I love baseball and this mystery was just the ticket for me. I loved it.
October 12, 2015
I wasn't sure I would like this book upon picking it up, but quickly got into the rhythm. A quick easy read with a simple plot line made it fun.
Want to read
January 19, 2019Synopsis: a teammate of Harvey Blissberg, now playing pro ball in Providence, dies under mysterious circumstances.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews