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Double Play
1947: Jackie Robinson breaks baseball's color barrier--and changes the world. The event also changes the life of Robinson's bodyguard--and those changes can prove fatal.
5 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2004
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640 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Parker
489 books2,293 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
Robert Brown Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the mid-1980s; a series of TV movies was also produced based on the character. His works incorporate encyclopedic knowledge of the Boston metropolitan area. The Spenser novels have been cited as reviving and changing the detective genre by critics and bestselling authors including Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and Dennis Lehane.
Parker also wrote nine novels featuring the fictional character Jesse Stone, a Los Angeles police officer who moves to a small New England town; six novels with the fictional character Sunny Randall, a female private investigator; and four Westerns starring the duo Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. The first was Appaloosa, made into a film starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
May 26, 2012
Two things I love: Baseball and Robert Parker. Doubly so when mixed together. Robert Parker, famous for creating the loveable and sarcastic Spenser, has taken a pivotal event in baseball (and America’s) history—the moment Jackie Robinson breached the color barrier—and blended it into a noir/memoir/historical novel. Now this sounds pretty cheesy. Okay, I admit. This was creamy Velveeta spread over a brick of Colby jack. But, for me, this story works. Basically, this story is about redemption. Sometimes this redemption comes in the form of humanity; sometimes in the form of self. Joseph Burke is a man looking for redemption; he is a wounded WWII vet, who was given a Dear John letter after having recovered from serious chest wounds sustained on Bloody Ridge. No problem. This type of emotional impact bothers him not at all. He decides to become a boxer, but he was a better punching bag so he decides to change careers and becomes a bodyguard after having worked for a bookie. The details are easy: first there was a rich, prissy gal by the name of Lauren. She’s into bad men and the bad things that they do to her. Eventually, Burke and Lauren begin a relationship. Now all of this is fine and dandy. Parker doesn’t really show any new moves within this section of the story.
Where Parker does impress is in the elements of the novel surrounding Jackie Robinson, who just happens to be the second person Burke is assigned to protect. Parker does a great job painting Robinson’s world, even though Parker still approaches these events with his characteristic minimalistic approach. I was able to feel the tense situations, the hatred of both blacks and whites, and the ugliness that permeated through all walks-of-life. And even though Parker admits, in the opening of the book, that this story is completely fabricated, there are moments when I could really imagine Jackie Robinson saying or doing something, and the nuances of everyday life of the 1950s. These parts are spectacular.
Then there is the memoir aspect of this novel. These chapters are narrated by someone named Bobby, and recount what it was like to be alive during the 50s. Moral lessons are expounded upon during these sections, which, ironically enough never seem to be patronizing or proselytizing. “Bobby” calls it as he sees it. If this is Parker writing as Bobby, it is a very interesting perspective into the early life of one of the living-legends of mystery/noir writing.
So, I said something about redemption earlier. Redemption. Burke needs it after having lost whatever it was that was taken from him on Bloody Ridge. America needs redemption from the way she treated some of her citizens. Baseball needs redemption after calling itself America’s pastime. Ultimately, all are given redemption in one form or another. (I’ll let you find these out for yourself.)
Finally, I have to be honest and say I have no idea how to rate this novel. On one level, Parker creates an interesting character in Burke, but not a character that I would be willing to invest numerous books to. On another level, Parker dazzles with his ability to convey a world rather soon forgotten in the glimmer and glitz of nostalgia and Hollywood and facades of poodle skirts and muscle cars and Leave it to Beaver-like attitudes with the skill of a sharpshooter. And I even enjoyed the semi-(auto)biographical sections provided by Bobby.
Bottom line: Parker purists will want to read this to complete their journey through all of his books. Everyone else, this is a great guilty pleasure type of read.
RECOMMENDED
Where Parker does impress is in the elements of the novel surrounding Jackie Robinson, who just happens to be the second person Burke is assigned to protect. Parker does a great job painting Robinson’s world, even though Parker still approaches these events with his characteristic minimalistic approach. I was able to feel the tense situations, the hatred of both blacks and whites, and the ugliness that permeated through all walks-of-life. And even though Parker admits, in the opening of the book, that this story is completely fabricated, there are moments when I could really imagine Jackie Robinson saying or doing something, and the nuances of everyday life of the 1950s. These parts are spectacular.
Then there is the memoir aspect of this novel. These chapters are narrated by someone named Bobby, and recount what it was like to be alive during the 50s. Moral lessons are expounded upon during these sections, which, ironically enough never seem to be patronizing or proselytizing. “Bobby” calls it as he sees it. If this is Parker writing as Bobby, it is a very interesting perspective into the early life of one of the living-legends of mystery/noir writing.
So, I said something about redemption earlier. Redemption. Burke needs it after having lost whatever it was that was taken from him on Bloody Ridge. America needs redemption from the way she treated some of her citizens. Baseball needs redemption after calling itself America’s pastime. Ultimately, all are given redemption in one form or another. (I’ll let you find these out for yourself.)
Finally, I have to be honest and say I have no idea how to rate this novel. On one level, Parker creates an interesting character in Burke, but not a character that I would be willing to invest numerous books to. On another level, Parker dazzles with his ability to convey a world rather soon forgotten in the glimmer and glitz of nostalgia and Hollywood and facades of poodle skirts and muscle cars and Leave it to Beaver-like attitudes with the skill of a sharpshooter. And I even enjoyed the semi-(auto)biographical sections provided by Bobby.
Bottom line: Parker purists will want to read this to complete their journey through all of his books. Everyone else, this is a great guilty pleasure type of read.
RECOMMENDED
September 2, 2015
A fun book in many ways. As a historical novel, a mystery, a hard-boiled/noir story, and memoir.
This is the story of Burke - a man scarred by war.
It is also the story of Jackie Robinson - a man fighting against racism to make a difference not just for himself, but for all those like him.
But, it is also the story of little Bobby Parker who was 15 when Jackie broke the color barrier.
One of the neat things that Robert B Parker does in this book is interpose his own memories between the chapters.
I love stories about old time baseball and though this isn't really old time baseball it is baseball history and doesn't disappoint.
It is also a story about race. (Well, it would have to be.) In a way, I'm glad I didn't read this when I first purchased it. Back then, I believed that racism - real racism - was dead. I don't mean that I didn't believe there weren't people like the KKK and the Aryan Brotherhood around. I guess what I'm saying was that I didn't believe the days when a cop could pull over a black man and kill him just because his taillight was out were still with us.
Now, when I read about how Jackie had to be careful what he said or did and how he had to be careful what he did around white women, my mind is always thinking about the horrible events of this past year.
Did I remember to say it was a good read?
This is the story of Burke - a man scarred by war.
It is also the story of Jackie Robinson - a man fighting against racism to make a difference not just for himself, but for all those like him.
But, it is also the story of little Bobby Parker who was 15 when Jackie broke the color barrier.
One of the neat things that Robert B Parker does in this book is interpose his own memories between the chapters.
I love stories about old time baseball and though this isn't really old time baseball it is baseball history and doesn't disappoint.
It is also a story about race. (Well, it would have to be.) In a way, I'm glad I didn't read this when I first purchased it. Back then, I believed that racism - real racism - was dead. I don't mean that I didn't believe there weren't people like the KKK and the Aryan Brotherhood around. I guess what I'm saying was that I didn't believe the days when a cop could pull over a black man and kill him just because his taillight was out were still with us.
Now, when I read about how Jackie had to be careful what he said or did and how he had to be careful what he did around white women, my mind is always thinking about the horrible events of this past year.
Did I remember to say it was a good read?
June 2, 2025
Warning: For the time appropriate but decidedly NOT appropriate derogatory words used in this book for just about every race you can think of. Also violence and historically appropriate racist behavior depicted. Not depicted as positive, but it is still shown. Also, copious drinking and drug use, as well as an abusive relationship shown. Also sexual propositioning and actions that are premarital are shown. Not graphic, but still present. PTSD isn’t discussed, but it’s evident in the MC H’s behavior.
Meh. It didn’t rock my socks, but it didn’t stink to high heaven either. The historical part was interesting and it’s good to know how far we have come as a society, but we still have a long way to go.
The PTSD was so sad for the MC H and the MC h had issues too, but there might be hope that they are the right type of crazy for each other.
The violence in this fit the plot. The MC H’s lack of emotions fit, but I wasn’t able to draw a bead on his age. Best I can tell is it is somewhere in his early 20s. He doesn’t act that way, but he’s seen a LOT of stuff.
I’m glad I didn’t hate this one like I did the last two I borrowed from a friend, so there is that. Also, VERY short and punchy chapters made it much easier to read. It flowed, but the time jumps were weird, as was the author’s self-insertion chapters in italics. Took me the longest to figure out what the heck that was all about. Some chapter jumps were so big, I wondered if I missed a couple of pages and really did flip back and forth, making sure pages weren’t stuck together. They were not.
Ok, I talked myself down from three stars. I just didn’t find it that good. It was ok.
2, not my fav and sorry for not liking more of the books I’m borrowing from you Friend, stars.
Meh. It didn’t rock my socks, but it didn’t stink to high heaven either. The historical part was interesting and it’s good to know how far we have come as a society, but we still have a long way to go.
The PTSD was so sad for the MC H and the MC h had issues too, but there might be hope that they are the right type of crazy for each other.
The violence in this fit the plot. The MC H’s lack of emotions fit, but I wasn’t able to draw a bead on his age. Best I can tell is it is somewhere in his early 20s. He doesn’t act that way, but he’s seen a LOT of stuff.
I’m glad I didn’t hate this one like I did the last two I borrowed from a friend, so there is that. Also, VERY short and punchy chapters made it much easier to read. It flowed, but the time jumps were weird, as was the author’s self-insertion chapters in italics. Took me the longest to figure out what the heck that was all about. Some chapter jumps were so big, I wondered if I missed a couple of pages and really did flip back and forth, making sure pages weren’t stuck together. They were not.
Ok, I talked myself down from three stars. I just didn’t find it that good. It was ok.
2, not my fav and sorry for not liking more of the books I’m borrowing from you Friend, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2023
This was weird. I expected a baseball book and instead got a badly written, romance/mob bosses facing off book? It felt like the inclusion on Jackie Robinson was pretty useless, as almost all of the issues had to deal with the mob ordering hits on people (and not specifically Robinson) rather than fans or other players discriminating against Robinson. I think the story of “Jackie Robinson’s bodyguard” could have been a lot more interesting, but instead I was left confused and bored. Like who is Bobby and why is every three chapters him telling some 1941-1947 story? There was no explanation at all on who this man was. Also, Parker’s writing of intimate scenes was…horrible to put it nicely. It avoids one star because it was quick and I only wasted one day reading it.
October 8, 2024
I loved Burke. Interesting story.
November 25, 2009
Quick read from Robert B. Parker – Burke is a disillusioned WWII veteran who returned from Guadalcanal to find a note on the table and his wife gone. Once home, he progresses from fighter to “enforcer” to bodyguard. His good work for the organized crime bosses of New York help him land a position guarding Jackie Robinson, who is about to break the color barrier in baseball. When Robinson angers a white crime boss, Burke has navigate carefully to keep himself and Robinson from getting killed.
There’s not a lot here for plot or suspense – I don’t think anyone will be too worried about Jackie actually getting killed. As for setting, it’s a serviceable attempt at 1940s Harlem, but falls short of the sense of place and culture depicted by the Easy Rawlins books.
What wasn’t so enjoyable for me were the apparently autobiographical interludes about Bobby, a young boy growing up listening to the Dodgers during that time. These were trite, nostalgic and completely annoying.
There’s not a lot here for plot or suspense – I don’t think anyone will be too worried about Jackie actually getting killed. As for setting, it’s a serviceable attempt at 1940s Harlem, but falls short of the sense of place and culture depicted by the Easy Rawlins books.
What wasn’t so enjoyable for me were the apparently autobiographical interludes about Bobby, a young boy growing up listening to the Dodgers during that time. These were trite, nostalgic and completely annoying.
November 28, 2021
Parker is trying a new character, Burke. The book is set for the late 40s and covers the rookie year of Jackie Robinson. While Robinson is a real character, this is a fictional account. Burke is a Guadalcanal veteran and a body guard for Robinson. So the characters are Burke and Robinson, the significant others, and Parker himself reflects on the season. Not a bad book, it just lacks any pizazz.
August 13, 2020
I have read this book before, and it was a summer read choice for pleasure this time. The double play of the title refers to baseball, of course, but also to the structure of the novel, which is the fictional story of Jackie Robinson's bodyguard, interspersed with Parker's own memories of being a Dodgers fan in the years when Robinson broke the colour barrier. His recall of racial attitudes, and his growing discomfort with the 'accepted' norms gives a personalized context to the magnitude of Robinson's accomplishment: he wasn't just a baseball player; he forced a change that impacted America.
Burke is the fictional bodyguard. He returned from World War II, shot up by Japanese weapons, only to discover that his wife has found another man. He is devastated by the war and by his divorce, and takes years to recover, to learn to care about something, anything again. He has a short, unhappy affair with a client, Lauren, who has her own issues, her own need to find something to hold onto. He takes on the Robinson assignment because it is a lot of money, and he has no real concerns about his own well-being. He doesn't care whether he lives or dies, so this job is as good as any other. But slowly, surely, Robinson's courageous efforts to integrate baseball affects Burke; he sees that what Robinson is doing does matter, and it does make a difference to support him.
Redemption is the dominant theme: Burke's redemption as well as the beginning of the redemption of America, as it is dragged into a new world where a black baseball player becomes a commonplace occurrence. We are still dealing with the latter theme; Parker's novel is an enjoyable, eminently readable contemplation of a major landmark in the story of racism in America.
Burke is the fictional bodyguard. He returned from World War II, shot up by Japanese weapons, only to discover that his wife has found another man. He is devastated by the war and by his divorce, and takes years to recover, to learn to care about something, anything again. He has a short, unhappy affair with a client, Lauren, who has her own issues, her own need to find something to hold onto. He takes on the Robinson assignment because it is a lot of money, and he has no real concerns about his own well-being. He doesn't care whether he lives or dies, so this job is as good as any other. But slowly, surely, Robinson's courageous efforts to integrate baseball affects Burke; he sees that what Robinson is doing does matter, and it does make a difference to support him.
Redemption is the dominant theme: Burke's redemption as well as the beginning of the redemption of America, as it is dragged into a new world where a black baseball player becomes a commonplace occurrence. We are still dealing with the latter theme; Parker's novel is an enjoyable, eminently readable contemplation of a major landmark in the story of racism in America.
May 6, 2010
Unusual Robert Parker novel that mixes baseball history and a new character, Joseph Burke. Burke, after first having Parker define his credentials as a tough guy coming out of the Korean War who really doesn't care if he lives or dies, is hired to protect Jackie Robinson from the cretins of the world who are dismayed that a black man has been allowed into the major leagues. Obviously, there is little suspense, and the appeal of the book lies in its portrayal of a time and place. It's also a book about loyalty and friendship. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Still, it's a good read and might hold a few surprises for those born after 1970. I think it might be one of Parker's better novels.
I don't mind when authors experiment with different techniques, but in this book the "Bobby" interludes don't work at all. I do wish Parker had given him a name other than Burke since Vachss seems to have a lock on that moniker.
I don't mind when authors experiment with different techniques, but in this book the "Bobby" interludes don't work at all. I do wish Parker had given him a name other than Burke since Vachss seems to have a lock on that moniker.
July 22, 2015
Once I figured out how to read this book it was a superb book. This book is in three parts - it appears one part is the diary like view of the time period of the book from the point of view of the author as a youngster. I have no proof of this as it is never explained. If it's not then the long sections by 'Bobby' make no sense. There is another part that appears to be the past of the main character. It is woody and disruptive as it breaks up the flow of the book. The main part is the story of a troubled former US Marine who stumbles through life as a tough guy, protects Jackie Robinson during the 1947 season and finds his soul again. Once I realized the other two parts were effectively advertisements and I just skipped over them the book was superb and a page turner. Due to the odd framing of the work I give it 4 stars. The main story is 5 stars the other two parts are distracting. A good little book but hard to read.
My Rating: 4 stars
My Rating: 4 stars
November 4, 2015
I wish Parker would've lived longer to write another tight story involving the character 'Burke.'
July 18, 2022
Strange book. Not suspenseful at all. Slow at the beginning and who is this Bobby character? What does he have to do with anything? Filler pages.
I was not impressed
I was not impressed
December 18, 2024
One of my favorite authors and one of my favorite sports, what more could I want. This one's different from the usual Parker, with no detective and it being historical fiction. I thought this was very well done and Burke was a little Spenser-esque. Also, it has a few chapters labeled "Bobby" interspersed throughout the narrative which give us the POV of a young kid we can deduce is Robert B. Parker himself. Gives the book a little extra something to smile at
April 4, 2017
I mean, I'm not much into baseball or the noir genre so I'm not totally surprised this book fell flat for me. I guess I should be praising it for it's portrayal of racism, but even that wasn't shocking or told in an interesting way. I just wasn't engaged in the writing.
July 19, 2025
This book was ok. The writing was a bit like a bad Jack Reacher book. Hard to really get into and when the book picked up, it was over. For an origin story, there are plenty of better ones out there. Pallet cleanser for a quicker read but nothing more.
August 1, 2017
This is such a fabulous historical fiction book about the late great Jackie Robinson. I'm a huge baseball fan and I love Robert Parker's books. He uses language in such a simple but effective way. I adored this book and think he really had a good sense of who Jackie Robinson was--had I known him. It was believable, so much fun, and very well written. I recommend this book to any die-hard baseball fan.
September 1, 2018
Me talking to myself while reading the book jacket: "Historical fiction? Check. 1950's era? Double check. Baseball? Oh my, this book was written for me!" Only it wasn't. This book starts off reeaallly slowly, and it's only 100 pages (ok, 99 pages) in that you are introduced to one of the purportedly main characters, the real-life Jackie Robinson. The book is really more a hard-boiled, noir-style mystery centered around the bodyguard, a charater named Burke. Or at least I think it is. I didn't finish this one. Parker wrote upwards of 50 novels in his lifetime, so he clearly has an abundance of fans out there, but his writing style (a little sparse, a little course) didn't appeal to me.
May 7, 2019
"Double Play" may represent something of the philosophical and human core of Parker's works. A guy much like Spenser or Jesse Stone gets to be friends with Jackie Robinson, and they learn something of the basic humanity that we all share. This theme of friendship across all bounds stands like a beacon in many, many of Parker's works, and the battle against prejudice does, too.
July 11, 2019
I was expecting more of a historical fiction about Jackie Robinson, but in fact found an ok crime novel. Quick read.
February 1, 2010
It is 1947 and Jackie Robinson has broken baseball's color barrier, but it has not been easy. The Dodgers decide he needs a bodyguard and they hire World War II Vet Joseph burke to protect him. Burke's wife left him while he was in the hospital recovering from war wounds and since then he hasn't cared much about anything or anyone except his job. Lauren Roach comes closes to stealing his heart, but she's trouble. Burke knows guarding Robinson may be dangerous but he doesn't realize that working with Robinson will change Burke's life in ways he never imagined.
"Double Play" is an enjoyable change from Robert Parker's Spenser series. There are some similarities - the relationship between Burke and Robinson will remind readers of Spenser and Hawk - but the fact that the novel is based on real life events adds a lot to the novel. The book starts off slowly, Robinson isn't introduced until almost halfway through and I didn't find Burke all that interesting a character, but once Robinson is introduced the book picks up. For the most part, Parker does a good job with the historical parts of the novel and the prejudice on both sides is eye opening. However, Parker isn't into deep writing and the book is mostly dialogue driven. Since the book is from Burke's viewpoint, readers do get a sense of what makes him as a character, but he's not a deeply layered character and his relationship with Lauren didn't move me in any particular way. Robinson is not as deep a character, which is a shame because I would have liked to know more about what he was thinking and feeling during that tumultuous first year. Outside of reminiscences by "Bobby" (no doubt Parker himself, and which I could have done without since they don't add to the plot) and some box scores, the baseball aspects of the book are surprisingly thin and I wish they had been better developed.
"Double Play" is a good, if somewhat light read about baseball and Jackie Robinson.
"Double Play" is an enjoyable change from Robert Parker's Spenser series. There are some similarities - the relationship between Burke and Robinson will remind readers of Spenser and Hawk - but the fact that the novel is based on real life events adds a lot to the novel. The book starts off slowly, Robinson isn't introduced until almost halfway through and I didn't find Burke all that interesting a character, but once Robinson is introduced the book picks up. For the most part, Parker does a good job with the historical parts of the novel and the prejudice on both sides is eye opening. However, Parker isn't into deep writing and the book is mostly dialogue driven. Since the book is from Burke's viewpoint, readers do get a sense of what makes him as a character, but he's not a deeply layered character and his relationship with Lauren didn't move me in any particular way. Robinson is not as deep a character, which is a shame because I would have liked to know more about what he was thinking and feeling during that tumultuous first year. Outside of reminiscences by "Bobby" (no doubt Parker himself, and which I could have done without since they don't add to the plot) and some box scores, the baseball aspects of the book are surprisingly thin and I wish they had been better developed.
"Double Play" is a good, if somewhat light read about baseball and Jackie Robinson.
August 9, 2010
Double Play is an excellent fictional portrayal of how Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Joseph Burke is a WWII veteran whose wife leaves him while he's in the hospital recovering from serious wounds; after leaving the hospital, he works as a boxer and a bodyguard and is eventually hired by Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers to protect Robinson in his first year in the majors. Repercussions from Burke's previous job, guarding Lauren, the self-destructive daughter of a powerful local businessman with Mob connections, spill over into his work for Robinson, and Burke has to play off various criminal organizations against each other in order to protect Laurie and Jackie. Interspersed with the tight, fast-paced narrative are short chapters in which Parker reminisces about his boyhood, growing up during the war, and his love of baseball and the Dodgers.
The events of the book are of course largely fictional, but Parker's take on Robinson's character is spot-on (and I say this having recently read Robinson's autobiography). Parker shows very clearly the terrible pressure Robinson was under during those early years with the Dodgers, when he was under directive by Rickey not to respond in any way to the taunts and threats that came his way, no matter how awful they were. Even Burke, who's almost entirely distanced himself from emotion after the war and his divorce, cannot but admire Robinson's courage, and their relationship, though fictional, is moving and believable.
The events of the book are of course largely fictional, but Parker's take on Robinson's character is spot-on (and I say this having recently read Robinson's autobiography). Parker shows very clearly the terrible pressure Robinson was under during those early years with the Dodgers, when he was under directive by Rickey not to respond in any way to the taunts and threats that came his way, no matter how awful they were. Even Burke, who's almost entirely distanced himself from emotion after the war and his divorce, cannot but admire Robinson's courage, and their relationship, though fictional, is moving and believable.
April 10, 2019
April 2019 I re-read story day before a hospital procedure. I thought I'd bring bring to hospital but I almost finished it. This is more of a novella with blank space padding to look like a 286 page book.
Nevertheless - a favorite of mine!!!!!!
11-1-2013 book on tape at least to priors.
Could be one of my favorite easy reading books.
wonderful story.
2011 maybe: clue - if my class did a poster on Jackie R in Feb, then it was not last year 2012 but maybe 2011. I'll go for 2011 somehow i didn't date the first entry. bookon tape
I didn't realize until seeing the book jacket that this is the first of a series. I thoroughly enjoyed the protagonist - Burke. Terrific story. Since I like series, this is great! I rarely give 5 stars.
I think part of that was getting into the life of Jackie Robinson. Funny, my class just did a poster of Mr. Robinson for February. Well done!
Nevertheless - a favorite of mine!!!!!!
11-1-2013 book on tape at least to priors.
Could be one of my favorite easy reading books.
wonderful story.
2011 maybe: clue - if my class did a poster on Jackie R in Feb, then it was not last year 2012 but maybe 2011. I'll go for 2011 somehow i didn't date the first entry. bookon tape
I didn't realize until seeing the book jacket that this is the first of a series. I thoroughly enjoyed the protagonist - Burke. Terrific story. Since I like series, this is great! I rarely give 5 stars.
I think part of that was getting into the life of Jackie Robinson. Funny, my class just did a poster of Mr. Robinson for February. Well done!
April 7, 2022
Man, could this have been a good one!! And it so just…wasn’t. This is the first Parker I’ve read and I wasn’t into his writing style. Soooo many simple sentences and, “he was wearing a bomber jacket and khakis and his hair was slicked back with pomade. He said, ‘hey you.’ She had on a polka dot skirt. The beautiful blonde puckered her lips, ‘hey yourself’ she said. ‘I like your hair’ he said.” …It was driving me nuts. But I did power through and read it in one sitting because I was SO curious as to how (and when) baseball was going to come into play. It took awhile, haha. Basically, this could’ve been awesome. The (fictional) imagining of Jackie Robinson entering baseball entwined with the life of his bodyguard (his mob involvement and love life). So much potential. But cringe cringe cringe. I didn’t like it. It’s a rounded up two.
January 25, 2010
One of Parker's rare standalone novels, and a must for anyone who loves baseball. Jackie Robinson has just broken the color barrier as the first black player in major league baseball, and a battered war veteran named Burke has been hired as his bodyguard. Robinson is proud, skilled, and cynical; Burke is wounded, ferocious, and nearly mute. Friendship grows slowly between these two men, between the lines of laconic conversations in cheap hotels after ball games. A character study, an action drama, and a fascinating insight into the baseball of another era.
August 7, 2013
A fictional account of Jackie Robinson's bodyguard. I thought it might be more involved in baseball and in the life of Jackie Robinson, but it turned out to be a fairly generic mystery story. It was a decent plot, but the language was often pretty course. Again, a decent story, but nothing to get excited about.
January 24, 2011
I hate to say this about a beloved (I read all the Spenser novels when I was a teenager) and recently departed author. But this just seemed really, really lightweight, and was more about a pretty uninteresting army vet and much, much less about Jackie Robinson, which is where the true drama should have been,
Want to read
March 17, 2011Stephen King says: "If you only read his Spenser novels, it's easy to forget how versatile Parker can be. This story of Jackie Robinson's fictional bodyguard during the season when Robinson crossed pro baseball's color line reminded me."
November 6, 2013
Excellent, saying everything without saying or explaining anything. Thats how it works with really good books (or any stories at all by the way).
August 3, 2013
After seeing the movie "42" a while back and learning about Jackie Robinson it was fun to read a different perspective on this story.
March 15, 2009
Got the audiobook...first Robert B Parker...good so far
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews