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The New Five
There's never been a sports novel like this one. The basketball action is so raw and visceral, you'll feel like you're on the court yourself. A lost, previously unpublished novel from the late Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of crime novels. In The New Five , he takes a gritty, hard-boiled "police procedural" approach to 1980s college basketball, tracking a struggling, but ambitious team through a tumultuous season, approaching each game like a decisive battle in a bloody war. Timothy McCarren is the tough, hard-charging new sports director at a small North Carolina university. To him, the basketball court is a battlefield, the players are his soldiers, and he is their cunning General, leading them into war...and showing no mercy. He will do whatever it takes, bend any rule, and push his players to their physical and emotional limits to make them champions. Praise for Ralph Dennis "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine "Gritty writing? Tough talk? Gripping action? Yes, yes and yes." The Daily Oklahoman “His prose was muscular, swift and highly readable. Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature.” Joe R. Lansdale "A breathless, lean noir thriller. Every line is razor sharp." Publishers Weekly "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." New York Times "Believable and constantly thrilling." The Spy Guys & Gals Site "It's gritty, it's grounded, and it's also strong on character. The writing is a cut above." NB Magazine UK "An underappreciated master." Robert J. Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America."Straight-up, hard-boiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor." Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author
390 pages, Paperback
Published November 10, 2020
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About the author
Ralph Dennis
55 books45 followersRalph Dennis was born in South Carolina and had a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, where he also taught. For mystery fans, Dennis will always be associated with the City of Atlanta, the locale for the twelve novel series about Jim Hardman, former cop and unofficial private eye, all published by Popular Library between 1974 and 1977.
At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.
At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.
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September 2, 2023
The New Five, by Ralph Dennis. From the Amazon blurb “ A lost, previously unpublished novel from the late Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of crime novels. Now he takes a gritty, hard-boiled "police procedural" approach to 1980s college basketball, tracking a struggling, but ambitious team through a tumultuous season, approaching each game like a decisive battle in a bloody war.
Timothy McCarren is the newly hired coach/AD of Hunt Morgan, a small N Carolina college with ambitions to make a name for itself in big time college basketball. To do so, coach McCarren has freedom to do whatever it takes. An authentic and complex story: what happens on the court, the locker room, recruiting and behind the scenes. College Basketball early ‘80’s as it really was.
Court Strategy: “A blitz of defense and a rack of points at the offensive end of the court. The steady “kick your butt” of Hinson and Jorge. Then the helter-skelter of Theold Brown, Gilson and Winters and Stefano. Two rhythms that the other team would have to adjust to and compensate for.” [Sounds like Red Auerbach with Cousy, Sharman & Russell, and then uptempo with the Jones boys, Sam & KC, now pairing with Russell ].
Press Relations: “I heard someone say the other day that all journalists live under the false assumption that they really know and understand America. That they talk about the South being like this and the Southwest being this way … when, in fact, they fly over the real America …”
Player Communication: “I was talking to someone who is close to me about you last night.” Gilson nodded. Waiting. “I tried to explain to her that you were both the purity and the corruption of the game.” … “The purity part. You’ve got basketball somewhere up there in your head so that it’s like going to church. The holy of holies. The ultimate good. Grace and skill and brains and talent all wrapped up in one perfect ball of wax. Not just a way out of the ghetto. Maybe that was part of it in the beginning. No more. You probably don’t even remember when it stopped being a sport and became a way of life, the only life.” … “But you’re also the corruption. The brown spot on the apple that hides the rot inside. Or points to it.” “Run that by me again.” “Five of you came in as a class this year. You’re the only one in this group who’s paid to play ball. Your uncle, George Marks, saw to that.” “Theold Brown …?” “What the N.C.I.P allows and some under-the-table.” … “You should have been a priest, Coach.” “It was that or black eyes and skinned elbows and knees. I suppose I decided I liked the black eyes and the skinned places better than the Church.” … “Maybe we’re a lot alike. Coach. The corruption too.”
Scorekeeping: “On his way from the court, McCarren looked at the score on the clock. Won by eighteen. He’d wanted to hold the margin down. He’d played the whole bench. Some days all the peaches fell from the tree. Even when you’d rather save a few of those peaches for a day when you were really hungry.”
Refs: “They’ve got refs of their own down there in the sticks. Even the most impartial and respected basketball officials in the area might decide that turnabout is fair play or is that foul play?”
Game Action: “Twelve seconds. Theold glanced to his left, toward the lane. Biggers was there, huge as a house. The flash across the lane wasn’t there. Ten seconds. Paul dribbled slowly. A look toward the Killer. The State big forward was behind the Killer. The glance from Gilson set the big forward in motion. He bumped the Killer and his arms reached across Hinson, there to deflect any pass. Six seconds. Gilson saw that Theold couldn’t free himself. At the same moment, he realized that Jimmy Stefano was open. The man supposed to guard him was planted behind Theold. “Jimmy,” and whipped the pass to Stefano on the baseline twelve fleet from the basket. Jimmy caught the pass set, in proper shooting position. The seam on the ball turned. A slow turn. The ball dropped through the net as time ran out on the clock. 85-83. The Mountaineers had won.”
The Finals Prize: “… the hunt for the national championships. After the St. Louis and Loyola-Detroit game there would only be two teams left. One of those was Hunt Morgan.”
With Success: “Will McCarren think you’re poaching? “No. In fact, he’d help. He doesn’t have to deal with the brokers anymore. After a year like this one, he can recruit any player he wants.”
Really fine, sports fiction at it’s best. Glad they found the manuscript (after Dennis’s in 1988, age 57.)
Timothy McCarren is the newly hired coach/AD of Hunt Morgan, a small N Carolina college with ambitions to make a name for itself in big time college basketball. To do so, coach McCarren has freedom to do whatever it takes. An authentic and complex story: what happens on the court, the locker room, recruiting and behind the scenes. College Basketball early ‘80’s as it really was.
Court Strategy: “A blitz of defense and a rack of points at the offensive end of the court. The steady “kick your butt” of Hinson and Jorge. Then the helter-skelter of Theold Brown, Gilson and Winters and Stefano. Two rhythms that the other team would have to adjust to and compensate for.” [Sounds like Red Auerbach with Cousy, Sharman & Russell, and then uptempo with the Jones boys, Sam & KC, now pairing with Russell ].
Press Relations: “I heard someone say the other day that all journalists live under the false assumption that they really know and understand America. That they talk about the South being like this and the Southwest being this way … when, in fact, they fly over the real America …”
Player Communication: “I was talking to someone who is close to me about you last night.” Gilson nodded. Waiting. “I tried to explain to her that you were both the purity and the corruption of the game.” … “The purity part. You’ve got basketball somewhere up there in your head so that it’s like going to church. The holy of holies. The ultimate good. Grace and skill and brains and talent all wrapped up in one perfect ball of wax. Not just a way out of the ghetto. Maybe that was part of it in the beginning. No more. You probably don’t even remember when it stopped being a sport and became a way of life, the only life.” … “But you’re also the corruption. The brown spot on the apple that hides the rot inside. Or points to it.” “Run that by me again.” “Five of you came in as a class this year. You’re the only one in this group who’s paid to play ball. Your uncle, George Marks, saw to that.” “Theold Brown …?” “What the N.C.I.P allows and some under-the-table.” … “You should have been a priest, Coach.” “It was that or black eyes and skinned elbows and knees. I suppose I decided I liked the black eyes and the skinned places better than the Church.” … “Maybe we’re a lot alike. Coach. The corruption too.”
Scorekeeping: “On his way from the court, McCarren looked at the score on the clock. Won by eighteen. He’d wanted to hold the margin down. He’d played the whole bench. Some days all the peaches fell from the tree. Even when you’d rather save a few of those peaches for a day when you were really hungry.”
Refs: “They’ve got refs of their own down there in the sticks. Even the most impartial and respected basketball officials in the area might decide that turnabout is fair play or is that foul play?”
Game Action: “Twelve seconds. Theold glanced to his left, toward the lane. Biggers was there, huge as a house. The flash across the lane wasn’t there. Ten seconds. Paul dribbled slowly. A look toward the Killer. The State big forward was behind the Killer. The glance from Gilson set the big forward in motion. He bumped the Killer and his arms reached across Hinson, there to deflect any pass. Six seconds. Gilson saw that Theold couldn’t free himself. At the same moment, he realized that Jimmy Stefano was open. The man supposed to guard him was planted behind Theold. “Jimmy,” and whipped the pass to Stefano on the baseline twelve fleet from the basket. Jimmy caught the pass set, in proper shooting position. The seam on the ball turned. A slow turn. The ball dropped through the net as time ran out on the clock. 85-83. The Mountaineers had won.”
The Finals Prize: “… the hunt for the national championships. After the St. Louis and Loyola-Detroit game there would only be two teams left. One of those was Hunt Morgan.”
With Success: “Will McCarren think you’re poaching? “No. In fact, he’d help. He doesn’t have to deal with the brokers anymore. After a year like this one, he can recruit any player he wants.”
Really fine, sports fiction at it’s best. Glad they found the manuscript (after Dennis’s in 1988, age 57.)
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