From Library Journal
Granger strikes out with his third installment of the Drover series (e.g., Drover and the Zebras, LJ 5/1/92). None of the characters is endearing. Ex-reporter Drover tries to be as witty as Robert Parker's Spenser but generally seems like a smart aleck who cannot back up his tough talk. He spends a good deal of his time getting beaten up or being sent to the hospital. The plot centers around Homer White, an aging baseball player whose connections and associates are shady at best. White is as unlikable as he is prejudiced and ill mannered. The foul language and underworld personalities found here seem more like parodies than realistic touches, and much of the dialog is stilted and bland. Overall, a disappointing performance.
Jeffrey Gay, Bridgewater P.L., Mass.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Reformed womanizer Homer White, an aging, rehabbing slugger for the Chicago Cubs, has fallen in love with his physical therapist. Homer wants to be traded to an American League team so he can save his bad legs some wear and tear by becoming a designated hitter. But the trade isn't happening, maybe because the Cubs' general manager has a grudge against Homer, maybe because an American League owner lives with Homer's ex-wife, and maybe because someone is circulating betting slips with Homer's name on them. Ex-sportswriter Jimmy Drover, who ekes out a living writing sports books and running errands for a Vegas bookmaker, is drawn into the matter to verify the gambling rumors; if Homer is dirty, Vegas wants to know. Sensing a kinship with the struggling player, Drover presses on to the point where his own life is in danger. This third Drover novel finds Granger--the author of the November Man espionage series--hitting his stride. Drover has become a multidimensional character, and the book's ambience is superb. There is absolutely no one writing today who captures Chicago better than Bill Granger.
Wes Lukowsky
