The 2nd book in the Deadly Sports Mysteries series. At AllSport, an exclusive professional and Olympic sports training facility, battles are common, both on and off the field. During a presidential tour of the campus a dead body is found by secret service agents, the president is whisked away immediately and the investigation begins.
Michael Balkind, author of the critically acclaimed thriller Sudden Death, scores a home run in his newest book titled Dead Ball. The action starts at the professional and Olympic sports training camp AllSport. AllSport is a part of the Inner City Sports Foundation (ICSF,) run by Reid Clark (protagonist in Sudden Death) and Buck Green. As Reid is giving a tour of the camp to the president and first lady of the United States, the lead secret service golf cart screeches to a halt as the agents spot a dead body in the shrubs surrounding the basketball dome. The body belongs to AllSport’s CFO and Reid’s best friend Bob Thomas. As the president and first lady are whisked away, the investigation begins. The investigation takes the reader through various areas of New York, the woods of Pennsylvania, nightclubs in Caracas and Mt. Everest.
Excerpt
The four-seat golf cart skidded to an abrupt stop, launching the Secret Service agent in the passenger seat into the windshield. The agent who had been driving jumped out and darted into the pristine gardens bordering the basketball arena. Until that moment, the tour of the AllSport athletic center
had been similar to every other, except today, the person sitting in the golf cart next to golf legend, Reid Clark, happened to be the President of the United States. The First Lady, along with another agent, was in the back seat. As usual, comments of amazement
about the facility and athletes in training had flowed non-stop from
the honored guests. Reid’s cart was boxed inside four full carts of
agents. An additional cart of agents was ahead of them and another behind.
Reid saw the head cart stop but was far enough back that he had no idea what the commotion was all about. He heard multiple agents’ radios beep and tried to listen to the quick commands.
Suddenly the carts on both sides pulled close and the agent in Reid’s cart commanded him to stop. Agents immediately surrounded his cart with guns drawn. Out of nowhere appeared a
black Suburban that skidded to a halt only yards away. The President and First lady were whisked into the truck. The heavy reinforced doors slammed shut and the truck sped off, tires spinning,
kicking up a spray of dirt and grass. Before he had left, the President made sure that four agents remained with Reid.
Reid still had no idea what the problem was. With intense curiosity he drove toward the group of agents at the site of the problem. AllSport security guards had also begun to appear. An agent yelled for Reid to stop, but he paid the agent no heed. It was not like
Reid to take orders from anyone, especially on his own turf. He wanted to know what had happened, and no one was going stop him. He pulled up next to the other carts and walked past the group of agents standing by the garden. He saw an arm protruding from under a bush and pushed his way through the surrounding men.
Looking at the body, his heart skipped a beat. His gasp was loud and tears immediately welled up in his eyes. Lying there with a bullet hole in his left temple and blood covering his face was Bob Thomas, Reid’s dearest friend and the Chief Financial Officer of
The Inner City Sports Foundation and AllSport.
Professional Reviews
Dead Ball
Michael Balkind has "Who-Dunit" again. Dead Ball offers an intriguing look at a different side of sports.
Ralph Wimbish, New York Post Sports Editor.
Dead Ball
From the opening page of Michael Balkind’s crackling thriller, Dead Ball (SterlingHouse Publisher, Inc.), one thing, and perhaps only one thing, is certain; golf legend Reid Clark is being stalked by trouble. With the discovery of his best friend’s dead body, Clark is propelled into a frenzied search for the killer who with the aid of a team of capable and loyal friends including investigative genius, Jay Scott, who digs into the shadowy corners of the business side of sports only to discover even the most admired among them can have secrets, secrets which prove deadly.
Balkind lays out the search for answers like the great golf course designer, Albert Tillinghast, laid out his fairways and greens; with a mix of challenge and reward, deception and epiphany, gracing his readers with an enjoyable walk through the pages culminating in a satisfying finish. Along the way, Balkind reveals his own appreciation for and knowledge of a wide array of martial arts and sports, making it clear why he chooses to base his mysteries in that world; he knows it, he loves it, he writes it so well.
There are mystery writers. There are sports writers. And then there’s Michael Balkind."
Don Dahler, WCBS-TV NY News Anchor, author of A Tight Lie and Water Hazard (due out in 2010)
Dead Ball
"A Masterful performance by Balkind. Through the detail and description in this book, Balkind effortlessly brings to life both characters and scenery in a way only expected of New York Times bestselling authors. Readers unknowingly become a part of the action- examining the interaction between organized crime, organized
sports and the world of high finance. DEAD BALL is a refreshing new thriller,
blending murder, mystery, intrigue and suspense. There is something for
everyone. A real page turner!"
J.R. Reardon - Attorney & author of the legal thriller, "Confidential Communications."
Her grandma always said she had “the blessing”, and to always use it for good, but sometimes there is shame in fame if a person can’t handle it. Don’t let the Boo Hag ride ya
