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Title: Staying in the Game by Nann Dunne ISBN: 1-930928-60-2 Publisher: Quest Books (TX) Pub. Date: October, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (3 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Fun softball but a walk as a mystery
Comment: Several young women, students from nearby colleges in semi-rural Pennsylvania, have been found murdered. The various police departments have yet to find the killer who favors tall, dark- haired victims and butchers them with relish.
Shelley Brinton is a new student at Spofford College and on the women's softball team. Tall, dark-haired, and beautiful, she is a skilled and powerful player who seems to harbor many secrets as well as a fierce temper. Angela Wedgewood and her teammates are curious about the enigmatic Shelley who will be competing with Angela to play first base. An equally skilled athlete, Angie, who has been nursing a broken heart for months, is actually more than curious. She is very attracted to Shelley. Is there some connection between Shelley and the murders? Some of the teammates find her secrecy suspicious. Could Shelley actually be the killer?
Dunne's mystery seems to go in two directions at the same time. The youthfulness of Angie and her teammates creates an almost comic quality of a Nancy Drew parody as the gang sets out to track down the killer! However, it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who all the ball players are. And some of the information that they discover seems unlikely. The severity of Shelley's situation is unnecessarily complicated. So much so that it makes her chances of returning to Spofford seem slim.
Dunne's descriptions of the softball games as well as the practice sessions are detailed and engrossing. The development of the romantic relationship between Angie and Shelley is
pleasantly paced. And the depiction of players willing to help one another improve their skills for the betterment of the team, is positive and makes an encouraging role model. It seems unnecessary to include the grudge carrying Hurtz who resents loosing her position because of Shelley. These elements maybe typical of women's collegiate athletics but they don't seem to fit with the high suspense and deadly threat of the grisly murders.
From the first page of Staying in the Game, the reader knows that the killer is female and lesbian. This reader understands the point of this choice as a plot device. However, it is both tremendously improbable and feeds into unfortunate, homophobic stereotypes to use such a ploy. Neither the killer's apparent mental illness nor the prominence of other "positive" lesbian characters justifies or compensates for the killer's lesbian identity.
Overall Staying in the Game is not a bad story and as Dunne's first novel, it does show promise. It will be interesting to see what future stories she pens. Hopefully she will continue to explore the craft.
Rating: 4
Summary: A FINELY CRAFTED MYSTERY
Comment: This mystery, written by Nann Dunne, the co-author of the bestselling novel, TRUE COLOURS, is a finely-created mystery. Who is the mysterious Shelley Brinton? Is she a murderer? Can Angela Wedgewood and her college mates and softball buddies trust her?
The story is involving and lively. Readers will be kept wondering about the identity of the murderer right up to the end and stay on their toes with plot turns and red herrings. The co-ed murders are a bit grisly, but they make sense at the end, and the exciting unmasking of the murderer and the fallout from its denouement are capably handled with good pacing, flow, and narrative. I also liked the fact that the book's wrap-up didn't take place in a quick summary, but rather unfolded in a satisfying manner.
Along with other books like Trish Kocialski's FORCES OF EVIL, R.S. Corliss's CONSPIRACY OF SWORDS, and Sharon Bowers' LUCIFER RISING, this mystery is well-thought-out and with a cast of believable characters.
All in all, a fine mystery from this up-and-coming author.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Fantastic Mystery with a Touching Love Story
Comment: I just finished Nann Dunne's book, Staying in the Game, and I have to say that it was a fantastic thriller. I couldn't put it down! The gripping, suspenceful mystery kept me guessing until the unveiling of the killer. There were more than enough twists and turns along the way to keep things interesting. Ms. Dunne's style reminded me very much of Barbara Michaels. As an added bonus, Nann Dunne weaves a touching love story in the midst of all the suspence. Much of the book revolves around the softball diamond and her experience with sports, and softball in particular, shows itself in her confident handling of the game scenes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, well-crafted mystery.
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Title: Heart's Passage by Cate Swannell ISBN: 1932300090 Publisher: Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Twist of Fate by Jessica Casavant ISBN: 1932300074 Publisher: Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: True Colours: Book One by Karen King, Nann Dunne, Karen King and Nann Dunne ISBN: 1930928173 Publisher: Yellow Rose Books Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.99 |
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Title: Wall of Silence by Gabrielle Goldsby ISBN: 1932300015 Publisher: Regal Crest Enterprises Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $20.95 |
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Title: Different Dress by Lori L. Lake ISBN: 1932300082 Publisher: Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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