Review of "The Tomb That Ruth Built"

Having read some of the books in Troy Soos's Mickey Rawlings series several years ago, I was thrilled to see that  he wrote a new story recently and even more thrilled that Mr. Soos gave me an ARC in exchange for a review.   I loved the previous books that I had read in this series (the first three) and this one was all that I expected.  Here is my review of "The Tomb That Ruth Built." 

Title/Author:

“The Tomb That Ruth Built” by Troy Soos

Tags:

Fiction, baseball, murder, mystery

Published:

March 22, 2014

Length:

192 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Mickey Rawlings, the utility infielder who is as adept at solving a murder as he is at fielding a scorching line drive, is back in the seventh installment of the Mickey Rawlings Murder Series by Troy Soos.  This time, Mickey is now a New York Yankee at the start of the 1923 season and while he and girlfriend Margie are settling in the Bronx, there is a gruesome discovery at the site of the brand new Yankee Stadium.  The body of a bootlegger has been found under the site and the team owner wants Mickey to help solve the crime.  There are a few reasons why: one is that the victim was a former teammate of Rawlings, the owner doesn't want the bad publicity and since Rawlings’ roommate is Babe Ruth, it also becomes Mickey’s job to be sure the Babe doesn’t get implicated in this as well.

If this sounds complicated, it really isn't while reading the book.  As with the other books in this series, Soos does a terrific job of weaving detailed and rich baseball scenes with the grittiness required when Rawlings needs to ask questions or might find himself needing to protect not only himself but Margie as well. 

It should be noted that this book can be read as a stand-alone as well as any of the others in the series.  Soos does describe enough about the characters so those readers who did not read the earlier books won’t be missing key details, yet it doesn't repeat so many items that those who have read all of them won’t be skipping over those parts.  That is not easy to do when writing a series, but Soos does so masterfully.

Not only is the baseball realistic, but so are the characters and sites that are set in the 1920’s.  Prohibition was the big topic during the time frame of this novel and the reader feels like he or she is right there in the speakeasies with the characters.  The descriptions of the scenes and the dialogue are realistic for the time frame and Soos’s writing shows that he is quite knowledgeable of that era as well.

Any baseball fan or fan of murder mysteries will enjoy this outstanding tale that is equal parts baseball and mystery.

I will to thank Mr. Soos for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  

Did I skim?

No

Were the characters realistic? 

Yes.  Soos’s main characters in each of these novels, Mickey and Margie, are portrayed in a manner that the reader will be able to connect with them.  Soos’s baseball knowledge and research are very helpful in making Mickey’s character believable as a major league baseball player.  The other characters are not portrayed in an over the top manner so they are realistic as well.

Pace of the story:

Excellent  

Do I recommend?  

Yes.  Baseball fans and murder mystery fans alike will enjoy the latest Mickey Rawlings saga.

Book Format Read:

Ebook (Kindle)

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Built-Mickey-Rawlings-Baseball-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00J76PC4C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1396828760&sr=1-1&keywords=Troy+soos

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-tomb-that-ruth-built-troy-soos/1118972519?ean=2940045787062