Review of "The Fungo Society"

This book was an unexpected gift from the author as he sent an email to me asking if I was interested in reviewing this fictional baseball book. Wanting a break from the serious non-fiction books, I gladly accepted.  This was just the type of fictional story I needed - not too heavy and lots of humor.  A great read, not just for baseball fans, but for mystery fans as well.  Here is my review of "The Fungo Society."

Title/Author:

“The Fungo Society” by Jeff Stanger

Tags:

Baseball, fiction, humor, mystery, memorabilia

Publish date:

November 24, 2015

Length:

258 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Jonathan Quick, a baseball memorabilia dealer who answers a call for assistance from the Fungo Society, a group of older retired baseball players residing in Phoenix. Because Quick can find things, the Society wants him to find out who killed their friend and Society member Eddie. The Fungo Society wants revenge on who they believed who was responsible for their friend’s death and Quick’s investigation of this matter, along with some wheeling and dealing for jerseys and other memorabilia, is the subject of this humorous, fun-to-read novel by Jeff Stanger.

Quick is the type of guy who always finds a way to get into trouble, whether is it with other dealers, with women or with criminals and he finds plenty of it in this story. How he manages to get out of so many jams and still be able to work on solving the mystery of Eddie’s death and even make a couple of good deals on rare jerseys is a fun adventure.  The reader will be rooting for Quick’s crazy ideas to work and will also agree with many of the other characters who tell him it’s time to settle down instead of getting into trouble because of women. 

Along with Quick, the elderly gentleman of the Fungo Society, Eddie’s daughter and Quick’s latest fling Ramona are all characters that the reader will enjoy and make the story hilarious, even if a bit far-fetched at times.  But that is part of the charm and fun of this book - the story is just so fun to read. One doesn’t have to be a baseball fan or memorabilia collector to enjoy the book, but Stanger does show his knowledge of the sport and the business throughout the book. That gives Quick and some of the minor characters more credibility and therefore the ability to capture the heart of the reader.  Those who like reading mysteries with plenty of humor mixed in as well as intrigue will enjoy this book.

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

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

https://www.amazon.com/Fungo-Society-Baseball-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1939579015/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fungo-society-jeff-stanger/1123155552?ean=9781939579010