Review of "Undone"

Every now and then, it's good to pick up a fictional book to cleanse the reading palate before diving back into the non-fiction books on the TBR mountain.  This was one I discovered in the Goodreads baseball book group when the author plugged the book (in the proper area of the group page).  I decided to give it a try since it was available on Kindle Unlimited and boy, it exceeded all expectations.  Here is my review of "Undone"

Title/Author: "Undone" by Phil Warner

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: When a promising young shortstop for the Detroit Tigers is found dead at the scene of a one vehicle auto accident, it didn't appear that foul play may have been involved.  However, thanks to the inquisitive mind of the officer on the scene and the detective later assigned to the case, it does involve much more and the result is this terrific murder mystery with a baseball connection by author Phil Warner.

When Officer Roberta Hodges discovers the crash scene and realizes that the dead driver is Tigers rookie shortstop David Stone, something tells her that despite the appearance, there is more to the story than a tragic accident or a suicide.  Told through three different narrators – Officer Hodges, long-time Tigers star Jimmy Grayson and Detective Finn Gaines – the story is riveting with just enough twists that keeps a reader captivated but not confused with too many turns and characters.

Baseball fans will love the plentiful amount of baseball in the story, especially during Grayson's dialogue as he talks about his play on the field, what he thinks of Stone's play, the coaching he does from watching televised games during his injury rehab and even brief talk about performance enhancing drugs.  There isn't a lot of on-field action as the most text there is during a game is when Grayson suffers his injury during an intrasquad game when Stone lands on Grayson's leg when the latter was sliding to break up a double play.

If one is not into baseball, there is still plenty to enjoy about this book.  For those who have not been to Detroit, there are many references to some of the city's landmarks and other attractions.  For those that are familiar with the city, they will enjoy the hometown feeling. The pace of the story is excellent and the descriptions of the ongoing investigation is an excellent mix of the familiar (at least fans of police television shows, movies or stories) and the not-so-familiar.  The dialogue is crisp and very believable and the ending does not disappoint.  In short, this book has everything a good murder mystery story should have with plenty of baseball thrown in to attract fans of the sport, no matter their level of interest.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Undone-Phil-Warner-ebook/dp/B091G15Q8T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20NZ67I8NV5HH&dchild=1&keywords=undone+phil+warner&qid=1628276183&sprefix=undone+phil%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1