On the Coffee Table: Cheap Shot

Title: Cheap Shot: A Drew Gavin Mystery
Author: Steve Brewer


Image via Open Library

Writing a review for a mystery novel is tricky. To write too much is to give too much away. To write too little is to be dull.

I'll begin in generalities. This was my second Drew Gavin mystery. I read and reviewed End Run just over a year ago. As such, I am already familiar with the central characters and interested in their well-being. I enjoyed this book a lot but it has some interesting differences from the first, best discussed after the spoiler alert.

Not long ago, My Wife asked me which among my sports books I might recommend to her. I chose The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski. I'd be interested to know, though, what she thinks of Brewer's books. As I've written before, she's read far more mystery novels than I and might very well enjoy these. They're sports-light, mystery-heavy which would suit her, I think.

Okay, now onto the nitty gritty...


*****SPOILER ALERT*****

There is no surprise twist at the end as there was with End Run. In fact, the guilty parties are, more or less, exactly who you expect them to me. So, the book is less a whodunit mystery than the first. The fun is in watching Drew piece the puzzle together to help exonerate Curtis and in wondering how on earth our hero will make it to the end of the book without getting killed. Enough questions are left unanswered until the end, both in the investigation and in Drew's relationship with Teresa, to keep the reader involved.

Overall, it's a fun read - not quite what I was expecting but fun.