Curveball by Jen Estes: Review, Press Release, and Tour Stop

 

 

 

Welcome to the  Partners in Crime Book tour of award winning mystery Author Jen Estes. I am thrilled to be one of the lucky ones to review this book and to give the readers some insight into one of the books in the Cat McDanile Mystery Series titled " The Foul Ball Series. Curveball is part of this series and if you love mysteries and you love baseball this book is for you. 

 

Curveball

ISBN: 10-1603818952

ISBN: 13-978-1603818957

Author: Jen Estes

Camel Press

2012

312 pages

Genre: Mystery

A Cat McDanile Mystery (The Foul Ball Series)

 

 

 

 

My Review: Excellent mystery. The author does a fabulous job of creating characters that are believable, realistic, and heartfelt. The reader immediately either loves or has doubts about the motives of each of the characters in this mystery. The twists and turns are well constructed and some are very unexpected making it a page turner for the reader who may have thought they knew what was about to happen.

 

Knowing something about baseball certainly doesn't hurt when reading this story but those not interested in the game will learn the ins and outs of it and maybe come to an understanding for the game if not a pure passion for those who participate. The author has created a world of intrigue yet with a warmth that will make the reader reach for the next book in the series and beyond.

 

This is a good read, keeps the interest of the reader without loosing them to useless details or rambling text. Jen Estes is an author whose effort is worth the time both for the reader and for those wishing to succeed at writing in this genre. Kudos to Ms Estes for a well planned and crafted story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

Baseball reporter Cat McDaniel specializes in exposés. Now that very talent has left her unemployed. Desperate to get off the bench and back into the lineup, she is thrilled to land an interview with the Buffalo Soldiers’ General Manager Roger “Rakin’” Aiken--Baseball legend, eight-time All Star ... and oblivious father to a Major League bratty co-ed named Paige. Aiken offers Cat the team writer position for the following spring, but the opportunity is tempered by a curve ball of a caveat: she must first spend the winter as a blogger reporting on the Latin American training facility. She is also supposed to look out for Paige, nominally the team’s newest scouting assistant. Being a glorified babysitter and chaperone still beats being an out-of-work sportswriter. Cat reluctantly leaves behind her gorgeous boyfriend Benji and accompanies the party girl to sunny Santo Domingo to balance baselines and conga lines. Paige falls for Chance Hayward, an agent who plays hardball—the figurative kind. Joining them on the field is Paige's ex, Junior DeLeon, one of the coaches who’d really like to score with Cat. When an aspiring player turns up dead, it is up to Cat and Junior to devise a game-changing strategy. Will Cat’s snooping work in her favor this time, or will she strike out ... losing her job, her boyfriend and her life? Curveball follows Big Leagues as Book 2 of the Cat McDaniel Mysteries, also known as the Foul Ball series.

AUTHOR BIO:

Born and raised in Illinois, Jen Estes started her writing career as a baseball blogger in 2007 and expanded to freelance sports writing in 2009. She is an active member of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR), Springfield Poets & Writers and the National Writers Union (NWU). Curveball is the second in a series featuring sassy sports writer Cat McDaniel. When Jen isn’t writing, she enjoys running, yoga, traveling and watching baseball with her husband and cat.

AUTHOR SITES: Website (http://www.jenestes.com/)

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jen-Estes/222133257827836

Twitter (https://twitter.com/jenestesdotcom)

 

 

 

EXCERPT:

As they walked out of the restaurant, Cat caught the eye of a busy Cristian and waved goodbye. She tapped Chance on the shoulder. “That reminds me, we want to talk to you about your client.” “Oh, that’ll cost you and Paige.” Cat gave him a wary look. “Cost us what?” “A walk on the beach.” He extended both arms. “One for each of you.” Paige eagerly locked her right arm with his, but Cat pressed his left arm down to his side. She kicked off her sandals and let them dangle from her fingers before begrudgingly following the duo onto the damp sand. A few fisherman could be seen on the jetty a hundred yards away, but otherwise they had the beach to themselves. Her steps broke the moist clumps and the powdery sand spilled out over her toes. The sand massaged her soles as they moved closer to the breaking waves. Living in downstate Illinois most of her life, Cat didn’t take the relaxing sound of the oceanic thunder for granted. The soft wind whipped her skirt around her thighs. As they approached the shoreline, the restaurant odors of garlic and grease were replaced with a salty tinge of sea air. The half moon smiled down upon them. It was a perfect moment, until Chance spoke. “Not bad, huh?” He said it as though he was taking credit for the beautiful evening. Cat sneered in his direction but it was too dark for the message to be received. Paige looked around the vacant beach. “There’s nobody here. Is it always like this at night?” “Almost. We’re just about at the end of our rainy season so the beaches will be busier. But on weeknights, most of the action is in town.” Their stroll was nearing the rocks that bordered the end of the beach and led out to the jetty. Cat pointed up at the fisherman. “What are they trying to catch?” Chance shrugged. “Hell if I know. I only eat it; I don’t hunt it.” Paige watched them thoughtfully. “My dad loves fishing. Says it’s the only true way to get away from the field.” “Let’s sit for a minute.” He placed his jacket on the sand. Cat shook her head. “I’m good with standing. I was hoping we could talk about Cristian.” Chance sat on the sand with his knees in front of him. “We will.” He patted the jacket. “Paige?” Paige tucked her dress beneath her thighs as she sat on it, facing the ocean. He scooted closer to her. “What do you think?” Paige’s eyes didn’t leave the water. “Of the ocean, dinner, or you?” He chuckled. “All of the above.” Cat held in a groan as she waited for his predictable moves, expecting the yawn and reach any minute now. He didn’t yawn, but sure enough, his tan arm slivered around Paige’s bare shoulders. “Hmm …” Paige tapped her chin thoughtfully. “The ocean is beautiful. Dinner was delicious. And you, well you kind of pale in comparison. Perhaps you should’ve grouped yourself with the fisherman and that weird pile of seaweed over there.” With his phony chuckles, Chance was beginning to sound like the laugh track from an eighties sitcom. Cat tapped her foot on the sand, but neither of them seemed to notice. Paige tossed him a playful smile, but then was distracted by the aforementioned pile of seaweed near the jetty. She cocked her head. “What is that?” In tandem, Cat and Chance turned around. “What?” Paige stood up, dusted her dress off and pointed. “Over there, in the rocks.” Chance squinted. “Probably just some litter.” Cat shook her head. “That doesn’t look like litter.” She took off toward it. Chance bounced to his feet and caught up to her. The waves smacked the rocks with loud slaps. Cat took slow, deliberate steps, as though trying to sneak up on the mound of seaweed. Another foamy wave crashed onto the shore, this time taking the pile of seaweed back into the ocean with it. Before she could take another step, Chance reached his arm out to stop her. “Cat, don’t go any closer.” Cat gasped, choking on the breath wedged in her throat. It was too late. She’d seen the body.

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DISCLAIMER Every eBook received for review on the tours for Partners In Crime are given in exchange for an honest review. The eBooks are sole property (copyrighted) of the author and should not be sold, distributed to, or exchanged among other people not part of the tours, nor should they be listed on file sharing sites. Failure to comply with this disclaimer, will result in removal from all future tours.