Forced Out

Frey branches out from his high-finance plots with this story of desperation and friendship. A former baseball scout spots a player he believes to be one of the greatest prospects ever. Meanwhile, a Mobster's henchman gets caught up in a game of cat-and-mouse. The stories stay mostly in two different ballparks, so to speak. Listeners will enjoy both as much as L.J. Ganser seems to relish the narration. He gives Jack, the bitter 63-year-old ex-scout, a crusty, gravelly voice and is equally adept with minor characters. Three Mobsters take on unique accents, but he keeps them straight. He's especially clear with a teen who befriends Jack and with his daughter's slimy boyfriend. Baseball, mystery, and Mob stories fans will appreciate all the twists. M.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

June 2, 2008
Known for his financial thrillers, Frey (The Takeover
) mixes baseball and crime in his less than compelling 15th novel. Arthritic, 63-year-old Jack Barrett, who lives with his grown daughter in Sarasota, Fla., where he bags groceries at a convenience store, wonders how he got sacked from his job as a respected scout for the New York Yankees and robbed of his pension. While watching a local minor league baseball game, Jack sees a player who just might be his ticket back to “The Show”: Mikey Clemants, a gifted centerfielder who displays his talents intermittently and doesn't seek or earn the approval of the fans or his teammates. Add to the mix Johnny “Deuce” Bondano, a Queens hit man hired to murder the guy who killed a Mafioso's grandson. Readers will enjoy unraveling the mysterious backstories of Barrett and Clemants, but a plethora of subplots and minor characters slow the main action.