T. T. Monday

This is my first book by this author that I have read, and the first book in a series.

This book probably would have never crossed my path if I hadn't done something I hadn't done in probably years (though I used to love to do this activity) - visit an actual bookstore. The second book in the series was sitting there in the 'new stuff' part of the Mystery section and it looked neat and stuff. Looked it over, went to see if they had the prior book - looked that over and . . . here I am, two days later, book read.

I've read a number of books involving sports and mystery. And athletes who solve crimes on the side. The only ones that I ever really seem to like are the ones where there's something extra, like when there is also historical fiction, like in Troy Soos Mickey Rawlings series. Especially as, in the Rawlings series and other historical fiction, the ball players make peanuts, so side jobs are not hobbies, but necessary.

Here? The story is set in modern contemporary times, and the main character makes a million five. He has a kid and an ex, but the ex made a ton of money off her second husband so she’s neither dying for support, nor begging for it. So for him to work as a private detective, on the side, is entirely because he’s bored and wants something to fill the time. No, literally, he says that at some point.

This man here, the main character, is all-around a joke. A guy who set out to try to get a job as a bull-pen pitcher so that he could work 10 minutes a day for millions of dollars. And as a detective he is something . . . well, I already said joke, but yes, that. During the course of reading this book, I happened to catch a film, ‘The Nice Guys’, about a ‘punisher’ (a guy who gets paid to go around giving out messages, and/or beating people up) and a ‘private detective’ working a case in the 1970s. Johnny Adcock, the main character in the book, reminds me a lot of the guy in the film, the detective one, but not in a good way. At one point in the film, the guy’s daughter notes that he is the worst detective ever. He’s lazy, drinks too much, and can’t detect which end of a paper bag has the opening in it. Then he shows a few flashes of brilliance. Well, Adcock is somewhat similar. Bouncing around like a moron, with a couple of bursts of brilliance.

And it is not lost on me that this almost over the hill bullpen pitcher had been talking about what he planned to do in retirement, early-ish in the book. Take over some hotels, make them private, put in some ‘special staff’ (aka, hookers), and allow access to only professional athletes. Then the story that unfolds, the mystery, is basically something similar (just without hotels). And Adcock seems not at all self-aware of that fact. But hey, I get it, people can joke around about what they might or might not do, joking about opening up a string of brothels for athletes is a little odd, but not necessarily something to be used as a gauge of character. No, it’s what happens at the end of the book (and in small snippets during the book), that lets people in on the truth – Adcock is a hypocrite, a criminal, and an all-around bad guy. Even if he can pretend to himself that he was doing it for a good reason. Adcock blackmails some people to help set up a college fund

There is a very strong chance, about 75 to 95 percent chance, that this will be it for me. That I will not tackle the sequel, ‘Double Switch’, even if it was the book that initially got me interested in the series.

While, in the end, I’m able to give the book a good solid 3 star rating, I do not recommend this book to anyone.

May 23 2016
… (plus d'informations)

Double Switch by T. T. Monday is the second book in the series featuring San Jose Bull Dogs Relief Pitcher, Johnny Adcock. He is well aware that he is far closer to the end of his career than the start as he moonlights as a non-paid private investigator to his fellow players. He’s helped more than one player out of a jam and keeps details to himself. That fact and a few other things means he has a bit of a reputation around Major League Baseball (MLB) among the players and the ownership.

Tiff Tate also has a reputation around MLB. She is what is known as a “stylist.” When having a certain look can make a player rich by celebrity endorsements, she designs a persona to fit the player on the field and off. She gets paid well. Very well in fact as she is reputed to earn mid six figures for each makeover she can well afford her private jet and other luxuries. She also can suddenly resurrect a struggling player’s career with a few tweaks. More than any other sport, superstition rules baseball and when her player makeover magic works it adds to her allure and mystique.

But, the stylist to the players has a problem she can’t solve on her own. It’s June and the Colorado Rockies rookie outfielder, Yonel Ruiz, is tearing-up the league. He can do it all from being on a record pace homer wise and driving in runs to throwing out base runners on the paths. He is also a media sensation because of his perilous journey out of Cuba.

What the public does not know is that Ruiz is being blackmailed by the Venezuelans who smuggled him out of Cuba. Tate has been told by Ruiz that his family is being held hostage in Havana. They want him to set up a deal where his salary of 50 million dollars paid over six years goes into an account the kidnappers’ control. He will be given an allowance so he can keep up appearances. Should he fail to agree to do this in the next two weeks. They will start killing his family including his daughter, wife, parents, siblings, etc.

Ruiz’s only contact is with staff of the Colorado Rockies and Tiff Tate, his stylist. The kidnappers won’t allow him to meet with others and most likely have operators in the area watching him. So, with the Bay Dogs soon headed to Denver to play the Rockies, Tate wants Adcock to try and find out who these Venezuelans are. Once he identifies them then Tate will try to work directly with them to resolve the problem. If MLB gets involved they will do what is best for the sport and not the player. She will resort to involving MLB if she has to, but intended to give Adcock a week to work the case.

While Adcock is well aware that he can’t do much, he agrees to do what he can. Ruiz isn’t the only one being threatened as Adcock quickly finds out. It is a far reaching mess that could have a huge impact on baseball in the future. It does not help that those at the upper reaches of MLB very much want Adcock to get out of the private investigator business and that is way before the bodies start dropping.

Double Switch builds on the events of The Setup Man in a strong way. Adcock is a year closer to the end of pitching in the majors and he very well knows it. A future beyond baseball is on his mind, but he isn’t about for one second to give up on what he loves which is playing baseball.

In addition to the complicated mystery, T. T. Monday brings readers well familiar with baseball or not at all right along for a ride through the clubhouses and the underworld of how Latin American players make it into the show. He has a rare gift of making baseball accessible to the novice as well as the experienced fan as part of the overall mystery. As he did with the first book, T. T. Monday shines a light into the less glamorous aspects of a sport he clearly loves.

Double Switch could be read as a stand-alone, but it really should be read after one reads The Setup Man. The sacrifices of family continue to play a role in Adcock’s life as do other elements carried over from the first book. Double Switch is a good read and an excellent sequel.

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016… (plus d'informations)

The appeal for me is the same as it ever was. Playing a child’s game for money can be hard on your self-respect. Even now, I’m still not a doctor or a diplomat, but I’m more than I was. I’m more than a guy on a bench cracking seeds, waiting for a lefty to bat in the eighth.
God help me if a man’s not entitled to that. (Page 5)

Johnny Adcock is 35 and for more than a decade he has a secondary career to fall back on when his playing days are over. Major League Baseball these days is primarily made up of situational players who come in and out for this situation or that. Johnny Adcock is one of those guys as he has a very simple job as “the setup man.” He is the guy who comes in during the eighth inning to pitch to one guy, usually a lefty, in a pressure situation with men on base to get the out. If he does his job right in getting the out and preserving the potential win, the closer comes in to deal with the final few batters and finish the game on a winning note. Being 35 Adcock knows his playing days are numbered and that the money, 1.5 million a year, is really good for the amount of work he has to do. He has a lot of idle time to fill when he isn’t on the field and his secondary career is a great fit. It kind of came about by accident, but he really enjoys moonlighting as a private detective. Ball players frequently need a private detective and the word among his fellow players is out about Johnny and his second career.

Johnny plays for “The Bay Dogs of San Jose” and the backup catcher is a guy named Frankie Herrera. Frankie has a big problem regarding his wife and does not want it getting out. Adcock is discrete, but telling him and letting him see the evidence is very hard on Frankie. Way back in the day before they were married, Maria, was a stripper in the clubs. When money was really short she took the next logical step and made some very adult movies. One of the videos is now up on a free porn site on the internet. If Frankie and his wife Maria didn’t have two twin boys who will be five in the fall it might not matter so much. But, they do and Frankie does not want to the kids to ever learn what their mom did long ago.

Somebody sent the site link to Frankie’s cellphone as proof the video was out there on the internet. So far there has not been an actual request for money, but the intent is pretty clear to Frankie and his wife as well as Johnny. If Frankie wants Johnny’s help the first step is to hand the cell phone over to Adcock for as long as he needs it. Adcock will need to watch the video so that he can start trying to figure out if this is, as Adcock suspects, an extortion/black mail attempt. It seems like the typical “rip the ball player off” type case that Johnny has seen quite a few times before. But, there is nothing typical about this one as things very quickly escalate with a murder and more.

Those who are baseball fans will really enjoy The Setup Man as there are numerous references to living and past players, teams, and more. Baseball becomes a significant secondary character in the book while never burying the main storyline of the mystery. Billed as a thriller by the publisher, the book is more of a mystery that quickly expands in depth as the tale featuring plenty of interesting characters, a variety of detailed settings, and lots of complexity unfolds. The various storylines combine together in The Setup Man making it a read that keeps the reader solidly entertained from start to finish.

The Setup Man
T. T. Monday (aka Nick Taylor)
http://www.ttmonday.com
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/blogs/b/on-the-page?i=35
Vintage Crime/Black Lizard (Doubleday)
http://www.doubleday.com
March 2014
ISBN# 978-0-385-53845-9
Hardback (e-book, audio, and paperback also available)
274 Pages
$24.99

Material was picked up to read and review via the Plano Public Library System because Kaye George wrote about it last month in one of her “Monday With Kaye” review segments.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015… (plus d'informations)

Johnny Adcock is an aging relief pitcher with a side job as a private detective for his fellow major league baseball players with sensitive problems. This premise sounds bizarre but it works and the noir tone elevates the story to a higher level. The world is fully fleshed out and the characters have depth from the moment you meet them. As a baseball fan, I truly enjoyed this diversion from the traditional detective format with its look behind the scenes into that elite world. Just a note - there is heavy violence in this book so it is by no means a "cozy" mystery.… (plus d'informations)