Book Blast ~ Historical Virtual Book Tour Presents....
The Babe Ruth Deception
By
David
O. Stewart
As the Roaring Twenties get under way,
corruption seems everywhere–from the bootleggers flouting Prohibition to the
cherished heroes of the American Pastime now tarnished by scandal. Swept up in
the maelstrom are Dr. Jamie Fraser and Speed Cook…
Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, is having a
record-breaking season in his first year as a New York Yankee. In 1920, he will
hit more home runs than any other team in the American League. Larger than life
on the ball field and off, Ruth is about to discover what the Chicago White Sox
players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series are learning–baseball heroes
are not invulnerable to scandal. With suspicion in the air, Ruth’s 1918 World
Series win for the Boston Red Sox is now being questioned. Under scrutiny by
the new baseball commissioner and enmeshed with gambling kingpin Arnold
Rothstein, Ruth turns for help to Speed Cook–a former professional ballplayer
himself before the game was segregated and now a promoter of Negro
baseball–who’s familiar with the dirty underside of the sport.
Cook in turn enlists the help of Dr. Jamie
Fraser, whose wife Eliza is coproducing a silent film starring the Yankee
outfielder. Restraint does not come easily to the reckless Ruth, but the
Frasers try to keep him in line while Cook digs around.
As all this plays out, Cook’s son Joshua and
Fraser’s daughter Violet are brought together by a shocking tragedy. But an
interracial relationship in 1920 feels as dangerous as a public scandal–even
more so because Joshua is heavily involved in bootlegging. Trying to protect
Ruth and their own children, Fraser and Cook find themselves playing a
dangerous game.
Once again masterfully blending fact and
fiction, David O. Stewart delivers a nail-biting historical mystery that
captures an era unlike any America has seen before or since in all its moral
complexity and dizzying excitement.
“(The Babe
Ruth Deception) cleverly mixes real-life people and historical events. The
problems of the unlikely sleuths will particularly appeal to baseball fans.”
Kirkus Reviews
“This is so
much more than a baseball book. There’s a lot of the Babe, but it’s a history
book, a mystery book, a complex book that beautifully details an era in
America. I loved it!”
Tim Kurkjian, ESPN Baseball Contributor and Author
Author’s
Inspiration
My Ten Best Mystery/Thriller Writers
By
David O. Stewart
To wrap up my month-long
blog tour marking the paperback launch of my historical mystery, The
Babe Ruth Deception, I want to honor
ten mystery/thriller writers who made me want to write that type of book. The list reflects my tastes, freely
acknowledged here:
· Not
a lot of gore or mass violence. They’re
distractions.
· Smart,
polished writing.
· Close,
loving attention to the people in the story, not just the story – unless the
story’s totally amazing.
John Le
Carré -- The
master. From The Spy
Who Came in From the Cold (1963) through
Russia
House (1989), Le Carré captured
the tensions, hypocrisies, and terrors of the Cold War. With the fall of the Soviet Union, he
reinvented himself, exploring the same themes around the globe in great yarns
like The
Constant Gardener (2001), The
Tailor of Panama (1996), and Our
Kind of Traitor (2010). Witty, ironic, the Muse of Moral Ambiguity.
Elmore
Leonard – The master, American version, who packed more
description into fewer words than anyone.
Try this character from Tishomingo
Blues: “all the way cool.” You could
use more words, but why? He did
Detroit-based stories (Split
Images, City
Primeval), Florida stories (Maximum
Bob, Out
of Sight) and anything he damn well pleased. Get
Shorty may be perfect.
Eric
Ambler – This British espionage writer created dense
atmosphere, quirky characters, and compelling yarns. The early books (Journey
Into Fear, The
Mask of Dimitrios) explore devious men wandering through the world-gone-mad
of fascism and communism. His later
books widened his scope. A favorite is
his last, The
Care of Time (as in “time will
take care of him”).
Rex
Stout – I haven’t yet joined the Nero Wolfe Literary Society (yup, there is
one!), but I can’t resist the fat epicurean sleuth who loves orchids and never
leaves his Manhattan townhouse (well, hardly ever). Sidekick Archie Goodwin is the perfect counterweight. Try The
League of Frightened Men, or Too
Many Cooks, or any of them.
P.D.
James – A Scotland Yard investigator who writes
poetry? What can I say – it works in her
Adam Dalgleish books (Cover
Her Face, The
Private Patient). James also made
time for a woman protagonist, An
Unsuitable Job for a Woman. Thoughtful, carefully-observed stories
that draw you in deeper and deeper.
Olen
Steinhauer – I know, I know, this the first writer on my
list who’s still alive. In fact, still
in his 40s. Concentrating on spy
stories, Steinhauer already has produced a great trilogy (loved The
American Spy) and excellent stand-alone books (try The
Cairo Affair). The tension crackles,
the intrigue is compelling. An entire
book told through a single dinner between former colleagues? He pulled it off, beautifully, in All
the Old Knives.
Robert B.
Parker – The Spenser books. I rest my case. One of the few recurring-character series
that I just kept coming back for.
They’re so good that they’re still coming out even though Parker died
seven years ago (written by Ace Atkins).
The novels go down fast, with the smoothest pacing. Try Early
Autumn or The
Judas Goat.
Josephine
Tey – Her novel The
Daughter of Time showed that an
investigator could unearth secrets from the historical past (in her case, the
15th-century killing of the princes in the Tower of London). That inspired my first mystery, The Lincoln Deception. Though I haven’t been crazy about her
other books, Daughter of Time is
perfect.
Arthur
Conan Doyle – It’s crazy to have him down this low on
the list. Sherlock Holmes will always be
with us. The dog that didn’t bark. There is nothing more deceptive than an
obvious fact. When you have eliminated
the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Great stuff.
Charles
McCarry – Another espionage writer, also alive
(!). McCarry’s first novel, The Miernik
Dossier, was extraordinary. His
novel about the Kennedy assassination, The
Tears of Autumn, is the best
guess I’ve seen as to what happened in Dallas in November 1963.
That’s my list so
far. Great writers didn’t make the
cut: Raymond Chandler, John D.
MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, Agatha Christie.
Hey, it’s MY list. Who’s on yours?
David O.
Stewart is the author of the
Fraser/Cook mystery series, The Lincoln Deception (2013), The Wilson
Deception (2015), and The Babe Ruth
Deception (2016).
Giveaway
During the
Blog Tour we will be giving away two paperback copies of The Babe Ruth
Deception! To enter, please see the Gleam form below.
Giveaway
Rules
• Giveaway
ends at 11:59pm EST on July 27th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
• Giveaway is open to residents in the US
& Canada only.
• Only one
entry per household.
• All
giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of
fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be
disqualified at our discretion.
• Winner has
48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Links for
Purchase
About the author
David O. Stewart, formerly a lawyer, writes fiction
and history. His first historical work told the story of the writing of the
Constitution (“The Summer of 1787”). It was a Washington Post Bestseller and
won the Washington Writing Prize for Best Book of 2007. His second book
(“Impeached”), grew from a judicial impeachment trial he defended before the
United States Senate in 1989. “American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to
Jefferson’s America” explored Burr’s astounding Western expedition of 1805-07
and his treason trial before Chief Justice John Marshall. “Madison’s Gift: Five
Partnerships That Built America” debuted in February 2015. He has received the
2013 History Award of the Society of the Cincinnati and the 2016 William
Prescott Award for History Writing from the National Society of the Colonial
Dames of America.
Stewart’s fiction career began with the release of
“The Lincoln Deception,” an historical novel exploring the John Wilkes Booth
conspiracy. “The Wilson Deception,” the sequel, is set at the Paris Peace
Conference in 1919. “The Babe Ruth Deception” occurs during the Babe’s first
two years with the Yankees while he remade baseball and America began the
modern era with Prohibition, bootlegging, and terrorism.
Stewart lives with his wife in Maryland.
Useful Links
The Babe Ruth Deception by David O. Stewart
Publication Date: June 27,
2017
Kensington Books
Hardcover & eBook; 304
Pages
Series: A Fraser and Cook
Mystery (Book 3)
Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mysteries/Baseball
Thank you so much, Mary Anne, for hosting David's blog tour & guest post! I hope your readers enjoy the post & good luck to all who enter the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteAmy
HF Virtual Book Tours
My pleasure!
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