From Publishers Weekly
Stealing a page from Damn Yankees, first-novelist Grant spins a fantasy in which Luke Hanlon, a Cincinnati Reds star from the 1950s and '60s, returns to the major leagues today to try and propel his team to the World Series. Because Hanlon, who is in his 60s, played during a period that many baseball chroniclers consider the sport's Golden Age, Grant is able to use the returning star's presence in the modern locker room-achieved through an experimental drug that rejuvenates his cells-to point up the different attitudes and demeanor of today's players and to comment on changes in the game that many longtime fans decry. The author's critique is far from pointed, however, and his narrative suffers from an array of characters who are just shy of caricatures, from Hanlon and his friendly, aged doctor to the young stud ballplayer who catches the eye of Hanlon's divorced daughter, to the sportswriter who exposes the secret medical treatments.
Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
