Sudden Death (Paperback)

~ Michael Balkind (Author)
Key Phrases: few practice swings, tee box, Michael Balkind, Reid Clark, Jay Scott (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Pure fun, pure intrigue. The action never stops until a fascinating climax! --Clive Cussler

You like golf, you like murder mysteries, then Sudden Death is your book! --James Patterson

Product Description

Reid Clark is a pro golfer at the top of the leader board during the PGA tour; he s also a hothead with a reputation for trouble. Reid receives a death threat right before teeing off on the final day of the Master's Tournament, and hires a P.I. to track down the perpetrator. Suspense builds throughout as Reid tries to compete in one of golf s most prestigious contests...and woo the woman he loves...while dodging death at every turn. For golfers, and mystery lovers in general, Sudden Death will score big.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Pero Thrillers (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563154048
• ISBN-13: 978-1563154041
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #252,391 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tee Time for Suspense, April 11, 2008

By	Paula Buermele "www.thedreamcatchertour.com" (Canton, MI USA) - See all my reviews

"Saturday was an exquisite day. A deep blue sky was dotted with just enough cottony clouds to give periodic relief from the intense sun. The air was balmy and as expected, the crowds overflowed the fairways." Descriptions like this put the reader right into the context of Balkind's story about a pro golfer playing through a personal threat on his life. Told in a play-by-play style, "Sudden Death" is rich with detail. Each day is rooted in a solid foundation of narrative and top-dressed with believable dialogue.

Reid Clark, the main character, lives the somewhat stereotypical life of the sports star and he treats the supporting cast of characters thoroughly and delightfully throughout the novel. One entertaining example describes Reid lavishing all-you-can-spend shopping trips on his sisters and another illustrates the family's enjoyment of one another as they spend time together between the Master's tournament and the contest laced with the threat on Reid's life.

The security detail embedded with Reid as he goes about practicing and playing serves as a counterweight to the family-and-friends scenes. They, along with the wide range of emotions experienced by Reid as the tension builds, remind the reader that having superior skills and worldly success are no guarantee of sustaining a peaceful state of mind. Balkind does a good job of gradually building the mystery and suspense throughout the story: "As much as he had tried, Reid couldn't concentrate on the movie. He was upset and annoyed. Why had it taken a death threat to get him to spend time with the people he loved? Was someone really going to take all this away from him?"

Adding another layer of interest to the story is a scene where Reid films an endorsement commercial for a golf ball company. I thought this scene provided an interesting insight into how professional sports stars have to be good at more than just the sport they love and it provided a sense of balance to the mystery and description of daily activities of life on the tour.

I gave Sudden Death four stars because while the suspense built throughout the novel and I felt that Reid's character grew steadily with each chapter, I didn't really get a good look inside the head of the character who wished to kill Reid. Part of the enjoyment of reading mysteries for me is gaining an understanding of how evil people think and what drives them to plan harmful actions. This was missing for me in this novel.

Overall, however, Balkind does an excellent job on his debut novel and his attention to detail and thorough understanding of both golf and his characters supplies the reader with an enjoyable read. There is enough substance in this book to appeal to golfers and non-golfers and men and women both are likely to find it entertaining.

Paula Buermele, author of The Dream Catcher Tour, is a reviewer for Bookpleasures and a member of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association and the Metro Detroit Creative Writers Group.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Edition - poorly formatted, July 3, 2009

By	-- Peggy (Greenbelt, MD) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I am having difficulty getting into this story reading it on the kindle because there are extraneous line feeds in

the middle of sentences that create new paragraphs, and extra spaces in the mi ddle of words. Very very annoying and irksome - not something I want to experience while reading a book.

excerpt:
"... Joseph, the maitre d' called. He said the hors
SUDDEN DEATH
d'oeuvres would be here in 15 minutes."
(locations 367-377)

I suggest you download a sample before you buy the book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No handicap here., May 13, 2008

By	Rebecca Lerwill (Utah, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Imagine this; you are an athlete, born with a gift. You work hard to improve and better yourself in what you love and crave to do, and when you finally get to live your dream, someone spoils it with a threat of `simply' taking your life if you - win.
Reid Clark, a professional golfer, has a rude awakening as he receives such a threat during the tournament of tournaments; the Masters.
Not a stranger to challenging situations he finds himself just a bid over his head and has no choice but to surround himself with a colorful team of bodyguards and investigating cops, because he surely is not going to easily give in.
What follows is a well written tale of a cat and mouse game on a different level. Intrigue and suspense can be painted in many vivid colors, but spinning them into the `game of kings' is certainly a new twist author Michael Balkind has discovered.

Though I play a little golf myself, I'm not a huge fan and certainly don't watch it on TV. However; ever since I read this story I find myself taking a glimpse at the tellie whenever I catch a game and I wonder - what would it be like to perform at such level if indeed one would encounter a death threat.

To me, Balkind made the story believable and I enjoyed the read through out. There were just a few instances where I would have liked to see a lesser degree of explanation of the physiological pressure of the game. I also wondered about a scenario where Reid, while still under extreme stress due to his threats, takes his family on a shopping spree.
All in all however, I recommend Sudden Death to anyone who seeks a satisfying thrill ride down the fairway and I will be looking for more sport related mystery from this new, exciting author.

Rebecca Lerwill, author of Relocating Mia.
Relocating Mia