A young man who went by the name of Jay Cee lived in a small town in Pennsylvania. He worked as a carpenters helper at a job that paid less than a dollar an hour above minimum wage. Teaching Sunday school was a passion of his. He arrived in Detroit one day to attend a four-day religious retreat along with twenty thousand other Christian believers from several midwestern states. Due to an incredible set of circumstances, he found himself at the Detroit Lions training facility in Allen Park,...

From the author of Slow Heat, The Trouble with Paradise, and the Lucky Harbor novels...Pace Martin is the ace pitcher for the Pacific Heat. He's got the arm, the experience and the wins. He's also got the pain, the pressure, and the possible end of his career looming over him. The last thing he needs now is a distraction, even if it comes in the form of a tough, beautiful, tell-it-like-it-is writer who sees past his defenses.Holly Hutchins...

Just when we need some magic in our lives, the world's #1 bestselling author brings us a stirring tale of life, love, and the power of Christmas miracles.Travis McKinley's life has drifted sideways. His job, his marriage, even his children all feel disconnected and distant. Has he really accomplished nothing of consequence in his life?On Christmas Day, Travis plays a round of golf and finds himself for the first time in the...

The boxing stories that inspired the Oscar-winning Clint Eastwood film: a New York Times Notable Book from "a heavyweight fiction contender" ( Publishers Weekly).F. X. Toole knew boxing. Between bouts, he wrote, and two years before his death he published this collection of stories, giving readers an unprecedented look at the gritty life around the ring.He tells of a cutman with a sweet tooth, young fighters with dreams of celebrity, and a talented...

Felix Batterinski grew up tough in Northern Ontario where hockey was the only way out of a life of grinding poverty. He got out and enjoyed fame as a hockey "enforcer" for the Philadelphia Flyers. But fame is fleeting.Now in his thirties and at the end of his playing career, Felix tries to make a go of it as a player-coach for a Finnish club. As the lone Canadian on the team, he is an outsider with a reputation that takes on a life of its own. When a controversial play brings his c...

The steamy Chicago Rebels series returns with this racy and sassy tale of embittered hearts, second chances, and going for the goal—on and off the ice.Violet Vasquez never met her biological father, so learning he left his beloved hockey franchise—the Chicago Rebels—to her is, well, unexpected. Flat broke and close to homeless, Violet is determined to make the most of this sudden opportunity. Except dear old dad set conditions that require she takes part in actuall...

Johnny Adcock is an aging Major League pitcher, who moonlights as a private investigator. Major League Baseball, as it turns out, is a prime source of employment for a discreet detective who has both the brains and the brawn to handle the unique problems of professional athletes. On the bus after a game, teammate Frankie Herrera confides in Adcock that he has a “problem with his wife.” It sounds like the standard story of a pro athlete’s marriage gone sour. However, when Frankie dies in a ...

Baseball sensation Bobby Rayburn’s major-league career is booming, and he just signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Sox. Knife salesman Gil Renard’s job is hanging by a thread and he just sold his most prized possession to stay afloat. All that keeps Gil going, in the face of divorce, destitution, and desperation, is rooting for the Sox–and the team’s new savior, Bobby Rayburn. But when his idol sinks into the worst slump of his career, Gil realizes he alone has the power to rest...

A funeral in the family forces Alan Saxon to go home and confront the father he hates. Old wounds are reopened and he beats a hasty retreat. Though he flies off to the Far East, he cannot outrun his problems. His first port of call is Bangkok where he plays a round of golf with an old friend, Sam Limsong. Pleasure is soon overshadowed by some alarming developments, and he flies on to Tokyo with deep misgivings.Contracted to make an instructional video, Saxon falls foul of his host,...

10 Year old Bobby McRainey tells of the day to day struggles as a batboy on a losingest team ever! But, when his 1951 ball club signs 5 Negro Leaguers and integrates Southern Baseball, Bobby discovers that even losing teams can have immortal moments.Through a long hot summer, the Graniteers sweat out a 14 – 96 season. New coaches, a name change (to the Granite Rocks) and even 'Black Cat Night at Granite Falls Stadium' cannot turn things around. When Bobby finds an unhittable 'Cuban...

What was business in the world of professional wresting has become personal in the trilogy RollingStone.com called a one-of a kind literary offering for die-hard wrestling fans.”Danno Garland has it made. After years of planning, backstabbing, and shady handshakes, he controls the world heavyweight champion and just about everywhere he can wrestle. Danno’s outmaneuvered the other New York bosses, and he’s the first in pro wrestling history to expand beyond his own...

After a hard-luck season and a stunning upset victory over Northern State, the State University basketball team finds out a selection committee has arbitrarily excluded State from National Tournament competition. Chip and Soapy, his best pal, don’t give up as they battle to sustain the morale of their teammates and to change the committee’s ruling.