Blackbird,
Farewell
A C.
J. Floyd Mystery
Robert
Greer
Frog.
Ltd. (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-58394-250-5 (1583942505)
ISBN-13: 978-1-58394-250-5 (9781583942505)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $25.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Shandell “Blackbird” Bird has
everything going for him, or so he thinks. Recently selected number two
overall in the NBA draft, the 6'8", 250-pound superstar has a gleaming
new ride and a salary and athletic shoe contract that make him an
instant millionaire. What he doesn’t have is the ability to
bury secrets from his past.
When Shandell is found shot to death at mid-court, his best friend and
college teammate Damion Madrid sets out to find the killer. Damion is
well meaning but naïve; luckily his godfather is gumshoe CJ
Floyd. Floyd and his partner, Flora Jean Benson, are there to watch his
back as Damion stumbles down a shadowy trail that leads to
Shandell’s purported peddling of steroids and big-game point
shaving. When he discovers a “Blackbird” he never
knew and is able to put a face on Shandell’s killer, Damion
finds himself in over his head. Will CJ be there in time to prevent his
godson from joining Shandell?
Review:
As his summer vacation begins, Colorado State University basketball
star Damion Flood aka “Blood” is looking forward to
entering medical school after turning down a lucrative contract as an
NBA professional. His best buddy, Shandell Bird, the
“Blackbird” of the “Bird and
Blood” duo, has signed a multi-million dollar contract with
endorsements that will leave him set for life. But by
summer’s end when a university professor asks Flood what he
did for his summer’s vacation, Damion responds, “I
tracked down the murderer of my best friend.” It’s
a perfect summary for Robert Greer’s hard-hitting novel of a
behind-the-scenes look at two young men considering the pursuit of
their careers, with one openly making the right decisions, the other
ending up dead while trying to take his life-long secrets to the grave.
Although the novel is one in the CJ Floyd mysteries, the master bail
bondsman is away on his honeymoon, leaving his partner, ex-marine Flora
Jean Benson to look after the business and keep his godson Damion on
the straight and narrow. It’s no mean feat for Flora Jean as
Damion sets about on a determined effort to find Bird’s
killer, sometimes enlisting her help, at others flying solo. As he
follows the clues and tracks teammates, coaches and trainers, Blood
discovers particulars he’d sooner not know about his former
best friend, like allegations of points shaving, connections to
gamblers, and suspicions of using and peddling performance enhancing
drugs. And when it seems it can’t get any worse, it does as
Blood uncovers the worst secret of all for a professional male athlete,
which raises additional allegations of blackmail and involves
Bird’s gold digging girlfriend, his manipulative dead-beat
father, a college sports psychologist, various locker room hangers-on,
a former Pulitzer prize-winning author and a gambling czar with an MBA
and a sidekick with an itchy trigger finger. A midget hitman with a
.30-06 makes a cameo appearance as well. Damion’s team has
its own heavy hitters, however, such as Flora Jean, and the 84-year-old
Mafia Don and family friend, Mario Satoni and his enforcer
“Pinkie,” and Damion’s lawyer mother,
Julie, as well as the occasional bits of sage advice from the
honeymooning, CJ Floyd. They all get their chance to play as Damion
solves not only Bird’s untimely farewell but a copycat
killing as well before he heads on to his medical career.
An intriguing read with an authentic setting in college athletics, Blackbird, Farewell,
racks up another winner for author Robert Greer.
Special thanks to M. Wayne Cunningham (mw_cunningham@telus.net) for contributing his review of Blackbird, Farewell and to Caitlin Hamilton Marketing for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — M. Wayne Cunningham — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission
Have you read Blackbird, Farewell? How would you rate it?
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ISBN-13: 978-1-58394-250-5 (9781583942505)
Omnimystery
keywords for Blackbird, Farewell
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Location(s) referenced: Denver,
Colorado.
