(13th in Series)
In the rust-belt town of Rocksburg, Pennsylvania, Detective Sergeant Rugs Carlucci, the acting police chief, has a murder on his hands. Decades ago, a local boy named Bobby Blasco went north to pitch for the Boston Red Sox and earned a nasty reputation for beaning batmen, among them the superstar Ted Williams. When a suspicious accident put Blasco, "The Brushback Kid", out of the game for good, he came home to run an illegal gambling club in Rocksburg's Flats. Now Blasco's dead, done in with a Louisville Slugger to the back of the head. The picture painted by Blasco's ex-wives and former friends isn't pretty: a man who took domestic abuse to its farthest limits, a hard-case who made an enemy of virtually everyone. Carlucci's task is simple: Step up to the plate and find the killer.
"A superb writer and social chronicler, Constantine stirs this bitter brew with economy and skill." (LA Times Book Review)