About the Book This home run thriller (New York Daily News) by the bestselling creator of the Spenser novels tells the story of when Jackie Robinson broke baseballs color barrier in 1947, as seen through the eyes of a difficult, brooding, wounded man hired to guard Robinson. Book Synopsis Parker pretty much defies category altogether in this deeply felt and intimately told memory tale, which takes place during the historic baseball season of 1947...Fusing this chapter of sports history with a hard-boiled gangster plot and haunting recollections of his own Boston boyhood, Parker fashions a hugely entertaining fiction.-- The New York Times 1947: Jackie Robinson breaks major-league baseballs color barrier--and changes the world. The event also changes the life of Joseph Burke, veteran of World War II and Robinsons bodyguard--because under the media spotlight, hard truths are easier than ever to see, and harder to escape. And some can prove fatal. Review Quotes Praise for Double Play A noirish take on the Jackie Robinson story...engrossing...a refreshing change of pace.-- Entertainment Weekly Told with lean brilliance...The prose and dialogue are clipped, the images cold and dark as anything in 1940s noir, and yet between the lines beats a pulse of heart and hope. Finding out if they exist to be nurtured or snuffed is one reason these pages turn so quickly.-- New York Daily News Gracefully written...Parker weaves an engaging, fast-paced tale.-- USA Today Honest and vivid.-- Sports Illustrated Intelligent crime fiction...A crisp and insistent story line that gets you to the finish in a hurry. Mr. Parkers tight prose style makes Hemingway seem almost blabby by comparison. It will probably help reinforce Mr. Parkers reputation as one of the best crime fiction writers around. And give lots of readers a few hours of pleasure.-- The Washington Times Robert B. Parker hits a grand slam with his approach to the story of Jackie Robinson. This is a beautiful book, an important novel that helps us remember what it was like for those who fought the good fight in World War II, what racism was like in the bad old days, and a tale of the healing of a broken heart. The writing is like engraving the highest quality crystal; Parker guides the light to show us his levels of meaning.-- The Miami Herald Superb...Parker, always a clean writer, has never written so spare and tight a book; this should be required reading for all aspiring storytellers. Parker fans will recognize with joy many of the authors lifelong themes (primarily, honor and the redemptive power of love), and in the Burke/Robinson dynamic, echoes of Spenser/Hawk (the PIs black colleague). Here they will treasure the very essence of Parker in a masterful recreation of a turbulent era thats not only a great and gripping crime novel but also one of the most evocative baseball novels ever written.-- Publishers Weekly About the Author Robert B. Parker was the author of seventy books, including the legendary Spenser detective series, the Jesse Stone series, and the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch Westerns. Winner of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award and long considered the undisputed dean of American crime fiction, he died in January 2010.