Another Super Bowl has come and gone, but have no fear: you can stave off your football withdrawl with some sports-themed mysteries. There are surprisingly few in the grand scheme of themes, but if you look around, there are some for the taking.
Of course, Harlan Coben comes to mind immediately, with his successful and award-winning series (eight novels so far) featuring Myron Bolitar, a former basketball star and Harvard Law School grad who runs his own sports agency and dabbles in the private investigation business. Ironically, Coben has said in the past that he doesn't like sports himself and chooses not to play or watch them. The Bolitar books are a tour de force of plotting and feature an eclectic cast of supporting characters as well as more than a little touch of humor.
Since football is king of the moment, a good starting point for football-themed mysteries are those penned by former Atlanta Falcons defensive end and NFL analyst for Fox Sports (among other accomplishments), Tim Green. He started out his fiction writing career focusing on suspense novels with a strong NFL tie-in, including such titles as RUFFIANS, TITANS, and OUTLAWS, although he's since expanded his repertoire to include thillers on other subjects. Comparing his two main career loves, however, he's been quoted as saying "Football is more electric, a pure adrenaline rush. The payoff in writing is more lasting."
If you'd rather experience your football mysteries in smaller doses, you can check out the anthology THE MIGHTY JOHNS. David Baldacci's football mystery novella is complemented by the addition of football stories by thirteen other acclaimed writers including Lawrence Block, Dennis Lehane, Brad Meltzer and Anne Perry. It's edited by Otto Penzler, founder of The Mysterious Press.
The Sport of Kings has its champion in Dick Francis, author of over two dozen books. He published his first thriller set in the world of racing, DEAD CERT in 1962, and proceeded to produce a book a year for the next 38 years. His books were set against a background of horseracing, although his protagonists held a variety of jobs from artist to private investigator. He came by it naturally, being a celebrity in the world of British National Hunt racing, winning over 350 races, including becoming champion jockey in the 1953-54 season.
For baseball fans, you can start with Troy Soos, who writes a historical baseball series, each set at a different park, including the novel HANGING CURVE. He has published six mysteries featuring WWI era ballplayer Mickey Rawlings (the name of which comes from the Rawlings baseball glove manufacturer).
Colorado writer Greg Moody (TWO WHEELS, DERAILLEUR) has authored five installments of his Cycling Murder Mystery series. His day job is critic-at-large for Denver’s KCNC-TV, having won seven Heartland Emmy awards for commentary, one of which was for his coverage of a local mountain bike crash.
If golf is more your cup of tee, this very nice bibliography from the Waterboro Public Library has a fairly extensive list for you. Maybe what Tiger Woods reads on his rare days off?
I don't want to leave out tennis, skiing, and auto-racing, among others, so for those you might try the works on this web site featuring sports thrillers.
I haven't found any mysteries on curling yet, but if you know of one, let me know.
