After Watching Glass Shatter (still have to read it) and Father Figure, James J. Cudney is back to deliver us his third book, Academic Curveball, the first in his Braxton Campus Mysteries. And, oh boy, I’m glad he is!
There is something neat when you set a mystery story in a cozy rural area and spice it with a dead body, a possible culprit as a member of your family, a net of intrigue, an affair connected to the college's athletic program, memorable and sarcastic residents (Nana D you rock!), and a mad cliffhanger! James (or Jay as he prefers to be called) gives us all that in a right and timely manner and his rich and capturing writing style.
I don’t like baseball (which is probably a weakness of 99% Europeans) but I like Jay’s curveball. If the real game is as half as interesting, intriguing and exciting as his book is, baseball would have many more followers outside the States. As things look from my point of view, baseball will remain a nationally popular home game while Academic Curveball and Braxton Campus Mysteries will enchant the hordes of both domestic and international fans. And that is not a bad thing at all!
BJ