Brian Kaufman

Protagonist Parker Westfall is a thirty-something minor league baseball player signed for one year by the Independent League’s Colorado Miners. Courtney Morgan is a rookie knuckleball pitcher, the only woman on the team. The narrative follows the team over the course of one season.

Upsides:
- Kaufmann obviously knows the game well – the in-game scenes are detailed and realistic.
- It portrays a platonic friendship between a man and woman.
- Teamwork is highlighted.
- The quotes that open each chapter are well-selected. Some address serious topics. Others are humorous.

Downsides:
- Parker, our hero, is, to quote Mary Poppins, “practically perfect in every way.” He works two jobs, supports his mom and sister, knows more than everyone else, takes the rookies under his wing, and rescues a drunk woman. His only flaw is his fielding.
- The manager is a cardboard cutout villain.
- The plot takes a hard turn at the three-quarters mark. Something horrible happens out of the blue, which derails the story and adds nothing.
- Lots (and I mean a boatload) of crude language and sexual harassment. I get that a female teammate may have to deal with some of this, but the author goes over the top, in my opinion.

I am a baseball fan. I tend to enjoy books that contain elements of the game. This one was a disappointment.
… (altro)

It's 1969 and 16 year old Kennedy has run away from home to seek out blues musician Willie Johnson, the man with the two dick name. Kennedy plans to fulfil his dream of becoming a music industry manager and producer. He arrives to find that his imagined world of blues music isn't quite what he hoped for - for either himself or Willie. This is a wonderful tale of friendship, coming of age and coming to terms with the realities of life. It is a joy to read, both being well written and well researched. The characters are flawed, believable and eminently likeable (even the hopeless ones). It will appeal to all musicians, fans of the blues, and lovers of a good story. It's rare that I give a five star review, but this book is worth the rating.

I received a copy of this book from Black Rose Writing in exchange for an honest and fair review - and have since bought a paperback copy to give to a dear friend.… (altro)

This review is an unbiased review of a book I received free of charge from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Sins in Blue is an unassuming little novel that could be called a coming-of-age story, an exiting-life story, a music story or just a plain good novel. The author obviously has a love of music. His descriptions of the music scenes carry us off into blues bars of yore. His different timeline settings feel authentic, as does the conversation and action. Not action in the high-octane sense of the word; this book is a beautiful character study. Some might call it slow-moving but I call it over too quickly.… (altro)