Perfect Game

by Leslie Dana Kirby

[violetpeanut]

I love a good legal thriller so I was really excited to read The Perfect Game. The wife of a famous baseball star is murdered. The two main suspects are her husband, Jake, and her sister, Lauren. Jake and Lauren bond over their grief and a shared love of baseball which just complicates everything. The media takes full advantage and starts to paint Lauren as the jealous sister who wanted her sister's life. Did Lauren really murder her sister?

I enjoyed this book but there were a couple of things lacking for me. First, Lauren does some incredibly stupid things and is definitely lacking in common sense. Why in the world would you ever start a romance with your murdered sister's husband?? Even if there's an attraction there, it's inappropriate. As a character, she seemed very intelligent and seemed to have a good head on her shoulders so her relationship with Jake didn't seem to fit. Then again, grief can change how a person would normally act, so there's that. Second, I did not like the ending. The culprit got what they deserved but the way it happened didn't sit well with me. I didn't feel like what happened was in character for anyone involved. I felt like the details of the ending were there more for shock value than as a real resolution.

Despite those things, the book was enjoyable. It moved along quickly and there were a couple of nice twists. I did figure out what was going on pretty early on, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment at all. Fans of baseball will enjoy some of the scenes and conversations but those who are not fans, like myself, won't be turned off by them. The courtroom drama is not quite on par with legal thriller authors like John Grisham but it was still very exciting and those were my favorite scenes.

Overall, this was a solid read that I really enjoyed. Exciting legal drama, murder mystery, quick pace and some interesting twists. This is worth picking up if you enjoy the genre.