Final Round: Final Round: A Novel

John McCree and Conner Cross have been friends and golf pros for years and they're both playing in the Masters. Conner finds John's dead body in the sand trap at the eighteen hole. Grisly as the murder was, the game goes on. John's wife asks Conner to investigate, since the police don't seem to be getting anywhere, and then another body shows up.This is a great five star story with nice humor. That said, it always bothers me when an author's fans get upset because the writer tried something new. I don't know why readers expect writers to keep churning out the same book again and again. So what if this one's a little different than Bernhardt's previous books. To that I say "Bravo," because anybody can steer along the safe road, it takes courage to take a different path.Reviewed by Vesta Irene

... This is a delightful, charming, exciting, fun-filled book, just like all the others William Bernhardt (my favorite author) has written. Conner Cross is a refreshing change from the usual golf stuffed shirt, and Bernhardt's viewpoint--respectful, informative, but fun--is a pleasant alternative to the usual Bagger Vance-type "Golf Is My Life" attitude. Yes, Bernhardt takes some liberties; he admits this right up front in the Acknowledgments. I don't know why these people keep acting as if they've found some howling mistake, when the only things they mention as errors are the things Bernhardt alerted them to in the Acknowledgements! Nitpicking aside, the author has obviously researched his subject thoroughly; that becomes apparant in the first five pages. Most importantly, Bernhardt writes a dynamite mystery. If you have any doubts about the quality of this book, pick up a copy and read the three pages--THREE PAGES!!!--of glowing reviews at the front. All those reviewers loved this book, and so did I.

Death came so suddenley he didn't even have a chance to scream, All at once, the lights were out-as if someone had thrown a switch inside his brain. Blood and bits of flesh burst from the side of his head. He was dead before he hit the ground. The man standing over him had swung his golf clubin the darkness. This is one of the exiting part in Final Round. This is about a man named Conner Cross who tries to find out who killed his best friend John Mcree. As Coner looks he has been playing in the Masters Tournament at the Agusta National. He finds help along the way with his caddy Fitz and John Mcree's wife Jodie Mcree. This book is filled with mystery, and suspense throughout the whole book. Read more to find outwho the murderer is and how he does in the Masters Tornament. I found this book very well written. I also reccomend this book for older youth and up and especially to people who love the game of golf. I also reccomend it because it is very easy to read and so is the style of writing. This book was a real page-turner, I could not stop reading it, and it talked about the men playing golf and choosing their clubsunlike other golf books do. This book was also filled with many suprises, when you thought who the murderer was it wasn't. The plot was un belivable to people who like golf, this is a book that you could read over and over again. The plot was just so easy to read and to understand. The plot also mixed mystery, suspense and the sport of golf into one and that's what made it such a great book.

William Bernhardt has a positive genius for creating iconoclastic heroes whose endearing quirks put the reader firmly on their side from the git-go. His latest thriller, FINAL ROUND, introduces maverick golf pro, Connor Cross, going head-to-head with the prestigious but ultra-stuffy Augusta National Golf Club after he has barely managed to qualify for the Masters tournament. Despite the best efforts of his long-time friend and mentor, fellow golfer John McCree, and his veteran caddie Fitz to get him to shape up and produce the kind of golf he's capable of playing, bull-in-the-china-shop Connor is within an inch of being bounced off the premises for outrageous behavior before the contest even begins until the competition takes a deadly turn. The night before the first tee-off, Connor finds John's body buried in a sandtrap. He's been bludgeoned to death with Connor's nine-iron, and the fun and games suddenly come to an abrupt halt. Not only course Management, but the Augusta cops are desperate for a quick conviction with no scandal attached to the Tournament, and Connor is their prime suspect. The only way he can change their minds and avenge his buddy is to find the killer himself. Although attractive policewoman Nikki O'Brien is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, convinced that one of his fellow golfers is the real culprit, Connor has to play the game of his life in order to stay on the scene long enough to ferret him out. As the field dwindles to the final cut, the body count mounts until Connor works out what's par for the corpse and gets his man in a delightfully appropriate denouement.Anyone who thinks that it will be easy to put this marvelous mixture of mirth and mayhem down before that point is reached should probably think again. Bernhardt's ability to combine fast-paced thrills with strong characterization and an intriguing, knowlegeable take on the lore and intricacies of professional golf made FINAL ROUND a one-sitting read for me...and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. Connor and Fitz! Bravo! Encore!