Murder Is My Racquet: Fourteen Original Tales of Love, Death, and Tennis by Today's Great Writers

As you would expect in a book with 14 authors contributing stories, there is variety here that is both irritating and exciting. The theme is tennis... matches, competition, scoring, and the underbelly of tennis "fandom" and playing... murder, extortion, and more. Ironically, I bought this book for a tennis fan. It didn't grab her! But I found the stories enjoyable and entertaining. What is it I don't know?

Murder Is My Racquet is an interesting collection of short stories revolving around the sport of tennis, including backyard tennis all the way to the U. S. Open. Usually thought of as a gentle sport, Otto Penzler gathers a collection of stories to change our minds. In "Terrible Tommy Terhume," we meet a good tennis star with a temper problem, but only on court. He goes to great lengths to change his personality. In "Six Love," a loving father tries murder to help his daughter become a champion only to have a surprise ending. In "Promise," a superstar tennis player is blackmailed, only to be shocked when she finds out who. "A Debt to the Devil" begins with a surprising death which becomes ruled as being a break in. An investigator finds out the amazing truth. "Stephen Longacre's Greatest Match" is about a spoiled rich kid who gets into trouble. Instead of punishment, he must play in a tennis tournament, only to upset the whole country club. In "No Strings," a college tennis squad appears to be under a spell. Anyone who is better than Roy Duchamps gets hurt, one way or another. "A Killer Overhead" tells about a father's concern that is taken care of differently than expected. Death happens on Court Eleven in the short story "Needle Match." In "The Rematch," we learn of an umpire who gets his revenge. A tennis coach is murdered holding his racquet using his beloved Continental Grip in a story of the same name. "Close Match" is a story about a superstar tennis player trying to forget about being blackmailed. While playing tennis, two cops find a dead body in the park in "Love Match." The last story, "A Peach of a Shot," is about two couples playing tennis. A fast paced book, Murder Is My Racquet, is an enjoyable read. Otto Penzler found a unique collection of stories that are all so different yet all show a different side of tennis. Most people, including me, believe that tennis is a gentle sport with clean preppy clothes where Penzler shows us differently. We learn about the competitiveness, different attitudes, and even murder that occurs on the court.

June 27,2005 There's something for everyone in Penzler's anthology. From a tennis player with anger-management issues to Lisa Scottoline's "Love Match," to a baffling murder of a Sante Fe, New Mexico tennis pro. Murder is My Racquet is a dark-suspense novel and an excitingly new way to read about the elite game of tennis. Murder and mayhem seeded deep within the world of aristocratic tennis. From eye-popping vile drop shots, to overhanging smashes, and butchering serves, this is certainly a side of tennis you've never encountered before. Readers will get a first-hand glimpse and salty taste of ordinary human beings trampling over one another as they deal with the eminence of a high-strung race in becoming an international tennis star. No matter what your level of understanding is of the game, readers will learn of the many promotional opportunities these misfits may garner upon winning, the elimination of tournament competition, and the strategy of tennis in general. Some of the genre's best are on display within the pages of Murder is my Racquet and just to name a few: Lawrence Block, James W. Hall, Stephen Hunter, Peter Lovesey and Judith Kelman. Tennis enthusiasts and mystery fans are sure to sink their teeth into this thematic compilation! Reviewed by Betsie