The Appearance of Impropriety

Walter Walker is an excellent, regrettably overlooked crime writer with a terrific ear for contemporary vernacular speech, an aptitude for the devious plot, and a mordant view of human nature. Walker's first book, "A Dime to Dance By" (~1982), told the story of a lawyer fighting local political corruption and skullduggery involving an old graveyard (no pun intended) in the City of Quincy, Mass. I greatly enjoyed that book when I was a starting attorney.Walker brings his incisive wit this time to the professional basketball arena. A profit obsessed, self-made, supermarket chain owner has just purchased the Golden Gaters, an underachieving San Francisco team. Walker's rich character palate includes the burnt out coach Booby Sinclair, his star forward, W.E.B. Pancake, and a doomed sports scribbler who uncovers evidence for a sinister cause of the team's losing ways.This book is a wonderful read that begins with a moment of bathos as the new owner's locker room speech to his team is nearly drowned out by a growing chorus of farts. It continues with excellent descriptions of basketball play and practice, good character development, and creative plot twists. Each sentence may be savored.We should pray that the author's San Francisco personal injury law practice loses its appeal enough and that this talented writer will pick up his authorial pen again soon. If you like John T. Lescroart and George V. Higgins, you'll love Walter Walker.