Review of OUT OF BOUNDS by John R. Corrigan (see his website)

A JACK AUSTIN MYSTERY

University of New England Press, October 2006

When a pro-golfer accuses another golfer of cheating through drug abuse, Jack Austin gets dragged into the middle of things. For one thing, he's a pro golfer--for another, he's a member of the policy committee, responsible for helping to set the rules that deal with issues like mandatory drug testing. But Austin is badly conflicted--he believes in his game and doesn't want it to be caught by the stigma of drugs--like baseball and other sports. Austin gets involved even more deeply when his friend, who works security for the tour but who was injured in an earlier book asks for his help.

Austin finds himself investigating both performance-enhancing drugs and the mysterious death (an apparent mugging) of another pro golfer. But when more of the golfers responsible for a failed golf venture turn up sick or dead, Austin starts to see hints at a connection between his two problems. Managing to golf well through all of this is a problem, though, especially as Tiger Woods is on a hot streak. Austin's two year waiver after winning a tournament is running out and he must either win again or he'll find himself hanging onto the tour by his fingernails.

Author John R. Corrigan (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Corrigan) combines a fascinating look at the world of professional golf with interesting characters, nail-biting action on the course, and a nifty mystery. I really enjoyed the way golfer Austin tried to balance his family and his love for his sport, the way he saw the game as a practically zen experience, and the interaction among the golfers, and between golfers and the rest of the world.

You don't need to be a golfer to enjoy OUT OF BOUNDS or the other books in the Jack Austin mystery series, but I suspect that serious golfers will take even more out of this story than will duffers like myself.

Four Stars

Reviewed 3/18/07

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