Game 7: Dead Ball

Secrets, lies, and revenge provide the sparks that ignite a fiery collision between past and present...A puzzle takes shape as baseball’s World Series unfolds, but the pieces don’t fit: a string of missing women, strange threats, gambling problems, kidnappings, and relationships long dormant are all somehow connected, but Marshall Connors--major league umpire--may run out of time before he can solve the mystery.Marshall’s season has ended and he is looking forward to post-season plans that include time in Florida, first helping his mentor teach an umpire training class, followed by a lot of sun. Those plans are cut short when Marshall is given a surprise assignment to work the World Series as crew chief, but the real reason is not discovered until he is neck-deep in trouble.The sudden change in plans rekindles a relationship with the O’Hara family--Terry, major league pitcher and Game 1 starter in the Series, Michael, Terry’s father and former major leaguer, and Samantha, Terry’s mother and Michael’s ex-wife--but Marshall quickly realizes some things truly are better left alone.As the Series plays out, so does the truth behind long-buried O’Hara family secrets and Marshall is caught in a storm that threatens to destroy him and those he loves. With the help of his best friend, Thomas Hillsborough--ex-CIA spy--Marshall fights to solve the puzzle before the Series reaches its climax in GAME 7: DEAD BALL, the ultimate contest of survival.

Allen Schatz was born and raised and went to school through college in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He currently resides in southwest PA. Allen began writing after a 25-year career as an accountant/finance professional--he is still active as a self-employed consultant. In addition, he has been an amateur baseball umpire for close to 30 years, currently working high school and youth games. He is married and has two adult children. GAME 7: DEAD BALL is his debut fiction novel. Two sequels have been penned; the first is now available as an ebook (titled: 7th Inning Death).