Last Shot by John Feinstein

Title: Last Shot (Book 1: A Final Four Mystery)
Author: John Feinstein
Pages: 272
Publication: Yearling
Publication Date: June 27, 2006

March Madness.
The Final Four.
Courtside Seats.

For basketball fiend Steven Thomas, it's like a dream come true. He won a writing contest and now here he is in the New Orleans, wearing a press pass around his neck, covering the biggest weekend in college sports.

But the dream takes an ugly twist when Steven and his fellow winner, Susan Carol, are nosing around the Superdome and overhear a coach telling MSU's start point guard he'd better lose the final game...or else. Blackmail? As fans, they are repulsed. As reporters, they are riveted.

Of course, this is a story no one wants them to pursue. The more questions they ask about who might want MSU to lose and why, the fewer real answers they get. Now they have two days---just forty-eight hours---before the tip-off of the final game to uncover the truth. And it's a truth that will cut deeper into the heart of college athletics than they could ever have imagined.

March Madness is right!

Last Shot is one of the most exciting and climactic books I've read. I picked up this book, solely on the blurb. One word to describe it is cliff-hanging (it's an actual word...looked it up myself!). It revealed just enough so that the reader would be excited to read it.

Even though I'm not that big of a sports fan, I still understood everything clearly. It was apparent that Feinstein did his homework. I actually learned a lot of basketball history here and how the sports mecca really works. Lots of politics and influence are incorporated into the game. It isn't just purely based on talent.

The best part however, was the mood in the book. Everything was intense, impelling, and intriguing (Three I's---yay!). Feinstein was able to depict everything vividly without it being boring. Clues were found in the most unexpected of places. I was more aware and kept my eyes open for more possible leads. I was itching to know who was to be trusted and who truly was the one, responsible for everything. It was like a dominoe effect. If one person falls, everyone else has to, too.

The execution of the plot was impressive, and seemingly effortless. There were so many things going on, but not once did I get confused. There were no plot holes and everything fit perfectly like a puzzle. Everything was epitomized immaculately in the end.

The Bottom Line: You should read this book! It's original and exciting with a little bit of comedy thrown in. It's like a breath of fresh air...different and thrilling!

---Report Card---
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Theme: 8/10
Imagery: 9.5/10
Setting: 3.5/5
Voice: 4.5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 8/10
Total Score: 91.5/100 (A)