VANISHING ACT

Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are back. Having foiled a plot at the NCAA Final Four tournament in Last Shot (2005), they are in New York City for the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and once again there’s trouble. Rising superstar Nadia Symanova disappears, setting off a media frenzy and embroiling the young reporters in a conspiracy involving two kidnappings, a mugging, the FBI, ruined reputations and a bit of romance. The story puts readers behind the scenes, rubbing shoulders with celebrity tennis greats and popular television journalists. Veteran sportswriter Feinstein serves a winner here, deftly blending sports, mystery and social commentary. The prose is taut, the dialogue snappy, and layers of intrigue are laid down like expert drop shots. The mystery will hold readers to the very end, culminating in an exciting match and surprise arrests. A natural pairing with Mike Lupica’s Travel Team (2004) and Heat (April 2006). (Fiction. 10+)