WINTER GAMES

Pray that your son never learns to play basketball as well as phenom Rytis Buzelis (dinky Shelter Island High School, by way of Lithuania and Manhattan). If he does, he'll be hounded by coaches from every corner of the country, seduced by promoters dangling million-dollar endorsement contracts under his nose, and maybe even sold out by members of his own loving family. In Rytis's case, the cross-plotting explodes in murder, as political reporter Bobby Kelleher (Running Mates, 1992), in full flight from the Washington Herald, finds when he discovers the body of his old buddy Scott Harrison, now assistant coach at Minnesota State, dead in his car outside a big Shelter Island game. Was Harrison killed by Brickley Shoes bagman Miles Akley, determined to deliver Rytis to Louisiana State in return for a fat postgraduate contract? Was loudmouthed TV sportscaster Nick Angellini going the extra mile for his alma mater NYU? Was Rytis being set up by his ambitious model sister, Nikki? Or was Harrison killed by somebody who knew he planned to grab Rytis and jump ship from Minnesota State? Sportswriter Feinstein (A Good Walk Spoiled, p. 439, etc.) never provides answers as good as his questions; but the savory basketball background, on and off the court, and a bittersweet final twist make this a game you won't want to miss.