TITANS

Former pro-football player Green (Ruffians, 1993) fumbles his way through a second attempt at a suspense novel. The star quarterback of last year's Super Bowlwinning New York Titans, Hunter Logan is a nice guy who can be counted on by his teammates and family. What makes this dependable, straight guy place an illegal $10,000 basketball bet is a mystery (Green is apparently trying, implausibly, to create a situation from which it seems impossible for the hero to escape), but this indiscretion is documented by mobster Tony Rizzo, who has been dating the daughter of the Titans' owner in order to gain an inside edge in gambling. Tony plans to use Hunter in a point-shaving scheme that could net the mobster millions and gain him the coveted rank of godfather, now held by his uncle, Vinny Mondolffi. Tony is closely followed by FBI agent Ellis Cook, who could have implicated the Mondolffi family in a mob murder early in the book had he not blown it by flashing his badge and making himself so conspicuous that you wonder how such a dim-witted fellow made it through FBI training camp. When Hunter is trapped by Tony's threats against his wife and child, Ellis makes contact with him. Together they plot to bring down Tony, but their progress is impeded by an agent who is so obviously a rat for the mob that he might as well have been introduced as such in his first appearance. Other would-be surprises are similarly spoiled by Green's awkward use of foreshadowing, in which future elements are indicated as if with a neon sign. This is not so much a copycat of books in this genre as it is a regurgitation of commercial movies. Except for the inside look at pre-season training and pre-game breakfasts, we've seen it all before. A poor effort with yawn-inducing results.