Review on Discover the Haunting Tale in Calico Joe: A Captivating Novel by Rose Sanchez

John Grisham is best known for his usually legal thrillers, but he has also authored many books outside of that perimeter, including The Painted House and a very strong non-fiction book titled "An Innocent Man" which explores the injustice of the death penalty and the corrupting world around it. He's reviving the old days of professional baseball with "Calico Joe," which gets more interesting since his timeframe in 1973 coincides with my childhood interest in a once-cool game before massive deals and team loyalty completely disappeared. ruined my game. "Calico Joe" is one Joe Castle, a young ballplayer from the small town of Calico Rock, Arkansas, who briefly sets the game on fire with a phenomenal hit with the Chicago Cubs, until a horrific incident occurs. Grisham takes great pride in his descriptive work and appears to have visited Calico Rock. I've been from Arkansas since I was 12 or 40 at least, so I know if he's done his homework or not. The city sits on a huge cliff above the White River, which is wide and deep at this point next to the navigable area. BNSF trains run along the banks of the river and the setting is truly idyllic. It's hard not to share plot points, but suffice it to say that the book is thoroughly believable. It's touching, sometimes brutal, and manages to transport the reader, albeit momentarily, to the glory years of baseball, to the era of the likes of Tom Seaver, Willie Stargell, Johnny Bench, Harmon Killebrew, and more. But it's the fictional part of the book, where the main characters step into the world of real players, that wins. Grisham has a soft side to his work and for my money Calico Joe could make a good movie. This is one of the best books I've read this summer.