Blockade Billy by Stephen King

In 1957, William "Blockade Billy" Blakely was the best baseball player in the league, except he was erased from the records for his deadly secret.



Rating: Three Stars ***

Genre: Suspense - Thriller (Sports)

Summary: In the old times of baseball, William Blakely was signed up like players others were. When they needed someone to play the position, they sought the first person that looked like they were able. William Blakely signed up to play with the Titans and he was so good he broke every record in the league and was known to Iowa's fans as "Blockade Billy". His agreeable personality and talent at the plate made him an overnight star, except when the manager finds out that Billy's repetitive dialogue and his third person conversations to himself has other questioning his sanity. The murder of the real William Blakely and his family by this all-star intruder had him erased from the minds of fans and obliterated from baseball's history.

Evaluation: Stephen King is the interviewer for this story, and the third person narrative from the Titan's old baseball manager gives it such a realistic feel that it made me want to see if this William Blakely aka "Blockade Billy" was a real person. This is a great book for any fan of baseball, but even though I am not thrilled about the sport, I found myself in suspense to find why this character was wiped out from existence. Its a great escape into the old era of baseball and quick read for a pump of adrenaline.

Read-a-likes: Rum Point: A Baseball Novel by Rick Wilber
Bottom of the Ninth by Peter Spring
The New Paltz Outlaws: A story of sex, violence and baseball by Farrell Kaye