The Red Zone

When Luther Zorn, linebacker of the Marauders football team, becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the team's owner, he hires defense attorney Madison McCall to prove his innocence, but the case soon evolves into a terrifying, high-stakes conspiracy, in a mystery set in the colorful world of the NFL

A new publisher, a new title (this book was reviewed as Marauders in PW on Mar. 3, 1997, but was never issued) and an alleged rewrite are among the alterations in Green's latest sports-based suspense title. And, while the action still clips along at a sprightly pace, Green fails to improve the by-the-numbers resolution that originally plagued this story about a lethal NFL linebacker who goes on a killing spree. Florida Marauders star Luther Zorn becomes a prospective client for attorney Madison McCall (first introduced in Green's Outlaws) when McCall's boss forces her into the role of sports agent. But Zorn goes from starter to suspect when team owner Evan Chase is killed in a suspicious swimming accident, and McCall quickly finds herself defending a client who faces a pileup of damning evidence, including his affair with Chase's wife, a parking ticket that places him at the scene of the crime and some incriminating scuba gear that the police discover at his girlfriend's house. McCall calls on her partner to investigate the case, and he digs up several clues hinting at a conspiracy involving moneyed interests and a corrupt cop. An attempt to arrest Zorn leads to an extended chase after the linebacker kidnaps McCall and holds her hostage, with the body count mounting as Zorn races toward a confrontation with a pivotal figure from his past. Green's strength is his ability to write action scenes that effectively present the intricacies of pro football, and McCall delivers another winning performance despite a rather generic supporting cast. But the cardboard bogeyman who surfaces in the climax remains just as ludicrous this time around as Green fumbles away his second chance to fix a formulaic ending.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Once again, ex-Atlanta Falcon Green (Marauders, LJ 4/1/97) tells a compelling story about football, greed, and violent men. Linebacker Luther Zorn is a dangerous man, always on the edge of rage. When his team's owner, with whose wife he has been having an affair, is murdered, he's a natural suspect. But some of the evidence is clearly planted, and his reluctant lawyer, Madison McCall, though not entirely convinced of his innocence, investigates, in turn becoming a target for a crazed killer. The characters are well drawn: Luther, lured into a trap and striking out, and Madison, who can't take any case without doing it right, as obsessed with winning as Luther. This is an exciting story, well told, violent, and true to the game it centers around. Public libraries will want it.
-?Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, IA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.