A local basketball star in a small Ohio town tries to remake his life in middle age, but instead must confront a murderer and the prospect of leaving his hometown and giving up everything that once gave his life meaning.
Nicholas “Duke” Ducheski is the most important man in the eastern Ohio steel town of Mingo Junction. Nearly two decades after he made the winning shot in the state championship basketball game, he remains much adored and the focal point of community pride. Hardly a day passes when someone doesn’t want to talk about “the game.” Now approaching forty, Duke no longer wants to be defined solely by something he did when he was eighteen. So he decides to parlay his local popularity into a successful restaurant—“Duke’s Place.” But no sooner does he get his restaurant up and running than disaster strikes.
“Little Tony” DeMarco, Duke’s brother-in-law and a known mob enforcer, comes into the restaurant and murders Duke’s oldest friend. Now Duke faces the hardest decision of his life. DeMarco thinks he’s untouchable, but Duke discovers a way to take him down, along with his mob superiors. To do so, however, means leaving Mingo Junction and sacrificing his treasured identity as the town legend. And if he follows through, what will remain of his life?
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“[This] study of a likably mediocre small-town hero out beyond his depth…gradually catches fire as his peril becomes more urgent and the stakes ever higher.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Outstanding…Yocum has crafted a harrowing yet touching story about friendship, loyalty, and doing what is right no matter the cost.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Robin Yocum is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including A Brilliant Death, which was a finalist for the 2017 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, among other awards. He is well known for his work as a crime and investigative reporter with the Columbus Dispatch from 1980 to 1991, during which he received more than thirty local, state, and national journalism awards in categories ranging from investigative reporting to feature writing. He is the president of Yocum Communications, a public relations and marketing firm in Westerville, Ohio.
Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star." He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.