Dangerous Play
“The thrill of victory to the agony of defeat,” the line was Howard Cosell’s, the famous sports commentator from the 1950s until the 1980s, but it might as well have been Kate Green’s, the fictitious sports reporter in DANGEROUS PLAY, the second in the Kate Green series by Elise Hart Kipness.
Kate, a former Olympic Soccer player, is on her home turf, covering the US Women’s Soccer Team during a New York City Olympics as it tries to make a comeback and win the Gold. Kate is looking to make her own comeback after a viral video imperiled her career and the hunt for a killer too close to home nearly cost her everything.
But the team has been dogged by drama this year, with a controversial player, Quinn, who keeps making waves. And Kate has her own drama brewing below the surface as well. Her former teammate, and biggest rival, Savannah Baker is coaching the team.
As if this weren’t enough, Kate stumbles across Savannah and the controversial player who have just discovered a body in the ice baths of the team locker room after a very satisfying win. And the body is that of another former teammate.
Kate immediately turns to her estranged father, Liam, and the two form an uneasy alliance in the search for the murderer. In the process, Kate has to face some demons from her past. But Liam has some secrets too, which Kate is determined to uncover, despite multiple warnings to leave the past alone.
Kipness brings her knowledge of sports broadcasting to this tightly-plotted and atmospheric thriller, by turns evoking the high-stakes stress of Olympic try-outs to the high-spirited exultation of a win on the world stage; from the opulence of a Yankee Stadium private box to the grittiness of the streets of Queens. This is a wildly entertaining thriller that sticks its landing. I can’t wait to read the next in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas &Mercer for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.