Center for Teaching & Learning

John Feinstein’s sport mystery series—consisting so far of The Last Shot, Vanishing Act, Cover Up, and Change Up—follows Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in a tradition of light-hearted mysteries, with young detectives you can’t help but root for. But Feinstein gives his a fresh twist—his main characters are young sports writers who have a knack for uncovering major scandals.  It’s a fast, fun series for the investigator in all of us.
The heart of the series is the young detective team of Stevie and Susan Carol. Stevie is an earnest, bumbling, basketball lover.  He’s a funny narrator but two-dimensional and lacking in deep emotion.  Susan Carol is a suave, smart, Southern belle and is obviously the brains of the operation.  They work perfectly together and balance each other out.  I doubt the novels would work with different main characters or with either on his or her own.
This series show the inner workings of sports reporting.  John Feinstein packs them with reporting lingo, like spadework and credentials, and characters who are everything from radio hosts to talking heads.  These books were obviously written by a sports reporter that knows his stuff.  Even I, not a huge sports fan, was enthralled by the hidden side of sports writing and reporting.  The details and characters give insight into that world.  If you’re interested in sports or reporting, these are a must read for you.
The books are all fast paced, with twists and turns and lots of dialogue— perhaps too fast.  The breakneck speed doesn’t leave any time for emotion.  Feinstein attempts to make his characters real by throwing in crushes, jealousy, and young love, but this only adds to their cheesiness.  It’s definitely not a series aimed to readers looking for depth.
The Last Shot, Vanishing Act, Cover Up, and Change Up are perfect lazy Saturday reads.  If you’re a sport lover, mystery lover, or just looking for a fun read, you won’t be disappointed.
Tess