As an old school guy, there is nothing more enjoyable than reading a well-written, good book.
A page-turner that keeps you wondering what’s coming next.
While I appreciate the non-fiction works where you learn so much, I’ve always leaned to fiction, which is more of an escape than anything else.
In particular, mystery, suspense, spy and detective novels which I’ve read for a good part of my life.
To tell the truth, I’ve always preferred the written word over the motion picture, where imagination takes over.
I like them both, but somehow, the book version usually tops the movie treatment of a story and its characters.
In pinpointing the beginnings of my love for these books and their stories, I go back to my days broadcasting the Red Sox games.
Mike Lupica, who is still a renowned sports columnist with the New York Daily News, began as a sports writer, and has written several novels himself, introduced me to Robert B. Parker, famed creator of the private detective, Spenser, which he featured in his more than 40 novels, and was the subject of a television series, Spenser: For Hire, in the mid 80’s.
Parker was a Bostonian through and through, including his accent, and was a frequent luncheon companion during my time in Boston.
He was also an avid baseball follower, who knew the game’s history, so Parker was an easy guy to talk with on several counts.
I was hooked on diving into the latest book involving the topics I cherished, and never was at a loss to find the next one to read.
That is, until I was looking for a novel that was similar to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, written in 1950, which told the story of a fictional mutiny aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer during World War II.
The book was made into a film in 1954, starring Humphrey Bogart and was distinguished enough to earn several Academy Award nominations.
I happened to be in at the airport in St.Louis, on the way to San Francisco for the third game of the 1987 National League Championship Series.
Johnny Bench and I were broadcasting the series on CBS Radio, and Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola were the NBC voices on the national network telecasts.
I ran into Scully, who became a friend of mine, an asked Vin, a voracious reader himself, if he could recommend a more current novel dealing with a similar Caine Mutiny-type court martial story.
Vin replied, in that incredibly melodious tone he possessed, “Yes I can. It’s called Word of Honor. By DeMille. As in the movies. DeMille.”
If you’ve ever heard Vin Scully broadcast a Dodger game, just close your eyes and imagine how he said those words.
As if he were saying, “the Dodgers lead the Cubs, 4-3, as we move to the bottom of the fifth inning.”
So, I picked up Word of Honor by Nelson DeMille, and was treated to an enthralling story.
Fast-forward to recent times, and my friendship with another brilliant author, Michael Connelly.
Connelly has 31 bestsellers, with over 74 million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into 40 languages.
For those who may not be familiar with the name, Connelly created LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, who was the celebrated star of a television series which had a successful run.
Michael also introduced Mickey Halley, the Lincoln Lawyer which was made into a film, starring Matthew McConaughey and is now a streaming TV series with a different lead man.
I had read Connelly’s novels almost from the beginning, and was introduced to him several years ago by my statistician on Fox NFL broadcasts.
Connelly began as a crime beat writer in Daytona Beach, FL, and moved on to the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel in 1981.
He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his work on interviewing the survivors of a plane crash in 1985, and that honor brought him to the Los Angeles Times as a crime reporter.
He began writing novels, using the treasure trove of information and ideas gleaned from covering crime and getting to know the police on an up-close-and-personal fashion.
Mike lives in Tampa as well as in Los Angeles, and when I covered Buccaneers games, I invited him to the booth where we worked.
I decided I would work his latest book title into my broadcast and it made for an amusing experience.
For example, his 2011 offering, Fifth Witness, would come out this way:
“….here comes the red flag and the head coach is appealing the ruling on the field. So, the referee will go to the sidelines and look at the play. He’s like the Fifth Witness right now.”
Connelly would howl, and while a lot of his book references were a stretch, to say the least, it was fun.
Try working these novels into a football game: The Scarecrow, Angle of Investigation, Echo Park, and Nine Dragons?
But we gave it a shot.
Connelly also loved to play golf.
Neither one of us are really proficient, but we promised we would get together at some time.
That time came recently at my Member-Guest tournament where I play, and Mike accepted my invitation.
We never bothered to warm-up, or putt prior to playing, but we had a wonderful talk about journalism and writing.
I learned that it was more than a decade ago, while attending a game at Dodgers Stadium, he asked an attorney where his office was located.
He told Connelly that he worked out of his car.
Bingo? The character for the Lincoln Lawyer was born.
He remains one of the executive producers for the Lincoln Lawyer series and still writes the screenplays for several episodes.
While he is starting to slow down, he knows he still loves to write.
His next novel, Resurrection Walk, involving both Bosch and the Mickey Heller, will be released early November.
I asked him about it, and he told me it wasn’t finished.
It’s due to be sent to the publisher in May.
It is fascinating to talk with a man who has produced so many best-selling novels, coming up with fresh ideas each time.
What really impresses me about Michael Connelly, is his low-key, humble style. Not as a writer, but as a person.
He won’t talk about himself unless you ask.
My search for the next great detective, spy, and mystery novel is a never-ending mission.
I have been privileged to read the works of so many good authors.
And more of a privilege to get to know Robert B. Parker early on, and Michael Connelly now.
It’s one of my life’s wonderful highlights.