Review of Catching The Deuce

[Aisha Yakub]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Catching The Deuce" by Norman Green.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Catching the Deuce by Norman Green is a fictional mystery. The book tells the story of Cheo, a 13-year-old boy who lives with his weak-hearted mother in Valentine, New York. He loves baseball, and Derek Jeter is his role model. Cheo is the best shooter and starter on his team.

There were several kinds of gangs on this street. After serving twelve and a half years in jail, Pelios, a man suspected of killing Gaitanis, was released. Gaitanis was an elderly man who was quite wealthy and was thought to have stored a sizable sum of cash. Pelios came under the spotlight after his release. The police believed he knew where the money was stacked. Later, he got to know Cheo, also known as "Lefty". Pelios gave Cheo a job he wanted to take on. After Cheo met Pelios, this relationship caused the police into keeping an eye on Cheo. Along the way, Cheo finally learns that Pelios has set him up. Not knowing whom to trust and who not to trust, he tried to survive on the streets.

The plot was quite interesting. The scenery complemented the book's concept. The context for playing baseball was well-developed. Things got interesting from the third chapter of the book. The character development of the major characters in this book was commendable. Dzekas, Cheo, and Pelios seemed to be very realistic. Dzekas, who was both a villain and a cleric, was very believable. His personality attracted me; he struck me as being logical and reasonable. The plot included some amusing sequences, particularly when Cheo and Pete fled from Glass.

One negative aspect of the book was its beginning chapters. The first and second chapters seemed to lack coherence. It was a bit difficult to monitor the dialogue between the characters. Though the major characters had proper development, I felt some other characters weren't well explored and lacked more information. There were times when the book became too predictable. Also, I felt some chapters lacked depth. More suspense and tension would have been appreciated. The action scenes didn't cause as much excitement as I thought they should have. Finally, the end of the story left me with unanswered questions.

This book was perfectly edited; I didn't encounter any errors. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I deducted two stars because of the negative aspects I encountered. This book holds a lot of promise, but the execution needs a bit more effort.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy mystery books. Readers who like New York events, particularly baseball game lovers, should enjoy reading this book. If you like gangster fantasy, this is a book for you.

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Catching The Deuce
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[Amy Luman]

I don’t really enjoy baseball, but that doesn't seem to be the major theme in this book. I do, however, like a good mystery and a character that realizes that they are being used with the ability to deal with it.

[Nut Cashew]

This fictional novel is interesting and lovers of mystery books would definitely enjoy reading it. Thank you for this wonderful review.

[Ram Uday Mahajan]

Great review! I enjoyed the interesting plot and well-developed major characters. The book's concept and baseball context were compelling. Although some chapters lacked depth and coherence, overall it was a captivating read.

[Odichimma Okoye]

Cheo's being set up by a criminal as cold-hearted as Pelios serves as a good base for the execution of a plot. I wonder how Cheo's mum would feel about it though, judging by the fact that she's weak-hearted. Did she survive long enough to witness her son being set up?