Super Short Summary

In Dead in Center Field by Paul Engleman, private eye Mark Renzler is hired to investigate threats against a baseball player, Marvin Wallace, who is on track to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. Set against the backdrop of a fictional 1961 baseball season, Renzler uncovers a conspiracy involving the team’s owner, a psychopathic millionaire, and other nefarious characters while navigating blackmail, murder, and corruption. The novel sexualizes and objectifies women and uses homophobic language.