Safe On Third

1940 was a tumultuous year. The war was on in Europe and the Presidential race in the United States was anything but a foregone conclusion. Zorensky plops his characters right into the thick of things and knocks it out of the park with a painstakingly researched historical thriller.

Alfred Charles Percival Brown is a sports writer with a following who has seen better days when he is offered the chance to do his part by spying for his homeland, Britain. He may have been in the United States since 1910, and fallen in love with baseball, but when his country calls he doesn’t fail to heed or to turn down the extra income.

Elsa is a beautiful German-American with a special skill set that the Brits want to put to good use and a fierce need to fight back against the Nazis. She cozies up to Karl Mueller, a Nazi spy determined to do anything to keep the U.S. out of the war, including assassinating President Roosevelt if he gets the chance. Can Elsa weasel her way into finding out his true plans? Can Percy keep both he and Elsa alive until the last batter is called out?

Their stories are intermixed with cameos from from baseball’s heroes, real political figures, and real events of the 1940s. That is what makes Safe on Third stand out from most historical fiction; Zorensky molds his characters and his story to fit history’s real events as opposed to changing the facts to mesh with his storyline and star players. Thrilling until the last page, Safe on Third will leave you singing “God Bless America” and looking for more from the author.