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2.5 AVERAGE
2.5 AVERAGE
You don’t see many bowling novels these days. As a former bowler (220 average, thank you), I was interested to see how Andy Straka would handle a mystery amid a bowling-themed setting. While all the pieces were there, in my opinion, Straka comes up just short. The novel’s concept is solid. The writing is precise and engaging. The faith element is prevalent but proper to the context. Maybe it’s just that I think cozy mysteries are just too simplistic, but it felt like Straka had a great setup and then didn’t do much with it. Split City makes a Hallmark movie look action-packed. The story proceeds down exactly one plot line. Things happen because they happen and they get resolved all too easily and quickly. Most disappointingly, despite the opportunity for heavy theming and glorious kitsch, bowling is pretty ancillary to the plot.