Title: Reverse Swing
Author: Ron Prehn Palmer
Publisher: Xlibris
ISBN: 978-1796000764
Pages: 438
Genre: Fiction/Suspense/Thriller
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina

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Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Gambling can turn into a dangerous two-way street when you least expect it. Weird things happen suddenly, and your life can go all to pieces.” In author Ron Prehn Palmer’s book Reverse Swing, the life of an athlete takes a dramatic turn amidst the world that has seen criminal organizations take control of international gambling that has led to match fixing and major financial gains for the crime syndicates.

The book delves deep into the world of sports and gambling, and reimagines a future where organized crime and international gambling have taken a much more prominent position in the world stage. From the first page, readers are shown a world of backroom meetings between criminals and bookies, hitmen and assassins taking out players and seriously injuring others, and team owners reaching out to find those willing to fight to return their team to their rightful place on the eve of a major match.

The author does a great job of establishing early-on the stakes of the novel’s main conflict, highlighting the criminal element. In the book’s first chapter, readers already see the honest and natural way the characters communicate with one another, as in this particular dialogue, “It’s gone with the wind. I’d bet even Clark Gable would give a damn.” The characters feel relatable and the writing is both evenly paced and extremely detailed in its approach, showing the importance of organized sports to individual nations and the inner workings of team sports in general.

This is a book for anyone who enjoys organized sports, tales of gambling gone wrong, suspense thrillers and organized crime within the context of a narrative. As a fan of suspense thrillers, it was interesting to me how the author seamlessly integrated the setting of this sports-fueled world with the brutality and money-fueled nature of gambling on professional sporting events. As an American it was also interesting for me to see the importance and detailed analysis of the sports of other nations, such as Cricket, and how important it is to the people of those nations. As a sport many in the U.S. don’t know or understand, the author does a great job of painting a picture of the sport in reader’s minds, which only serves to highlight the importance and dangers faced on the gambling side of this sport.

Reverse Swing is story filled with competition, life within the confines of a sports team, backroom politics and organized crime; this is a unique and creative novel that drives the reader further and further into the narrative. Author Ron Prehn Palmer does a marvelous job of creating a tense atmosphere throughout the novel while also putting together a cast of characters worth investing in and an intriguing story readers won’t want to miss.