To say that veteran sports broadcaster and journalist Peter Meares’ first novel, Long Shot, gets along at a rattling pace is to vastly undersell it.
Consider the following: black South African batting prodigy Winston Olonga is at the crease at the Sydney Cricket Ground, needing three runs for his maiden century while South Africa need just 45, with three wickets in hand, to win the test match outright.
“As long as Winston Olonga stays at the crease, South Africa should cruise home,” says commentator Lucas Fox, dropping his voice back to a whisper to turn up the tension.
“Now Olonga settles over his bat. A glance around the field… But wait…he’s collapsed! Olonga has fallen on his stumps! My God…he hasn’t moved a muscle. Something’s dreadfully wrong. Oh my God, this isn’t possible. Olonga has blood all over his face. I think he’s been shot!”
Dead as a dodo in fact, and that’s just page one!
In no time at all we’ll discover that the late young Winston not only knew how to wield the willow but could bowl the ladies over too, having impregnated beautiful young Australian sports reporter Melody Carter, and that Indian cricket boss and high stakes gambler Buddi Kunderan is also a paedophile who, in order to protect his reputation, has arranged the batsman’s assassination by a hitman.
Plenty to be going on with here for cricket commentator Fox, who also doubles as a private eye, and Mearesy is only getting started!
Far fetched? Yes, of course.
A ripping holiday read, especially for the cricket tragics? Hell yeah! I’ve made my Christmas stocking order.
And speaking of far-fetched, the hero of this writer’s one and only novel was a coke-snorting Australian marathon runner having a wild affair with the beautiful daughter of Australia’s biggest media baron, who is not happy.
On his way to winning gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Deet is shot dead as he runs the final metres into the Coliseum, thought to be the work of a hitman.
My bloke survived until the last page, but when it comes to far-fetched, I know of what I speak.
And while my publisher missed his mark and published the book after the ’84 Olympics, Peter’s are rushing his out with perfect timing for the white ball holiday madness.
Coolum-based Peter Meares will be a familiar face to many readers following a long and illustrious 50-year career in radio and TV, where his first highlight came as ABC sport anchor at the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games.
He later spent many years with the Seven network and finished off his broadcasting career as a freelancer for pay TV networks. But Peter has also spent the past 20 years building a reputation as the author of some fine sports books, including the best-selling Tracey Wickham biography, Treading Water.
Not to mention the fact that he is also a much-in-demand celebrity speaker.
Long Shot, published by Austin Macaulay, is his first crack at fiction and, not surprisingly, he draws on his vast experience of cricket, from being a first grade player until he retired at 22 to become a broadcaster, where he spent many years in the commentary booth with the giants of the game.
In fact, the novel’s hero Lucas Fox has a not dissimilar background.
The book was launched by iconic sports commentator Gordon Bray at the Noosa Rugby Union Club this week, and is available through Dymocks and online through Amazon.
