John Grisham's fans anticipate his ability to craft a veritable setting, compelling characters and engrossing plot, whether they're reading one of his signature legal thrillers or a novel like Skipping Christmas or A Painted House outside his usual literary milieu. Grisham has been waiting 20 years for a baseball story to inspire him--and Calico Joe was worth the wait.
Calico Joe is the story of two major league baseball players: Joe Castle, an exceptional rookie who inspires all who watch him play, and Warren Tracey, a violent alcoholic who never lived up to his potential and punishes those around him as a result. The story is told through Paul Tracey, who has the misfortune of being the son of the latter; his childhood is defined by these two men as he attempts to navigate his ambivalent feelings about his father and the sport of baseball. In classic Grisham fashion, the characters are unambiguously good or evil; however, the defining conflict of the novel is satisfactorily complex, forcing the reader to contemplate the unwritten codes of baseball and the power of redemption.
Calico Joe's structure alternates between the past, anticipating the moment Joe and Warren meet on the ball field, and the present, as Paul attempts to gain access to his former hero, gaining momentum and building suspense on each front. Grisham, a baseball fan himself, includes fast-paced, play-by-play action. Although Calico Joe is fictional, Grisham's use of real names from baseball's past creates an authentic atmosphere that will whet any fan's appetite. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics