Deal breaker

The tone of this book (and maybe series) seems to be caught just a bit between a more light-hearted, grounded sports drama and the dark, twisty thrillers that the writer is most known for. As a sports story, the elements, structure, and characters work okay, if not a bit cliche (even for 1995 New Jersey). But one might struggle with the bravado of the main character, which could make him a tad unrelable even when doing good-hearted things throughout the unfolding. As for the missing woman throughline, the hybrid tone makes this feel like more like mystery (still with a surprising ending and dark elements) than a consistently dark, haunting thriller one might expect from the author.