Appearing as the baseball season swings into high gear, W.P. Kinsella's 24th book Magic Time (Doubleday $16.95) has already been optioned by producer Barry Levinson. College all-star Mike Houle is in his junior year when he turns down a fourth-round Montreal Expos draft offer at the urging of his father to finish his business degree. His chances of being drafted again dry up in his final year when his average falls from .331 to .270, his stolen bases go from 45 to 19 and he is caught stealing nine times. So when Mike's agent calls with an offer to play in the Cornbelt League of Iowa, he takes it - along with a pitiful salary, a day job and a room with a local family. As a choke-ridden second baseman, Mike falls for the charms of Tracy Ellen Powell. Everything is going his way until he begins to suspect baseball isn't the only game being played in Grand Mount, Iowa. 0-385-25767-8

[BCBW AUTUMN 1999]