The body of the Masters rules committee chairman is found floating in the pond in front of the 12th green on the morning that Sam Skarda arrives at Augusta National Golf Club to play in his first Masters. Skarda, a 37-year-old police detective on medical leave from the Minneapolis police department, is an accomplished amateur golfer who won the U.S. Publinx and an invitation to play in the Masters while rehabbing a shooting injury suffered on the job.

Evidence left at the crime scene suggests the murder might have been tied to the ongoing protest by a women's group that has been demanding that the club admit women members. Then a crusading New York Times columnist is murdered on the grounds of the club two days later. Local police suspect the murders might have been committed by a member and begin pressuring the new Augusta National president for access to the club's membership information.

The club chairman asks Skarda for help finding the killer before the police thoroughly invade Augusta National's legendary privacy. Skarda looks for answers from members, veteran journalists, longtime caddies and ex-employees who may know why someone is determined to bring this year's Masters to a halt.

He also falls for Caroline Rockingham, the soon-to-be ex-wife of one of the pre-tournament favorites, a former college golf teammate of Skarda's. Sam and Caroline themselves become targets as the murders continue and pressure to cancel the tournament builds. Meanwhile, the killer methodically prepares for a spectacular and deadly Sunday climax.

Reviews

"Shefchik…takes his share of shots at the green-jacketed elite who run the Masters, but he makes a game attempt at realism, both in his portrayal of the tournament itself and in his premise: a Minneapolis cop, on medical leave, wins the U.S. Publinx Championship and qualifies for the Masters...Shefchik combines a surprisingly grisly plot and a convincing villain with plenty of more or less realistic golf action…this one makes the cut. Entertaining…" --Booklist

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"...tightly written with believable characters...The plot moves at a good pace, keeping the reader turning pages...Interesting behind the scenes events will please anyone who has ever watched the Masters or who is a golf buff…The chase ends with a dramatic touch – almost too soon. I wanted more." -- Mary Ann Smyth, Bookloons.com

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"from start to finish…a winner in every sense of the word...a great read and an engaging story all wrapped up in one." Susan Pettrone, Readerviews.com

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"Multiple murders at the Masters golf tournament, in sportswriter Shefchik's fiction debut.

Now that he's won the amateur US Publinx tournament, retired Minnesota police detective Sam Skarda excitedly prepares to compete in the Masters. Meanwhile, angry Lee Doggett is released from the Georgia State Penitentiary with a clear purpose: to exact revenge on his father and on the men who he thinks helped put him away. Decades ago, Doggett's mother, Laverne, a maid, was coerced into sex by wealthy Ralph Stanwick, who's never owned up to paternity. As media director at Augusta National, Stanwick could easily have planted drugs in Doggett's golf bag. Eight years of incarceration have done nothing but harden Doggett, who quickly makes his way to the course and murders Stanwick -- or so he thinks. The next morning, TV reports revealing the victim was actually Harmon Ashby, another club official, send Doggett into a rage. As he hatches further plans, the tournament tees off, with all its excitement and controversy. The latter comes in the form of feminist demonstrations, sympathetically covered by New York Times columnist Deborah Scanlon, who becomes one of several victims of Doggett's scorched-earth vengeance. Tournament director David Porter hires Sam to find the killer at the risk of spoiling his lifelong dream.

The straight-ahead crime plot works best as a MacGuffin for a fact-packed roman   clef about a singular American institution." --Kirkus Reviews