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Break Point
With his rivals on the court--and in affairs of the heart--becoming younger every year, American tennis hero Koras Belynkas finds himself the target of a killer stalking tennis's top players
360 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Ilie Nastase
5 booksIlie Năstase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 16, 2015
I expected this to be a so-bad-it's-good or so-bad-it's-just-painful, but instead it was just suspenseful, delicious fun!
I usually can't get into mysteries and thrillers because the cliches of the genre turn me off (and the thing that kept this book from being five stars was some overused tropes and turns of phrase). But I honestly liked the writing and found it to be quite a page turner--it was like reading a dishy Michael Crichton novel about the jet-set crowd.
I'm sure it helps if you're a tennis fan (there's a lot of tennis history and insider insights) and I've no doubt that some of the characters are thinly veiled versions of real people in the tennis world. That said, there wasn't much in the way of descriptions of tennis matches in the book, so I think you could enjoy this without knowing much about the sport.
Most of all, I wonder: Did Ilie Nastase (a.k.a. "Nasty" Nastase) really write this himself (i.e., without a ghostwriter)? I'm just saying, there aren't a whole lot of sports stars who write novels, so if he did write it on his own I'd be impressed!
I usually can't get into mysteries and thrillers because the cliches of the genre turn me off (and the thing that kept this book from being five stars was some overused tropes and turns of phrase). But I honestly liked the writing and found it to be quite a page turner--it was like reading a dishy Michael Crichton novel about the jet-set crowd.
I'm sure it helps if you're a tennis fan (there's a lot of tennis history and insider insights) and I've no doubt that some of the characters are thinly veiled versions of real people in the tennis world. That said, there wasn't much in the way of descriptions of tennis matches in the book, so I think you could enjoy this without knowing much about the sport.
Most of all, I wonder: Did Ilie Nastase (a.k.a. "Nasty" Nastase) really write this himself (i.e., without a ghostwriter)? I'm just saying, there aren't a whole lot of sports stars who write novels, so if he did write it on his own I'd be impressed!
June 16, 2021
The world of professional tennis brought to life with suspense and murder. The rich, famous and sexually alluring . . . Some characters youll love and some you'll love to hate. Being a non-tennis player some of the intricacies of the game were beyond me, but i enjoyed the book - the June selection for my Mystery Book Club.
September 24, 2024
Ilie Nastase aurait du se limiter au tennis. L’écriture : Bof !
October 10, 2014
Ilie Năstase's real offering in Break Point is his intimate knowledge of the pro tennis circuit, especially at the honored elite arena of European jet-setters.
The flavor of the prose is derived from a first-hand exposure to competitive-level tennis and this gives the book its appeal, even though the heart of the tale is a murder mystery.
Năstase is a rare and genuine talent and his ability to create tension is lacking in many respects even though he supplants a polished awareness of class bias to create distance. Ultimately the murder at the center of the plot is more dark humor than graphic or grisly act, and this serves to add to the humor of the book as a whole.
The other interesting thing in the book is how each character represents real-life tennis stars Ilie Năstase actually knew, and figuring these personalities out is part of the fun.
The flavor of the prose is derived from a first-hand exposure to competitive-level tennis and this gives the book its appeal, even though the heart of the tale is a murder mystery.
Năstase is a rare and genuine talent and his ability to create tension is lacking in many respects even though he supplants a polished awareness of class bias to create distance. Ultimately the murder at the center of the plot is more dark humor than graphic or grisly act, and this serves to add to the humor of the book as a whole.
The other interesting thing in the book is how each character represents real-life tennis stars Ilie Năstase actually knew, and figuring these personalities out is part of the fun.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews