Gooooooal – Soccer/Football Fiction

With the Start of the 2010 Fifa World Cup today, there is a huge amount of media coverage focusing on soccer. It definitely seems to me that this tournament is exciting a lot more people than did any previous World Cup.

If you are interested in combining an interest in “the beautiful game” with your leisure reading, here are a few titles to get the ball rolling:

Beneath the Bleeding, by Val McDermid (2008)

A tension filled crime story that will keep readers on edge. Stadium bomb blasts and the murder of a star player set the tone for this fast paced mystery. Well developed characters and inventive plotlines keep fans of the Tony Hill series coming back for more. For readers who want to start at the beginning of the series: The Mermaids Singing.

Pitch Black, by Alex Gray (2008)

Book five in the Inspector Lorimer series find the Glasgow inspector embroiled in a rash of homicides of star soccer players. Author Alex Gray is oft described as a “Scottish Ian Rankin”, which is high praise indeed.

The Damned Utd, by David Peace (ebook) (2006)

A fictional account of real life Football manager Brian Clough, whose infamous short tenure as Manager of Leeds United provides the setting for this innovative novel. A sensitive topic for many English football fans, the book has been both praised and reviled for it’s speculations, but almost all of the critics have recognized the outstanding literary merit of Peace’s writing.

Exposure, by Mal Peet (2009)

Although aimed at teens, this award winning novel will appeal to some adult readers as well. A plot based on the themes of Othello, tells the story of a famous soccer player who seemingly is in full control of his perfect life. A beautiful wife, wealth, celebrity… what more could he need? Teens may miss the parallels with Shakespeare but may note the similarities to the lives of Posh and Beckham.

Red Card, by Mel Stein (1996)

“At the first U.S.-hosted World Cup, a package is delivered to German team manager Jens Steiner. Inside, Steiner finds one red and two yellow cards. Hours later, two of the team’s hottest players are killed. Steiner realizes that in soccer the cards represent a dangerous foul in which the player is ousted from the game. Ejected players cannot be replaced–neither can dead ones” ~ summary