Rating: 
Summary: This is a Wonderful Book!!!!
Review: ... This is a delightful, charming, exciting, fun-filled book, just like all the others William Bernhardt (my favorite author) has written. Conner Cross is a refreshing change from the usual golf stuffed shirt, and Bernhardt's viewpoint--respectful, informative, but fun--is a pleasant alternative to the usual Bagger Vance-type "Golf Is My Life" attitude. Yes, Bernhardt takes some liberties; he admits this right up front in the Acknowledgments. I don't know why these people keep acting as if they've found some howling mistake, when the only things they mention as errors are the things Bernhardt alerted them to in the Acknowledgements! Nitpicking aside, the author has obviously researched his subject thoroughly; that becomes apparant in the first five pages. Most importantly, Bernhardt writes a dynamite mystery. If you have any doubts about the quality of this book, pick up a copy and read the three pages--THREE PAGES!!!--of glowing reviews at the front. All those reviewers loved this book, and so did I.
Rating: 
Summary: Actually the worst booh I have ever read
Review: As a fan of golf I was excited at the outline of this murder/mystery. That feeling quickly faded. The publishers should be embarrassed that this book made it onto the shelves. Was the technical advisor on vacation? Can any piece of [junk] be published? How can you take such a hallowed and historically well-documented event like the Masters and trivialize it with galling inaccuracies and even worse story line. The 17th hole is a par five?!..and with pot bunkers?! How the hell can the rest of the story be taken seriously? Please, PLEASE don't waste your time with this [junk]!...
Rating:
Summary: NOT WHAT THE MASTERS OR AUGUSTA IS LIKE-POOR ,POOR, POOR!
Review: As I am an avid mystery reader AND because I live in Augusta, I eagerly picked this book up at a local bookstore. I thought- "great- a mystery involving the National and the Master's- what a great idea!" I would think this club and tournament were RIPE for this type of story. My advice-- DONT BOTHER. If it is a plausible, realistically written story you want, especially one about golf, the Masters or the Augusta National, this will not fill the bill. If you don't live here or have never been to the Masters, you may think some decent research was done to ensure an authentic look at this event, city, or the Augusta National itself. I cringe to think of what people might believe about Augusta or the Masters tournament after reading this. Other than the chapter "beginners" with actual historical content, this book is so off base I could hardly keep reading. The set -up and the main character are so ridiculously improbable I could hardly finish the book. The plot only served the purpose to move the obnoxious main character along. The only kernel of truth or authentic atmosphere
is the fact that the main character, Connor would CERTAINLY be kicked out of this tournament and any other on the basis of his dress alone. He wouldn't make it past the front gates of the National and any other reputable club would ban him too. And I don't mean for a tournament. He would get NO second chances- in that the author came close to the truth. The National IS an incredibly secretive place but the characters from there came across like mobsters or thugs. Not the old, generally polite conservative gentlemen that they are. Not many Augustans are actually members though there are some. The author must NOT play golf or visit many clubs and the book is painful to read because of this. I couldn't even recognize the setting except in a few places. Eisenhower's tree and maybe the azaleas on Amen Corner- that's it. Even the clubhouse scenes fell flat and I could NOT believe it was the National. A good mystery has to convince with its atmosphere and details- this one just doesn't deliver and any Augustan would tell you the same. The Augusta National characters just were not believable and Augusta the city was hardly depicted. The wedding scene was horrible. The main character was so unlikable you didn't even care if he won, solved the case or got the girl. And believe me, the National itself would NEVER have the financial problems that sufficed as a sub-plot. Overall just a horrible book and I've liked this author's other works. The book offended me with its inaccuracies and poor grasp of the overall subject.
Rating:
Summary: Avoid This Book!!
Review: Author Bernhardt is one of my favorite writers when he is writing legal thrillers. In this novel, however, he is out of his millieu. The "hero" is a golfer/crime-solver. This character and others in the book are irritating. Bernhardt is no humorist and his attempts at humor are pathetic. This novel is so sophmoric that it is difficult to believe that the same man wrote this book AND his many other novels that I admire. Please, Mr Bernhardt, stick to what you're good at. This book is a disaster in so many ways that that this limited space is insufficient to innumerate.
Rating:
Summary: The Is An Out and Out Shank
Review: Dear oh dear! Where should I start?This is a murder mystery set at Augusta National during the week of The Masters. Now, for golf fans whose interest may have been piqued at the prospect of reading a book based around the most prestigious golf tournament in the world, be warned, the author has obviously never been to a golf tournament nor seen one on television. This book lacks one important aspect - credibility. When basing a story around a true-life event, it would pay to learn a little about the actual event, wouldn't you think? To even suggest that professional golfers sit around in the clubhouse after their round and wait for someone to post the scores on a noticeboard to see whether they've made the cut is absolutely ridiculous. And this didn't happen once but again, at the end of the tournament we were begged to believe that the tournament winner would be announced the same way. Aside from the laughable portrayal of the life of a professional golfer (a caddie berating the professional for his poor club selection!), the police dialogue contained every bad cliché ever included in a pulp magazine short story. The detective investigating the case was a normal police officer working a case until she came to arrest someone. For some reason she then turned into a bad parody of the tough policeman, trotting out cringe-worthy lines like, "Tell it to the judge" and calling the suspect, whom she had known for a day or so, a "perp" and a "dirt-bag". To top off what I honestly thought was a lousy story came a cartoon-style ending to finally catch the murderer. Really, it was Tom Cat chasing Jerry Mouse stuff and had my top lip involuntarily curling up in disgust.
Rating:
Summary: Golf rules and so does this book
Review: Death came so suddenley he didn't even have a chance to scream, All at once, the lights were out-as if someone had thrown a switch inside his brain. Blood and bits of flesh burst from the side of his head. He was dead before he hit the ground. The man standing over him had swung his golf clubin the darkness. This is one of the exiting part in Final Round. This is about a man named Conner Cross who tries to find out who killed his best friend John Mcree. As Coner looks he has been playing in the Masters Tournament at the Agusta National. He finds help along the way with his caddy Fitz and John Mcree's wife Jodie Mcree. This book is filled with mystery, and suspense throughout the whole book. Read more to find outwho the murderer is and how he does in the Masters Tornament.
I found this book very well written. I also reccomend this book for older youth and up and especially to people who love the game of golf. I also reccomend it because it is very easy to read and so is the style of writing. This book was a real page-turner, I could not stop reading it, and it talked about the men playing golf and choosing their clubsunlike other golf books do. This book was also filled with many suprises, when you thought who the murderer was it wasn't. The plot was un belivable to people who like golf, this is a book that you could read over and over again. The plot was just so easy to read and to understand. The plot also mixed mystery, suspense and the sport of golf into one and that's what made it such a great book.
Rating:
Summary: This is a Wonderful Book!!!!
Review: Final Round is a dreadful book - the author would have benefited from reading "Golf for Dummy's" prior to writing a single word. The story requires a casual knowledge of golf, the Master's tournament, and to some extent the mystery surrounding murder (it is, after all, a murder mystery). However, there is little knowledge in this book of any of these three points. For example a golf pro plays two rounds at the Masters and does not realize he's playing with another person's 9-iron, the player does not know whether to tee off with a 9 iron or a 3 wood (on a 400+ yard par 4), the player must decide to "lay up" on his drive on a par-4, and lateral water hazards are termed "water traps." There is also little knowledge of the Masters. For example the book assumes the tournament is all about money, which is ridiculous; see John Feinstein's "The Majors" where he states "the (National's) members would rather retain complete control over their tournament, over the telecast and ...their privacy than rake in more money." The Final Round's players also don't seem to know who's in the lead of the tournament at any given time and must wait until the tournament director posts the scores on a sheet of paper tacked up in the bar (which is apparently where the players spend nearly all their time between rounds). Unknown to the writer is the fact that the National installed Leader Boards in the late 1940's or that the tournament is broadcast on network TV (not just "closed circuit" as suggested in the book). Finally, the book should have some air of mystery in the murders that take place. The book jacket stated the murder weapon was a golf club (I'm not giving anything away here) but it was traced to the owner through its serial number. Hello, serial numbers? - it is a golf club, not a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum. Luckily I listened to this in book on tape format on a boring drive; don't waste precious brain cells on the print version.
Rating:
Summary: Water Trap of a Book
Review: Final Round is a dreadful book - the author would have benefited from reading "Golf for Dummy's" prior to writing a single word. The story requires a casual knowledge of golf, the Master's tournament, and to some extent the mystery surrounding murder (it is, after all, a murder mystery). However, there is little knowledge in this book of any of these three points. For example a golf pro plays two rounds at the Masters and does not realize he's playing with another person's 9-iron, the player does not know whether to tee off with a 9 iron or a 3 wood (on a 400+ yard par 4), the player must decide to "lay up" on his drive on a par-4, and lateral water hazards are termed "water traps." There is also little knowledge of the Masters. For example the book assumes the tournament is all about money, which is ridiculous; see John Feinstein's "The Majors" where he states "the (National's) members would rather retain complete control over their tournament, over the telecast and ...their privacy than rake in more money." The Final Round's players also don't seem to know who's in the lead of the tournament at any given time and must wait until the tournament director posts the scores on a sheet of paper tacked up in the bar (which is apparently where the players spend nearly all their time between rounds). Unknown to the writer is the fact that the National installed Leader Boards in the late 1940's or that the tournament is broadcast on network TV (not just "closed circuit" as suggested in the book). Finally, the book should have some air of mystery in the murders that take place. The book jacket stated the murder weapon was a golf club (I'm not giving anything away here) but it was traced to the owner through its serial number. Hello, serial numbers? - it is a golf club, not a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum. Luckily I listened to this in book on tape format on a boring drive; don't waste precious brain cells on the print version.
Rating:
Summary: DOUBLE BOGEY AT BEST
Review: Final Rounds was my first mystery in years. Being a golf addict, I was hoping this book could keep my interest. Final Rounds is a very easy read and the characters are clearly defined. Regretfully, Mr. Bernhardt resorted to old cliches with very little originality. The concept of the book is great. The lead character, Mr. Cross is predictable and its a real shame especially with his personality (big shot golfer, lots of talent, ladies man and etc.). The ending is totally unpredictable and had nothing to really do with the story. It's almost as if the last 60 pages were quickly written to end the nightmare. I really expected so much more and was very disappointed. The fact that I finished the more is more of an accomplishment than this literary work. Better luck next time!
Rating: 
Summary: Readable, but could have been better
Review: First off, I have to admit my relative ignorance of golf, so many of the golf terms Mr. Bernhardt messed up on went right over my head. Suffice it to say it was believable enough for someone who didn't know better--except for having to wait in the bar for the posting of the scores. In the electronic age, that was a howler. That and serial numbers on golf clubs. Wouldn't it have made more sense for golfers to simply have their initials engraved on the shaft or something?
Overall, the book was readable, the plot moved along well, and Conner Cross was a hero/anti-hero worth cheering for. I like reading about a guy who tweaks his nose at the stuffy establishment, especially when he sees the hypocrisy. However, when the killer was revealed, I was disappointed. Like other reviewers suggested, it seemed drawn out of thin air. I should be able to look back at a book, find a clue and say, "Ah-ha, I missed that," or "Oh, yes, I saw that." Not this time. It was still an enjoyable read, but you are probably better off checking this one out from the library, or at most buying the paperback version.
|
