Field of Schemes (A Lloyd Keaton Mystery)

When a hotshot minor league outfielder asks his trainer, Dale Loren, for steroids, Loren supplies a harmless mixture of cold cream and lemon juice, telling him it's a brand-new steroid that can't be detected by baseball's drug testing regimen. Believing the mixture gives him an illegal edge, the outfielder goes on a hitting spree and is called up to the majors where, cut off from his supply of "steroids," he falls into a deep slump. Then he tests positive for drugs and names Loren as his supplier. Loren is fired and, shortly afterward, the outfielder is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Local sportswriter Lloyd Keaton --who lost his money, marriage and a major-market career to a gambling addiction --sets out to clear Loren's name. In the process he is threatened by mobsters, shot at, and learns his teenage son is hooked on steroids. Keaton soon discovers that the highest stakes are off the field and he'll risk more than he ever imagined to protect his family and find the truth.