BLEACHERS

Glory never dies. Neely Crenshaw was the best quarterback ever to play for the Messina Spartans, the state's most legendary high school football team. 15 years later with the glory days far behind them, the man everyone remembers is Coach Eddie Rake. Neely is coming home to Messina to bury the dying Coach Rake, and he's not alone. One by one the veterans of the Spartans return to pay tribute to the man who moulded them into an invincible football dynasty, confronting their own broken dreams. As Coach Rake's 'boys' sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake, or hate him. Neely Crenshaw is struggling to come to terms with his explosive relationship with the Coach, his dreams of a great career in the NFL, and the choices he made as a young man, before he can get on with his life, and the stakes are especially high. 'An easy going, but not over-sentimental read, Grisham touches the soul and scores a winning touchdown with his 16th novel.' - Evening Standard. 181pp, paperback reprint of the 2001 original.