In the glamorous world of professional golf, one match is synonymous with excellence, tradition, and prestige. The Masters is played on the sweeping fairways of Georgia's exclusive Augusta National Golf Club, drawing an annual pilgrimage of Lear jetting superstars, media, and throngs of fans. But this year, the tournament has attracted something else. A killer is coming to play a deadly game of his own.

For Connor Cross and John McCree, two pros who share a long friendship and a passion for golf, the competition is a chance to catch up on old times and calm each other's nerves before the play turns serious. But when a killer strikes, things suddenly turn too serious. As Connor is drawn into the intrigue?in the company of an alluring female cop?he faces the greatest hazard ever. With one round left to play, and the body count rising while his scores are dropping, Connor Cross is the next in line to die. . . .

Nobody raises a ruckus or even a loud voice at the Masters, the prestigious and very proper golf tournament that brings the best players and most ardent fans to Augusta, Georgia, every April. Nobody bashes a player to death with a nine iron and leaves the body in a sandy bunker on the 18th hole, either, except someone did just that to John McCree, whose best friend and fellow golfer, Conner Cross, wasn't playing his best game even before the murder. Three people die, including Jodie McCree--Conner's girl prior to becoming John's wife--before Conner unmasks a killer who'd do anything for a chance at the coveted green jacket of a Masters champion.

Veteran author William Bernhardt, best known for legal thrillers like Naked Justice and Murder One, has penned a well-paced mystery with plenty of inside dope and Masters history. It will provide a welcome diversion for golfers who get through the winter by dreaming of the greens and fairways of spring. --Jane Adams

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