Steven Thomas is one of two lucky winners of the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association’s contest for aspiring journalists. His prize? A trip to New Orleans and a coveted press pass for the Final Four. It’s a basketball junkie’s dream come true!

But the games going on behind the scenes between the coaches, the players, the media, the money-men, and the fans turn out to be even more fiercely competitive than those on the court. Steven and his fellow winner, Susan Carol Anderson, are nosing around the Superdome and overhear what sounds like a threat to throw the championship game. Now they have just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing one of MSU’s star players . . . and why.

Praise for John Feinstein:

“The best writer of sports books in America today.”— The Boston Globe

“Feinstein’s beat, it turns out, isn’t sports; it’s human nature.”— People on A March to Madness

“A basketball junkie’s nirvana.”— Sports Illustrated on A March to Madness

“One of the best sportswriters alive!”—Larry King, USA Today on A Good Walk Spoiled

From the Hardcover edition.