"NCAA TO INVESTIGATE 'M' FOOTBALL RECRUITING," blares the headline of The Michigan Daily, thanks to clever sleuthing by Daily reporter Zoe Kaplan. A school known for its pride in football and its high standards of procedure in matters concerning the sport and its regulations would not easily accept an investigation - especially when the information is leaked during President's Weekend, a gathering of important alumni.
In Susan Holtzer's "Bleeding Maize and Blue," detective Anneke Haagen pairs up with Kaplan to uncover the truth behind the allegations of recruiting violations, when a weekend already tense with excitement, anxiety and chaos comes to a head in Michigan Stadium.
A group of prestigious alumni meets to discuss the implications of the investigation that will be undertaken by Alvin Greenaway of the NCAA. Suddenly they watch Greenaway lurch forward in the bleachers of the stadium and then fall to the football field, impaled through his side by a Michigan banner. From this point, the events build upon each other, plots becoming subplots, until the action reaches a climax, once again in the Michigan Stadium, in front of 104,000 screaming spectators.
Lt. Karl Genesko, former Michigan football hero and Super Bowl champ for the Pittsburgh Steelers, heads the investigation into Greenaway's murder, the second investigation of the book. He is also Haagen's significant other, thus ensnaring her further into the events of the weekend.
One of the alumni who witnessed the murder is Charlie Cassovoy, a troubled journalist who creates more problems for himself than worthy stories for The Detroit News. He and Kaplan compete in a battle of wits to be the first to print the solution to the tangled web of disasters.
Holtzer's descriptive touch vividly and accurately brings the residential and campus aspects of Ann Arbor to life. From the point of view of a student, her depiction of Kaplan's daily concerns and activities are true to those of the average student at the University. Since Haagen and Genesko live in Burns Park, the areas of Ann Arbor not as well-populated with students are also brought out - with a tone that denotes a love and understanding of this town.
Still, one does find certain oddities in the text itself, such as the occasional usage of what Americans consider to be British slang ("bloody" or "bugger"). Now, this observation might be overlooked if it were a British individual who had said the words. Instead it is the conversations of Haagen and Kaplan in which readers find this kind of slang. Its foreign nature adds an interesting color to their speech.
A second inconsistency involves the position Genesko played for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the Super Bowl Game, in which he made a play referred to as "The Pass." According to Holtzer, he played linebacker, even though an offensive team was on the field at the time of the play. A linebacker, however, plays defense, so it is rather impossible for the two to be on the field at the same time.
Despite these two minor observations, the plot is plausible, and the characters are well developed, as event after event brings out characters' true natures. Haagen and Kaplan make an excellent team as they search for the truth in the mystery "Bleeding Maize and Blue."
- Liz Mills