Review of "The Hot Corner," by Wilfred McCormick

Review of

The Hot Corner, by Wilfred McCormick

Five out of five stars

 In this story, the hero Rocky McCune is now back at the school where he started, coaching the Koulee baseball team. The town has experienced some major setbacks in the last few years, many to arch-rival Charles City. This has taken place on the diamond as well as in the business and social arenas. Many feel that this is the year where Koulee manages to begin a comeback and it may start with their winning the baseball championship. If they do then they will be the host city for a baseball tournament, which will mean a great deal of additional business for local merchants.

 Red Bostic is a boy from Chicago that suffered a personal tragedy. When a fire broke out in the tenement building where he lived, he assumed that his parents were at work and personally carried three others out of danger. Both of his parents died and Red is now living with a farm family that lives in the Koulee district.

 Red has an outsize personality that is the life of the party. He is also a boy that knows many of the ways to cheat at life. Rocky’s first experience is when Red uses emery on the ball to fool batters. Red also knows other tricks, such as how to pick locks. Since Rocky will tolerate no cheating or other questionable behavior, there is a clash between him and people that naturally side with the popular Bostic.

 This is of course the morality theme of this book, how Rocky manages to keep Bostic from straying as well as encouraging his teammates to avoid learning from Bostic. There is some pressure from people in the town to let things go in the interests of all, but Rocky is steadfast. Naturally, the championship comes down to a final game between Koulee and Charles City and the game is not decided until the final out.

 This is an entertaining story with a common fifties plotline of maintaining a high level of character despite being pressured to take an easier route.