The Total Zone

Navratilova brings a level of authenticity to this book about the competitive world of tennis. And given that this was written a while ago, it still has echoes with the modern game. You can see Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Sharapova, Lucic, Dokic, Hingis, Davenport, Graf, Evert and Martina herself in bits of all the characters here. What is amazing of course is that many of the players I've named above weren't playing when the book was written. The story revolves around 16 year old teen queen Audrey Armat who has a controlling family but exudes exterior calm. When her game inexplicably begins to fall apart she goes to the Springs' conditioning camp run by Jordan Myles, a former pro who had to give up the sport after injuring herself while hiking. I won't give any more story details away. But having been to Wimbledon, I must say that Navratilova fantastically captures the atmosphere at SW19. Also the pace never lets up, and she tackles a number of key issues in modern sports- the relationship between parent and child, the role of the promoters and the sponsors and so on. There is one thing that stands out for me. The human face of the players. Navratilova doesn't use the players and the tennis circuit to tell a story. The players have their own foibles, but they are all human, and most of them are nice young women. It's a reminder that behind the world of glamorous tennis queens lies some troubled, but on the whole normal teenagers.

Ex-Tennis pro Jordan Myles is looking for answers. She travels to south Florida, Wimbeldon, and Flushing Meadows to find out just what has happened to Audrey Armat, the best female tennis players in the world. When Audrey turns up dead, Jordan is determined to expose the killer, or die trying.A suspense-filled whodunnit that will keep you guessing up until the very end. Navratilova's extensive knowledge of tennis and tournaments make this an interesting read for enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. Very similar to the "Brad Smith" tennis novels authored by Jack M. Bickham and just as enjoyable.Looking forward to more courtside suspense from Nickles and Navratilova!