Carl Deuker's Official Website

Runner
A thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Chance could have been a star runner in high school . . . but with a mother who walked out on him and a father battling alcoholism, the kind of running he does is much different, and much more dangerous, than runners on a high school track team. Drug smuggling, terrorism, explosions, and death--this book is sure to keep you reading.

High Heat
Like the game of baseball, life is quirky and unpredictable, as Shane Hunter discovers in the spring of his sophomore year. Suddenly and without warning his life of privilege is turned upside down. And just as suddenly, life begins to sem utterly without fairness of purpose to him.

The game of baseball becomes a means of vengeance. A game meant to be played in the bright sunshine takes Shane instead into his own personal darkness--a darkness both strangely comforting and ultimately terrifying.

Night Hoops
SUMMARY
All Nick Abbbott ever wanted was for his father to compliment his game. That praise has always been reserved for Nick's older brother, Scott, a gifted athlete. When Scott chooses music over basketball, Nick finally gains his father's attention-and his win at all costs mentality. As one of only three sophomores to make varsity basketball, Nick struggles with becoming a team player, especially when that means sharing the ball with Trent Dawson, the troubled but talented boy from across the street. Then Nick's mother tells Trent that he can practice using Nick's backyard hoop. As Nick and Trent begin to play pick-up games late into the night, they also, reluctantly, begin to form an unusual friendship, and learn that how you play matters just as much as winning.

Painting the Black
SUMMARY
In his senior year of high school, late-bloomer Ryan Ward has just begun to feel the magic of baseball: the magic of catching a wicked slider, of throwing a runner out, of training hard and pushing his limits. But when one of his teammates clearly pushes the limits too far, Ryan is faced with a heartbreaking dilemma: He must choose between his love for the game and his integrity.

Heart of a Champion
SUMMARY
Seth and Jimmy have the kind of friendship you can't put into words--the kind you think only happens in movies. They both live and breathe baseball, but while Seth struggles to be good enough to make the varsity team, Jimmy, a natural, looks like he's on his way to becoming a major league star some day. On and off the field, their passion for the game gets them through some of life's bittersweet struggles and unites them in a once in a lifetime friendship that is meant to last forever. . .

On the Devil's Court
SUMMARY
In a new town for his last year of high school, seventeen-year-old Joe Faust is determined not to spend it as his ambitious father would have him--in a private school. Instead, he hopes to make this year his best on the basketball court, playing on the city's strongest public school team. But, as it happens, Joe's senior year turns out be entirely different from what he had expected. He attends a school he despises and watches his skill on the basketball court deteriorate until he can't even make a decent pass or easy lay-in. In desperation--he entangles himself in a situation so fantastic he can't tell if it's real or imagined--a dilemma set in motion one stormy afternoonin an abandoned gym when a series of miracle shots prompts Joe to strike a bold, brash, and utterly terrifying bargain.

Short Stories by Carl Deuker
"Second String" What happens when it's your year to be the starter, and then a new (and talented) kid joins the team? This story appeared in Boys Life.

"The Sun and the Wind and the Clouds" Grandpa was always special until his bike accident reduced his mental capacity. Can he be prodded back to health? This story will appear in Boys Life soon.

"If You Can't Be Lucky" A comic wrestling story featuring dog poop and John Jacob Jingelheimer Schmidt. This story appeared in "Ultimate Sports" edited by Don Gallo.