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11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Golf, Murder, and Romance on the links. Apr 09, 2008
By Mike Monahan
Bill Flynn is a master at weaving a string of stories that intersect for a marvelous conclusion. The history of the feathery and the game of golf is well researched and told in a delightful manner. Throw in the suspense of murderous thugs, auctioneers, and millionaires who covet the feathery at any cost, and you have a seriously entertaining novel. The Feathery is an easy, entertaining read whether you are a golfer or just like a good whodunit. Well done Bill.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
The Feathery Nov 11, 2008
By Angela M. Hooper
"Angela M. Hooper"
I admit, I do not know much about the game of golf. However, I have goofed around playing it, but this book brought a whole new meaning to golf for me.
In this novel, we are taught about the history of the golf ball makings in St. Andrews, in 1849. Golf balls were made of feathers, who would have thought that? One ball in particular - The Feathery - holds a very high cost to the owner who inherits it, Scott Beckman.
This story is unique in itself. We learn about Scott at a young age, with his best friend, Matt. Both have lost their fathers and are headed in the wrong direction in life, a life of imprisonment. Both boys lost their fathers and are rebellious. They are caught one day trying to steal a golf club. Fortunately for them, a black officer decides to take them to "Sandy McNair." Sandy is a kind, old man who loves the game of golf and teaches golfing to young lads in trouble.
Sandy helps Scott and Matt both achieve a better life for themselves. Scott is in love with the game of golf. His father admired it and Scott wanted to follow along in his footsteps, granted that his mother despises the game.
Scott - with Sandy as his only means of a family, embarks on a golfing journey. Sandy suddenly passes away and Scott inherits "The Feathery." It is worth more money that Scott could imagine and this simple book about golf turns into a mystery, suspense, and thriller novel - along with a good story about a guy who loves golf. It is brilliantly put together.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
The Feathery - More like a 4 + Jun 05, 2008
By Rebecca Lerwill
Don't let the cover keep you away from this read, because this one is definitely not just for golfers!
Right from the get-go I was into author Bill Flynn's story, because it woke up my patriotism due to the death of our protagonist's father while serving in Iraq. What follows is an interesting description of young Scott Beckman's struggle to find his way in society and his sport without his mother's support and his dead hero dad.
Soon, Scott and his buddy Matt are taken under the wing of a very special person who manages a golf course close to where the kids grow up.
As we jump a few years into the present time we find ourselves amongst Scott and Matt and how their talent and love for the sport of golf continues to grow until.... Scott's former teacher and mentor passes away and leaves him a very rare Feathery golf ball and a few other very valuable antique golf items.
With these treasures in his possession Scott's life soon turns upside down as he not just qualifies to play the `Masters' as a pro golfer, but also as his friend and caddie Matt goes missing - along side the Feathery ball.
Flynn weaves a clever cat and mouse chase and light romance with some die hard treasure hunters and we end up in a net of international crime, intrigue, and murder.
I very much enjoyed this plot, though I could have done with a little less of the sport's technicalities.
Overall, The Feathery is extremely enjoyable especially because this thriller/mystery is based on a real artifact which without a doubt, is admired by many collectors around the world.
I'll be certainly looking for more of Bill Flynn's future work.
Rebecca Lerwill, author of Relocating Mia
Relocating Mia
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Touching Story of a Young Man's Struggle Nov 02, 2010
By Debra Purdy Kong
"Author of Casey Holland Transit Security Mysteries"
Thirteen-year-old Scott Beckman and his best friend, Matt, are headed for a life of crime and jail unless something drastic happens to change their lives. Detective Kyle Ross sends them to Sandy McNair, an eighty-five-year-old golf instructor with a reputation for turning kids around. Through the game of golf, Scott improves his life by developing a passion and talent strong enough to make him a contender for major tournaments. When Sandy dies, he leaves Scott a valuable feathery golf ball made by a relative in 1849. Scott soon discovers that some collectors will do anything to acquire this heirloom.
The Feathery is a touching story of a young man's struggle to find his place in the world. It's about loss, passion, and second chances. Author Bill Flyyn tells the story in a simple, straightforward manner. As a mystery author, I would have loved more conflict and tension during some of the crime scenes, yet Flynn certainly brings these aspects to crucial moments at tournaments.
I'm not a golfer, but Flynn's descriptions about various aspects of the game were interesting enough to make me wonder if I should try it one day. If you're a golfing enthusiast you'll enjoy this book and, if not, you might be by the end of the tale.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Golf History and Intrigue Apr 10, 2009
By Letta Meinen
After reading this book I strongly recommend this novel by Bill Flynn called The Feathery. I do love history and when a writer uses that as part of their novel then I am interested. Bill Flynn the writer used golf history as a start of his novel but it also included suspense and intrigue about an old 1849 Feathery golf ball that the main character Scott Beckman inherited. Since this Feathery golf ball was so valuable it came part of the story of murder and greed but also a story about two boys whose life was turned around by golf.
I liked the way the author built up the story by giving you a good background of the characters involved. The main characters were Scott Beckman and his friend Matt Kemp who got into trouble as youths but a kind hearted police officer turned them over to Sandy McNair an elderly golf teacher at a country club. Sandy had worked with many troubled youth but became close to these two young boys. Scott worked very close with Sandy and he began teaching Scott the game of golf. Scott goes on to become a golf Professional and Matt became a tour Caddie and the two finally get to work together.
The intrigue starts when Scott finds out he inherited Sandy's belongings when he passed away. In these items it turns out to be some antique items from St. Andrews in Scotland where Sandy's family was from. When Scott professional career became low on earnings he thought about selling these items to fund his golf tour. Scott finds out how valuable they were when he puts them up for sale at an Antique Auction House. This is when the mystery, murder and theft become mixed up in the many tour golf tournaments Scott was playing in.
The author using his writing skill, weave in and out of intrigue of the feathery golf ball and golf tournaments we all are familiar with like the Masters and the British Open. Scott's begins to win golf tournaments and the money follows, so he decides to keep the feathery ball and that is when the greed of the collectors becomes more involved with Scott and Matt's life. You won't be bored with this book as the action helps you keep turning those pages.
I would recommend this book especially to any golfer as it will be a fun and fast read. It will be a good gift for father's day or even mother's day if she is a golfer. It will hold your attention and the story moves along very well. I like this type of novels, I do not like it when the authors move you back and forth between time periods and you get mixed up in characters. The author starts this book with the first chapter about the event in history that made the Feathery golf ball famous. This book holds true to the characters and includes the mass greed of collectors and what they will do to own a valuable item. If you like detective stories throw in some golf history with golf tournaments you have a winner. Check out Bill Flynn's book called the The Feathery you will even find out how they made those leather golf balls filled with goose feathers. Mr. Flynn has a way of weaving it all together making it a good book but maybe even a better movie.
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