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Title: “Be the One”

Author: April Smith

Price: $24

Smith deserves high marks for attempting a novel about a female scout in the major leagues. Cassidy Sanderson is a rich character living in a highly competitive macho world while scouting for the Dodgers.

When you add topical subjects, such as the ruthless pursuit of Dominican prospects like the can’t-miss Alberto Cruz, a youngster Sanderson signs, there is much to like about this book.

Having spent five years researching, Smith deftly moves Sanderson in and around the world of professional baseball--from a prospect’s humble living room to the back rooms of the Dodger front office. It’s a familiar world to anyone who has spent time around a big league organization and Smith captures it beautifully.

Unfortunately, Smith’s story isn’t simply a baseball story. Something tragic happened while Sanderson, Cruz and a mysterious L.A. developer named Joe Galinis were in the Dominican Republic. Blackmail and violence ensue as Sanderson begins to wonder if Cruz is working for drug dealers.

Through the use of flashbacks we eventually learn what happened on a dark, rain-swept road late one night after Sanderson has signed Cruz. But it takes so long to get there that it’s easy to lose interest in the deadly dull love affair simmering between Sanderson and Galinis, a mover behind a new downtown Los Angeles arena. Can you say, Staples Center, boys and girls?

In the end, Smith presents a flawed tale, prompting one to wish she had stuck to the world of baseball. It would have been enough to hold this former baseball writer’s interest. The mystery story simply isn’t all that compelling.