The Mysterious Montague - by Leigh Montville (Paperback)

About the Book

From the glamour of 1930s Hollywood and John Montague's extraordinary skill on the golf course to the shady world of Adirondack bootleggers, a "New York Times"-bestselling author captures a man and an era with extraordinary color and energy.

Book Synopsis

John Montague was a boisterous enigma. In the 1930s, he was called "the world's greatest golfer" by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice. He could drive the ball 300 yards and more, or he could chip it across a room into a highball glass. He played golf with everyone from Howard Hughes and W. C. Fields to Babe Ruth and Bing Crosby. Yet strangely, he never entered a professional tournament or allowed himself to be photographed. Then, a Time magazine photographer snapped his picture with a telephoto lens and police quickly recognized Montague as a fugitive with a dark secret. From the glamour of 1930s Hollywood, to John Montague's extraordinary skill and triumphs on the golf course, to the shady world of Adirondack rumrunners and the most controversial, star-studded court trial of its day, The Mysterious Montague captures a man and an era with extraordinary color, verve, and energy.

Review Quotes

"A great tale from one of our era's best storytellers." --The New York Times"In Montville's skillful hands, Montague's story becomes an epic drama about a potential hero undermined by his troubled past." --The Boston Globe "A well-paced ride."--The Washington Post"Hollywood missed this story, but the screen's loss is Montville's--and his readers'--gain."--Sports Illustrated

About the Author

LEIGH MONTVILLE is a former columnist at the Boston Globe and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated. He is the author of five books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero, and At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.