Praise for Terry Frei’s Previous Books

Olympic Affair

“Give a talented journalist an engrossing storyline—especially a sports writer accustomed to the drama of games—and he will keep you mesmerized by the who, what, where, when and why of the unfolding adventure. And so it is with Terry Frei’s Olympic Affair. Set against the 1936 Berlin Olympics—remembered primarily for Jesse Owens’ four gold-medal performance and Adolf Hitler’s disdain for him—Frei focuses on the decathlon champion, America’s Glenn Morris, and his affair with the renowned German actress and Olympic film director, Leni Reifenstahl. It is, then, a compelling look at an historic sporting event and a love/sex scandal cloaked in intrigue and danger. Frei’s style is reporter/novelist, cleanly balanced between event and character, offering a panorama of human triumph saddened by failure. Of the books I’ve read in the past four or five years, this one is near the top of the list.” —Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Book of Marie

“Historical fiction is a dangerous game: where does history leave off and fiction begin? How to draw the line between what happened and what might/should have happened? Frei takes these challenges head-on and succeeds brilliantly. . . . This is history as historians seldom write it and should be required reading for everyone.” —David Milofsky, professor of English, Colorado State University, novelist and author of Playing From Memory and A Friend of Kissinger

“[T]he most intriguing sports book I’ve read in the last 12 months. . . . What makes the book special is that it’s actually a novel, with Frei’s exhaustive research filling in the blanks of the love story and what has been largely an untold tale. The book is written with care and sensitivity and works on several levels—not only as straight entertainment but as a history refresher on what the world was like during that explosive time. And hey, any book featuring sex, sports and Nazis is bound to be pretty good, right? Obviously, this is an adult book but one I recommend highly. Frei’s Glenn Morris is a fascinatingly tragic hero that you will not soon forget.” —Dwight Jaynes, Comcast Sports Northwest

Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming

“We had a few friends over who thought we had lost our minds as we whooped and hollered through a football game so exciting it was billed as the Game of the Century. For a few hours, we were innocent again, totally caught up in the contest. The game and its cultural contexts have been beautifully chronicled by Terry Frei in his book Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming.” —Bill Clinton in My Life

“[O]ne of the better—and most readable—books of social history published in recent years.” —Paul Greenberg, Pulitzer Prize–winning editorial writer, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

“A superb blending of sports, history, and politics.” —Si Dunn, Dallas Morning News

Third Down and a War to Go

“Many times you hear athletes called heroes, and their deeds and accomplishments on the field are characterized as courageous. After reading Third Down and a War to Go, I am embarrassed to have ever been thought of as brave or courageous. . . . Enjoy this adventure in history, life, and courage and take it from a so-called ‘tough guy’—keep the hanky close by.” —Dan Fouts, Hall of Fame quarterback and CBS sportscaster

“Brings to life, in shades of black and blue and blood red, the idea that certain things are worth fighting for.” —Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune

“Mythology is nice. Truth is better. What a powerful piece of work . . . a telling detail in the great portrait of America at war, young men and women who saw their duty and did it no matter how much it scared them.” —Dave Kindred, The Sporting News, and author of Sound and Fury

’77: Denver, the Broncos, and a Coming of Age

“Ahh, the memories. And they all happened right here in the forgotten time zone. Those magical moments came back with a rush last week reading ’77: Denver, The Broncos, and a Coming of Age. What a fantastic read. . . . ’77 is more than just a Bronco football memoir. It was a time when our Centennial State exploded on the national scene. . . . [T]hanks to Terry Frei’s wonderful work, we get to live that magical moment all over again.” —Dick Maynard, Grand Junction Sentinel

“No one knows more about Denver and its sports than Terry Frei does, and here in ’77, he describes nothing less than the transformation of a city with a special focus on Denver’s most magical team. To know why and how the Mile High City exists as it does today, this is essential history.” —Sandy Clough, sports talk host, Denver’s FM Sports Radio 104.3, The Fan

“You didn’t have to live through it in Denver to appreciate this account of the flowering of a franchise and its love affair with a town, but this book takes those of us who did straight back to those thrilling days of yesteryear in unforgettable fashion.” —Michael Knisley, senior deputy editor, ESPN.com

The Witch’s Season

“Events carry the story forward swiftly, and that alone would make it a good read. But Frei has a larger point to make. It’s during times of upheaval, when the very foundations of normalcy are being shaken, that personal courage, honor and the willingness to stand fast on principle matter most. All of the central characters in Frei’s story will have to decide whether to make that stand, and if so, how to make it. Frei has written three nonfiction books, most notably Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming. This book proves he can write fiction too.” —Ken Goe, Portland Oregonian

Playing Piano in a Brothel

“For every story, there’s a story behind the story, and Frei’s book captures hundreds of them. Frei provides never-before-read tales of legendary athletes, monumental events and games behind the games, as well as his own opinion of newspaper sports journalism as a whole—and its future. . . . A must-read for every sports fan.” —Doug Ottewill, Mile High Sports Magazine