Eclipsing the traditional sports memoir, House of Nails is a tale of Shakespearian proportions--a relentlessly entertaining ride that careens from the heights to the abyss.

Lenny Dykstra, nicknamed "Nails" for his hustle and grit, approached the game of baseball--and life--with mythic intensity. During his decade in the majors as a legendary member of the 1980s Mets and 1990s Phillies, he was named to three All-Star teams and played in two of the most memorable World Series of the modern era.

Then came a second act no novelist could plausibly conjure: After retiring,...