Veterinarian Dr. James Robert Masterson fights life and
death battles each day in his practice. So when a
horrendous vehicle accident confronts him on his way home,
it's natural instinct for Dr. Jim Bob to lend a helping
hand. Surveying the smashed horse trailer, he finds a mare
on death's door and her little colt trembling with fear.
When he finds out the owner's dead and no one else has the
means to care for the colt, Jim Bob offers to take care of
him on a temporary basis. Little does he know how long
temporary is going to turn out to be.
The colt is christened Orphan by Jim Bob's daughter,
Elizabeth. Liz has demons of her own to fight and she
desperately needs something to believe in. Nonetheless,
Orphan is a lot more trouble than anybody bargained for.
After over a month with no one coming to claim the colt,
there's a new twist. Not one but two people show up with
court papers claiming ownership -- an ex-wife and a
temperamental horse breeder/boarder. Soon the Mastersons
are knee-deep in lawsuits, murder and mayhem. Orphan is
more important than anyone figured because running in his
veins is the blood of champions just waiting to be tested.
Only time, training and solving the ever-growing dangerous
mystery will tell just what's in store for Orphan and the
humans who love him.
While it stumbles a bit at the starting line, ORPHAN soon
picks up momentum along with the mystery. The descriptions
under each chapter heading read more like factual roadmap
directions instead of portents of things to come, which is
a bit distracting. However, it's a fast read filled with
lots of interesting facts about Leukemia, the opera and
horse rearing, training and racing. The story is full of
scene changes, traveling from Texas to New York to the
Florida Keys to Ruidoso, New Mexico. While I would have
liked to see more attention devoted to the characters
themselves, there is plenty of mystery and hope-filled food
for thought to keep the reader cheering them on. Mr. Haines
is one of the winners of the 2008 Mayhaven Publishing short
fiction contest, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from
him in the future.
In a horrific accident 20 miles west of Amarillo,
Texas, veterinarian James Robert Masterson steps out into
the night to find the sole survivor is a very young colt.
As there is no one to take charge of the frightened
animal, Masterson agrees to take him home to his ranch in
Bushland, Texas. He and his wife tend “Orphan,” never
dreaming he will play a significant role in their
daughter’s life—and in theirs. When a suspicious gambler
from Albuquerque, and the pushy ex-wife of the owner,
claim the horse, the mystery begins. Interwoven in this
mystery are murder, battles in the court, a life and death
struggle with cancer, music, and horseracing. The reader
will travel to the beautiful horse country of Kentucky,
and to the impressive Ruidoso Downs, home of the much
sought-after All-American Futurity, the world’s richest
horserace. They will also see the seamier side of
horseracing driven by greed.
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