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 βOrphan,β never
dreaming he will play a significant role in their
daughterβs lifeβand 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 worldβs richest
horserace. They will also see the seamier side of
horseracing driven by greed.
No excerpt available.
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