Fiction Thriller - Sledgehammer

Sledgehammer is a gripping tale of a terrorist plot unfolded in an Emergency Room in Los Angeles. 

In our book, a busy ER in LA discovers what happens when terrorists show up.  The once smooth running hospital takes on a whole new atmosphere when the unthinkable happens and a patient shows up with a rash -- but this is not your typical rash, and this is not your typical patient either.

6 Days .. Only 6 days to save a nation!

Dr. Max Kroose, an intuitive emergency room physician, suspects that this rash could be a case of the once eradicated disease that killed millions -- Smallpox.  Worst yet, he fears it's the more lethal form of small pox - Sledgehammer Smallpox, which kills within days.  He soon realizes that he and his staff have been exposed.  And that's just the beginning ...

The plot thickens as this single dad of two faces the challenges of convincing his hospital administrators and the government that smallpox could be present in his ER.  And then comes the challenge of dealing with a patient, or should we say terrorist.

Terrific plot that has received numerous 5 star reviews from Midwest Reviews, Heartland Reviews and others.  (See below)

The author, Dr. Paulo J. Reyes, is a practicing ER Doctor himself and First Responder in LA trained for terrorist activity. 

He brings the ER vividly to life in this book, with his diagnosis of patients and the day-to-day happenings in the ER.  Medical professionals will love this book as well those who enjoy a great ER Drama on TV.  (Do you like Grey's Anatomy --You'll Love Sledgehammer).  And those Sci-Fi Fans .. this is the book for you.

As the war on terror grows, this book takes you inside what could happen.

  - Published by Virtual Word Publishing, ISBN #097713870-4

One of medicine's great success stories is the global eradication of smallpox. There have been no new cases of this once-dreaded disease for more than twenty-five years. But could bioterrorists bring back this killer virus? And how deadly might be its effects on an unvaccinated population?

The medical thriller "Sledgehammer" presents just such a scenario. For the protagonist, emergency room director Dr. Kroose, smallpox is an important political issue. He wants assurances that his staff will be offered vaccination, while the parsimonious hospital administrators worry about the potential for litigation. Dr. Kroose is preparing to fight for his staff's welfare when Mr. Villalobos arrives in his emergency room. This obnoxious patient at first appears to have influenza. But does he? Could a hypothetical concern suddenly have become real and urgent?

Dr. Paulo J. Reyes is himself an emergency room doctor in California with many years of experience. He has a thorough understanding of the risk posed by smallpox, and has been vaccinated against it. He includes enough medical details in this novel to give it authenticity, and in a useful preface explains the scientific and political background to smallpox bioterrorism.

"Sledgehammer" offers a thought-provoking look at emergency-room politics and the smallpox risk, and it's also a fast-moving thriller. Share six days in the life of Dr. Kroose, and then decide for yourself about the threat of bioterrorism.

Reviewer: Reviewer: Allbooks Reviews

This book begs to ask the question, “Could it happen today?” With today’s constant fears of terrorist’s attacks and the ever increasing fear of a global pandemic, this book takes you inside “what could happen and how prepared we really are.”

Although the book is fiction, it is based on research by Dr. Paulo J. Reyes and his 25 years of medical experience as an ER doctor, as well as extensive medical research for his first book and his training as a First Responder for terrorist attacks in California.

Sledgehammer takes place over 6 days in an ER in Los Angeles, California. Terrorists have attacked using smallpox and one of the terrorists shows up with symptoms. In this book you journey through the massive panic of the outbreak, the initial diagnosis being made, the convincing of staff and higher ups of the diagnosis, and then the rush to obtain the cure. You realize that the virus has spread and time is of the essence to save the nation. You grow fond of the characters and as each faces the threat of the disease, you are yearning for a quick cure to save them in time. It clearly portrays how rapidly the disease spreads, the potential devastation if air-borne, and the fatality of those in contact.

The book is written with great care and precision and the real life happenings in the ER make it a great read for medical personnel and those who love medical dramas on TV in addition to science fiction fans. Plus with today’s current events with constant terrorists threats and fears of a pandemic, it something of interest to all.

Sledgehammer sells for $14.95. You can get additional information at our website at www.pauloreyes.com or www.virtualwordpublishing.com. It currently sells at Amazon and other major online bookstores as well. ISBN #097713870-4, 200 pages, Published 2005.

It has been a long time since I have read a book that I simply could not put down. Sledgehammer was that book. I am a scientist by profession, so I was able to really relate to the whole bioterrorism/Virus research plot of the book. I also believe that someone with out a science background would also love this book. It is well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The book is fiction, but could this really happen? Scary!

A year ago a DUI killed his beloved wife Leana, leaving ER physician Dr. Max Kroose to raise their two preadolescent children alone except for their nanny Esmeralda. After dropping the kids at school, Dr. Kroose expects a normal day of traumas and tragedy. As always, ER is overwhelmed so when his son takes a nasty spill at school, but is okay he has no time to pick him up.

A patient arrives with strange symptoms that reminds Max somewhat of smallpox yet seems more powerful than a disease most people thought eradicated. As the clock ticks, Max becomes increasingly convinced that they are dealing with a lethal strand of smallpox. He fails to persuade the skeptical bottom line hospital administrator Kilgorn to arrange mass vaccination to prevent a pandemic spread. His only chance resides with his friend a bio-weapons researcher, but even if he somehow receives help, Max knows that the potential for spreading has walked out the hospital door numerous times. This is a gut wrenching medical thriller that centers on how relatively easy the spread of a bio-weapon can occur in this country.

Max keeps the story line realistic and together as he goes from the daily troubles of a single dad who has had no time to mourn his loss to fears for his two children and others from a stalking killer. His frustrations mount as he fails to convince anyone that vaccination is needed as the health system calculates the cost as greater than the risk.

Paulo J. Reyes provides a SLEDGEHAMMER to a system that set up to insure mass failure when (not if) the crisis happens.

ER physician Dr. Max Kroose becomes aware that an unusual number of flu cases are presenting with more symptoms than the flu would warrant. At the same time, he is fighting with the hospital's administration for smallpox vaccinations for his staff. As first responders, they would come into contact with smallpox patients in the event of a pandemic spread by bio-terrorists. To his mind, preparedness is the only sensible approach.

When one of his flu patients dies, Max is convinced he has actually seen a case of smallpox - a dread disease believed to have been eradicated in the world. Kroose's fight to get the vaccine is maddening when the reader realizes the same thing goes on every day when dealing with bureaucrats. The plot is frightening, and the action moves along at a good clip. Dr. Kroose is a very real character torn between love for his motherless children and the obligation he feels he has to prevent worldwide deaths.

The medical terms, I am sure, are correct as the author has twenty-five years of experience in the ER, as well as having been trained as a first responder. For the layman, however, these terms rather overpower the story. It's one thing to hear them on TV where there is always accompanying action to blunt their impact. The abundance of technical terms slowed down the whole plot for me. And the plot is a good one with a real sense of the energy necessary to run an ER. Dr. Reyes is a very knowledgeable man, with a great though terrifying story to tell.

CNN -- U.S. President George W. Bush says this week's missile tests by North Korea offer an opportunity to rally global pressure on leader Kim Jong Il.