Tragedy strikes America’s darling three-year-old Thoroughbred, Hyperion, when he shatters a leg in a Kentucky Derby qualifying race. Drs. Mark Thurman and Claire Hodgson are asked to try their revolutionary fracture-healing methods on his injured limb, but when previous experimental subjects begin developing life-threatening complications, the rescue project appears to be derailed before it can … can start. A serendipitous discovery suggests a miraculous new drug made from a rare plant source may be a cure. Claire travels to a remote jungle laboratory where she meets with Meera Jindal, the woman who made the breakthrough. When the formula is stolen and the scientists vanish, Mark calls on his friend, John Bristow, who assembles an elite team of ex-Special Forces operators that race to pick up their trail. A rogue pharmaceutical CEO and a cartel drug lord aim to stop them. Meanwhile, Hyperion’s life hangs in the balance.
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Thomas Kelso – Mark Thurman Series, Bk 2 – Hyperion’s Fracture – Reviewed 2/27/21 – Read 1/29-30/21
When Hyperion fractures his leg in a race, Mark & Clair are asked to help him!
When Dusty, a friend of Mark’s invited him to come down to Hot Springs, AR to watch his horse run, he asked Claire to come with him. Of course, he did not expect to see an accidental pileup. This resulted in Dusty’s horse, Hyperion, fracturing both the cannon and pastern bones on his hind leg. Normally with this type of injury, the animal would be euthanized. The director of the equine medical center at Oaklawn Racetrack explained that they were not equipped to handle this type of injury. He added that Hyperion would be flown to Wilson Andrews Equine Research Center just outside of Roanoke, Virginia. They have agreed to try and fix Hyperion.
Just then Dusty came in and asked to speak to Clair and Mark privately, away from the press. They went outside and Dusty asked them if they would consider using the new technology that they have been researching on Hyperion. He told them that they were Hyperion’s last chance, otherwise, they would most likely have to put the horse down. Claire thought about it a moment and then excitedly said that they should try it, but Mark was genuinely concerned due to the differences in the weight. They had not done any studies on this and because Hyperion weighed over 1000 pounds, they have no idea if the graft would be strong enough. Of course, Claire was excited to try and tried to urge Mark to agree, but he said that they needed to talk about it and that they would get back to Dusty.
And the story begins…
What did I like? Well, when you have a book that won “The Silver Falchion” award for the best thriller at the 2020 Killer Nashville International Writers Conference, how could I go wrong in getting excited when I read it. Wow, congrats to Thomas Kelso, job well done! And I totally agree with them, this book is amazing!!! Again, Tom has brought to the table some extraordinary storytelling, with amazing medical technology in equine medicine. I talked to Tom about this and he told me that we are not there yet, but with the research that is currently going on that, it will not be long that we will be able to save animals with these types of injuries! Hallelujah, I think that that is amazing and will be such an improvement over just euthanizing without even trying to fix them. So many heartbroken owners will have their beloved friends saved. Now, back to the book. Aside from the medical side of the book, Tom took us over the top again with an incredible storyline.
What will you like? This thriller is exciting, mysterious, with espionage threading throughout, kidnapping, gangsters, dishonest drug companies, and so much more. The characters again are utterly amazing. Mark and Claire are down-to-earth people that just want to help. They are the type of person that all of us aspire to be. Two things impressed me about this book, the first being the extraordinary medical technology, but the other was the way the story was told. It felt like real life. The drive to be successful in the surgery to save Hyperion was amazing. The owners of Hyperion not putting money first, but the horse’s life. Of course, I am not naïve, I know that horserace owners want to make a profit, it takes money to train, care, and prepare a horse for that 3/4, 1 mile, or 1 ¼ mile track to bring home the prize money.
Interesting point: if you did not know, only three-year-old’s, (which there have only been 13 winners) can hold the title of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing, which consists of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. In the history of racing, only three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby and only two have competed in all three Triple Crown races.
So, you have learned a little about horse racing today, but you too can experience the thrilling read of “Hyperion’s Fracture” by picking up/downloading your copy today. I highly recommend this book!
• File Size: 2145 KB
• Print Length: 408 pages
• Publication Date: 8/8/2019
• Publisher: Jolly Robin Press
• ASIN: B07VGNW56Z
• Genre: Medical Thrillers, Military Thrillers, Science Fiction Adventure
@ddeegott
Heavy on jargon this medical mystery thriller nonetheless pulls its readers along on a roller coaster of intrigue, betrayal, and medical triumph. Opening in Panama, Claire is in search of her friend and a rare compound with amazing healing powers. Claire and Dr. Thurmond need the compound to save the life of an amazing race horse, but a pharmaceutical firm is also interested, and not too concerned with how they obtain the rights and source for the drug. Loosely based on modern medical advances and the tragic race of Barbaro, a compelling story unfolds in the race to secure the drugs, and not only save Hyperion, but enable him to run in the Kentucky derby. Realism of the fight and medical procedure scenes will alternately bring your blood to boil and eyes to glass over with unfathomable terminology, but slogging through the medical bits is richly rewarded as the story comes down to a photo finish.