ADRENALINE: New 2013 edition
Read ADRENALINE: New 2013 edition Online
Authors: John Benedict
PRAISE FOR ADRENALINE:
“If you like
gripping drama, starkly effective description and almost unbearable suspense
, then this book is for you.
The characters and places are engagingly real. It has been suggested by readers that this book would lend itself to an engrossing film.
Throughout intertwining subplots, significant hints are provided to the reader—including one startling revelation. The ending is breathless. I found myself totally unprepared for the plot twists, even though they had been amply prefigured. The rhapsodic tone of lovely inner reflection of love and its beauty when juxtaposed with the ugliness of killing is particularly welcome.
I hope that many will read
Adrenaline
. Without question, it will jolt you to some interesting insights.”
— Leslie S. March
Harrisburg Magazine Review
“
This guy can flat out write.
Benedict has a great grasp of the many ways language can be used in telling a story, paired with the skill to do it, which is the thing that makes him stand out… Add in a good feel for the basics of pacing the story and sentence structures, a superb eye for the role of detail, and the priceless ability to draw a reader in until they forget that they’re actually reading the story they’re in the middle of.”
“
Properly entitled,
Adrenaline
is a thrill ride from the opening chapter.
Dr. John Benedict has written a novel encompassing the intrigue of Michael Crichton’s E.R. combined with the thrill of Crime Scene Investigations. This is a top-notch medical thriller and I hope it is the first of many from Benedict.
He could easily become the next Dean Koontz with a medical degree
.”
— Robert Denson III
Managing Editor of Sunpiper Press
“
Benedict has done an outstanding job
at creating scenes, as well as characters, using every detail no matter how miniscule to evoke clear images and emotional response from readers, thus allowing us to really care about what happens to these characters.”
— Betsie’s Literary Page
“
Filled with accelerating suspense
, author Benedict builds the plot that moves
Adrenaline
forward with methodical and deliberate subplots and characters, each of which succeed to broaden the mystery and draw the reader deep into the workings of the operating rooms and administrative offices of Mercy Hospital. Characters are pleasantly humanized, his plotting is meticulous, offering a thrilling journey.
Adrenaline
offers a new take on the term ‘Medical Thriller’ that offers a breath of fresh air to the meaning of the term.”
— Denise M. Clark
Denise’s Pieces Author Site & Book Reviews
“A series of mishaps and an accidental death at a Pennsylvania hospital raise suspicions of sabotage in the author's debut medical thriller.
Doctors in the anesthesia department at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital are worried about losing their jobs in an impending merger, so it doesn't bode well when a patient dies soon after anesthesia is administered. Dr. Doug Landry and others are unaware that someone in their department is intentionally setting up the anesthesiologists for failure in a series of desperate acts that will ultimately lead to outright murder.
Benedict's novel is a mystery story rife with suspense:
A killer, whose identity is concealed, creeps into dark operating rooms; med student Rusty, searching for his elusive past, finds his way to Mercy; and a patient awakens in the midst of surgery, unable to move but feeling every agonizing cut. There's a hefty number of subplots: Doug's temptation to stray from his marriage vows with a flirtatious hospital employee; sympathetic Dr. Mike Carlucci recalling patients he's lost and trying not to succumb to the pressures of the job; plus Rusty's training and the threat of a suit against the hospital. But through shifting perspectives and a focus on the darker side of medical care--Doug tells Rusty how easily anesthesia, inadvertently or not, can become lethal--ensure that the various plots are less sentimental and more in tune with the murderous saboteur.
Twists and turns abound as the story progresses, and they hit a crescendo in a scene of utter ferocity that's violent and intense.
”
—Kirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE EDGE OF DEATH:
“
A deftly written masterwork
in the medical thriller genre, author John Benedict's
The Edge of Death
is the riveting sequel to his earlier novel
Adrenaline
and very highly recommended reading.”
— Midwest Book Review,
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
“Soul Satisfying!!!
Another inspired book by Dr. Benedict! The book surpassed all my anticipations and took me to the realm of an incredible combination of scientific learning and mysticism.
I adore the way the book ends with that veiled promise of there being more to follow!!!
All in all, a MUST NEVER MISS magnificent book!
I would recommend everyone to read it.
Thank you, Dr. Benedict. I look forward to your next book,
Fatal Complications
with a tremendous amount of eagerness.”
—Uma I. Van Roosenbeek
Breathtaking!
Once started, there is no way you can put this book down! Suspenseful to the max, this medical thriller is tightly paced and takes your breath away. With a supernatural twist, it keeps you thinking. This book made it all the way to Germany and you can tell that this author knows what he is talking about when he takes the reader to the OR or ICU - since he is an anesthesiologist himself. So be sure not to miss this exciting medical thriller and Dr. Benedict’s debut work:
Adrenaline
! These books can definitely be placed in a row with Tess Gerritsen or Patricia Cornwell.
Five Stars!
—U. John
“Absolutely brilliant!
We do put a lot of trust in our medical care providers. How far will technology go in the future to sustain life? This book kept me on the edge.”
—Sharese Reese
Top-Notch Medical Thriller!
As in his first book,
Adrenaline
, the author takes several subplots and connects them to bring you the full story in the end. The story is excellently written, with lots of action and a few “nail-biting” moments. The characters are well-developed, from bad guy Nick Chandler, to underdog Chip Allison, to creepy Frankenstein-ish Dr. Mueller, to
Adrenaline
alumni Doug Landry.
Oh, and an ending that you’ll never see coming!
The Edge of Death
gets 5 well-deserved stars!
—Kristen Chandler
Heart-pounding Medical Thriller!
Oh my gosh, I got caught up in this book so fast, I just hated to put it down to get other things done. This was a page-turner from beginning to end as it kept me guessing and visualizing every scene and character. This fabulous book gets you thinking about and looking at people with near death experiences differently. Dr. Landry and his wife Laura along with Chip and Kristin go through one horrific ordeal after another in this spine-tingling tale. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers, especially medical ones.
Hope there’s another novel coming soon from the brilliant John Benedict!
—PammySue
By John Benedict
Adrenaline
The Edge of Death
(sequel to
Adrenaline
)
Fatal Complications
(coming: December 2014)
Copyright © 2013
John Benedict
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other, except for brief quotations in printed reviews—without prior permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN# 1-56315-355-6
Library of Congress # 2004109498
ISBN# 1484897528
EAN# 9781484897522
Cover Design: Jonah Lloyd
Cover Art: Jonah Lloyd
To my dearest wife,
Lou Ann,
whose constant love and support
continually transform my dreams into reality
.
EXCERPT FROM THE EDGE OF DEATH:
CHAPTER ONE
“Shit! Don’t give me any bullshit!” said Dr. Mike Carlucci under his breath, as his gaze locked on the unusual rhythm displayed on the EKG monitor. His warning was meant mostly for his patient, Mr. Rakovic, who was scheduled to undergo an arthroscopy of his right knee. Mike’s plea was also directed at God, just in case he was listening, and at the monitor itself to cover all bases. Mike didn’t expect a reply from any of them. Mr. Rakovic was deeply unconscious with an endotracheal tube sprouting from his mouth. Mike had just induced general anesthesia and was preparing to fill out his chart when the trouble began.
Mike stared grimly at the potentially lethal dysrhythmia known as ventricular tachycardia, or V-tach, and felt the first raw edge of fear scrape lightly across his nerves. It occurred to him that he had never actually seen V-tach during a routine induction in his six years at Mercy Hospital, or during any induction for that matter. It was something that happened in the case reports, not in
real life. He wondered if Doug Landry, his best friend and colleague, had ever seen it.
