Sledgehammer

Paulo J. Reyes
Virtual Word Publishing (2005)
ISBN 0977138704
Reviewed by Kelley Anderson for Reader Views (8/06)

An emergency room doctor with a history in infectious disease and connections above and beyond the hospital board, has what it takes to diagnose and prevent a U.S. smallpox pandemic.

Although very well written, Sledgehammer is thick on facts and ideas and slim on suspense. Having been an LPN, I understood most of the medical jargon that packs the book from cover to cover, but anyone with less medical knowledge wouldn't understand a lot of the terminology and anyone with more, wouldn't enjoy the book. Also, the romance was open ended. I would have liked to have seen the doctor and nurse either have a lot more feelings for each other or keep it strictly professional. It seems they just teased at the possibility of feelings and never really decided one way or another.

The one bright spot is that Dr. Reyes is an excellent writer and put the word together in an incredible way. With a solid storyline that is more thoroughly developed, he could write a book that would easily be a best seller. I would like to read a longer book of his to see if the quality showed through.

“Sledgehammer” is a light, quick read that leaves you wondering what would really happen if small pox would walk through an emergency room door in Anytown, USA. Would any of the doctors be able to detect it or would it spiral out of control and devastate the population?

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