Orphan
Non-series
Harry
Haines
Mayhaven Publishing (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-932278-56-7 (1932278567)
ISBN-13: 978-1-932278-56-9 (9781932278567)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $26.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): In a horrific vehicular accident twenty 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
“Orphan,” never dreaming he will play a significant
role in their daughter’s life—and 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
world’s richest horserace. They will also see the seamier
side of horseracing driven by greed.
Review:
Harry Haines crafts a novel of love, greed, and murder in Orphan, a
book so beautifully written that it should be kept near to be cherished
again.
A tragic accident has occurred on the highway to Amarillo, Texas. An
old pickup truck pulling a horse trailer with a mare and her colt
collides with a car and is overturned. The drivers are dead, and the
mare has internal damages. The colt, about two weeks old, manages to
get out of the trailer unscathed, but stays close to be with his dying
mother. Dr. Jim Bob Masterson, on his way home to his ranch in
Bushland, comes upon the wreckage. Masterson has his cattle trailer
hitched to the truck. The police on the scene recognize him and ask him
to talk the colt to his ranch for a few days until they find the
owner’s relatives. This begins the one aspect of the mystery
in this story: who actually owns the colt, a thoroughbred horse, who
Jim Bob names Orphan?
Separately, Liz Masterson, Jim Bob's daughter and aged twenty-five, is
making her starring debut in the Metropolitan Opera’s
“Madam Butterfly”. After a beautiful performance in
the first act, it is announced that she is ill and will not be able to
return for the remainder of the performance. The reason: Liz is
diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. When she is able to be brought
home she bonds with the colt and the colt with her. All is going well
for Liz until two people come demanding possession of the colt. One is
the ex-wife of the truck driver and the other a billionaire who knows
the history of Orphan. The stress of a court trial becomes too
much for Liz and her remission has reversed itself. Realizing this colt
had much to do with Liz’s health, Jim Bob fights for the
right to keep him. The judge, however, says he must be put up for
auction. How can Masterson compete with a billionaire? Or even a wife
who has a will stating the horse is hers?
Haines is brilliant in his depth of development of the characters in
Orphan. Each is brought to life in such a way that they bond with the
reader. When Liz's parents realize that, after mortgaging everything
they have to bid at auction for Orphan, they will be easily outbid by
the billionaire, it's both heartbreaking and uplifting. This family
loves, laughs, and cries together. It is a joy to read such a wonderful
story within a mystery and especially one that doesn't need to resort
to bad language or unnecessary violence to accomplish its goal. Orphan is one of the best books of the year.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Orphan and to Book Trends for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Omnimystery keywords for Orphan ...
Location(s) referenced: Texas, Kentucky.