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Fiction in the dictionary is described as a story not based on reality but invented and fashioned to entertain or deceive. This definition fits perfectly with the description of the fiction thriller, Sledgehammer, (Published by Virtual Word Publishing - http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com). Sledgehammer is packed with all the ingredients of a good fiction book: imagination, suspense, and a terrific plot with plenty of action, but deceiving enough to leave you wondering, 'Could it happen today?'

The story unfolds in a Los Angeles hospital's emergency room, where a patient appears with flu-like symptoms. The book's lead character, Max Kroose, an intuitive emergency room physician, suspects smallpox and determines terrorists are to blame for the attack. Kroose fears an onset of the more lethal form of smallpox, Sledgehammer Smallpox, which kills within days. To save the hospital and the nation, Kroose first must convince the hospital's top officials and the government of the imminent threat, thereby stopping the epidemic.

In Sledgehammer you journey through the massive panic of outbreak, the initial diagnosis, the realization that smallpox could spread to malls, sporting arenas, and airports, and the rush to find a cure. It's a plot that draws you to each page to see what happens next.

Author Dr. Paulo J. Reyes, an ER doctor and First Responder in Los Angeles, brings the book its startling reality with the help of his 25 years of medical experience, his First Responder training for terrorist's attacks, and his extensive research on smallpox. Reyes supports voluntary smallpox vaccinations because this once dead disease's is present in certain laboratories, making it available for a possible terrorist threat. The Centers for Disease Control itself considers smallpox one of the possible agents of a bioterrorist attack.

Fiction and science fiction buffs will love this action-packed drama, plot and characters, as you yearn for the cure, and a way to stop the terrorists. Also, because of the emergency room setting and focus on detail, those who love a great ER drama on TV will enjoy this book as well. Sledgehammer (ISBN # 097713870-4) is 200 pages of great reading and is available at Virtual Word Publishing's site, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com, Amazon, and leading online bookstores.