Jonathan Trestle is a paramedic who's spent the week a few steps behind the angel of death. When he responds to a call about a man sprawled on a downtown sidewalk, Trestle isn't about to lose another victim. CPR revives the man long enough for him to hand Trestle a crumpled piece of paper and say, "Give this to Martin," before being taken to the hospital.

The note is a series of dashes and haphazard scribbles. Trestle tries to follow up with the patient later, but at the ICU he learns the man awoke, pulled out his IVs, and vanished, leaving only a single key behind. Jonathan tracks the key to a nearby motel where he finds the man again--this time not just dead but murdered. Unwilling to just let it drop, Jonathan is plunged into a mystery that soon threatens not only his dreams for the future but maybe even his life.

Paramedic Jonathan Trestle doesn't quite to know what to do when a man who appears close to dying utters a gibberish sentence, thrusts a paper full of incomprehensible notations into his hand, and tells Jonathan to “give this to Martin.” Trying to find out more about the man, not to mention the mysterious Martin, Jonathan stumbles into a murder mystery that threatens to cut his own life short. Although it's a bit rough around the edges, Grady's novel should appeal to fans of fast-paced thrillers with a medical theme (Michael Palmer fans, for example, should do well here). The author, a firefighter and paramedic, captures the novel's milieu perfectly, although he's less surefooted when it comes to character and dialogue. Jonathan's partner, Thaddeus “Bones” McCoy, for instance, is drastically overwritten, and dialogue that's supposed to be snappy frequently comes across as clumsy. On the other hand, the plotting is solid, and the book features a strong hero, an appropriately evil villain, and a satisfying resolution. With a few more of these under his belt, Grady could become a name to know in the medical-thriller world. --David Pitt

Chase the Angel of Death and You Might Catch Him

Paramedic Jonathan Trestle has had a week of death. Every call seems to end up with someone flatlining until finally he is able to revive a disheveled patient long enough for the man to hand him a crumpled piece of paper and say, "Give this to Martin."

With the simple decision to honor a dying man's last wish, Trestle soon finds himself snared in a mystery of murder and danger. His only clue is scrap of paper covered with indecipherable dashes, but with his future, freedom, and life on the line, he must race for the truth before the Angel of Death comes calling for him.

Shawn Grady has served for more than a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in Reno, NV, where he lives with his wife and three children. Named the "Most Promising Writer" at the 2008 Mt. Hermon Writers Conference, he is the author of Through the Fire.