Shedrow

In DeLuke's lackluster debut, successful Manhattan surgeon Anthony Gianni teams up with a new business partner, gangster Chester Pawlak. Their promising race horse, Chiefly Endeavor, dies under mysterious circumstances, and Gianni realizes he's in over his head. With the young colt dead and a multimillion-dollar insurance policy on the line, everyone from Gianni to veterinarian Steven Highet becomes a suspect. But when the Mafia comes calling, Highet and Gianni must move quickly to protect their families and uncover the truth about Chiefly Endeavor's death. DeLuke takes readers from rural Kentucky through ritzy Manhattan to the poorest hospitals of St. Lucia, demonstrating significant knowledge of surgery and horse racing along the way. However, his characters are often stereotypical and easily recognized—the brutal gangster, the materialistic wife, the menacing hillbilly. While DeLuke's prose is solid and quickly paced, a lack of narrative depth precludes readers from engaging with the story and will most likely leave them feeling vaguely dissatisfied.