Adrenaline Junkies: A Paramedic Nightmare
ORLANDO, Fla. — In the high-charged, adrenaline-rush world of rescue paramedics, Jason Holt’s instincts may mean the difference between life and death. Reliving episodes from his past with uncanny clarity while preparing for a state inspection, Holt discovers a vast conspiracy connecting thousands of suspicious deaths in Adrenaline Junkies: A Paramedic Nightmare (published by AuthorHouse), the new mystery-thriller by Craig Alan Hartpence.
Holt is an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) chief paramedic for a county ambulance service during the era of the 1970s and ’80s, a time of sex, drugs and dangerous living. During an annual quality assurance review of EMS records, Holt discovers several reports — 5500 to be exact — that share an unusual connection. These were the files of healthy geriatric patients who allegedly died of natural causes during transport by the ambulance service. All the files trace back to a single individual. Holt realizes he may have stumbled into the paperwork remains of a mass grave of serial killing victims. But he needs more evidence to make the case stick.
During this nightmare adventure, Holt experiences graphic memories from his past burned into his subconscious. These visions are triggered by the adrenaline rush from emergency runs and the thrill of saving lives. Every paramedic wonders what goes through the mind of the unconscious, dying patient — not breathing, no heartbeat. Now Holt has tapped into something similar to the near-death experience. His flashes are lessons learned over an EMS career of hard knocks. He calls them “rules of engagement,” and they guide him during his investigation.
Holt pieces together circumstantial evidence that points to not one individual, but a ring of individuals involved in this crime. But it’s only a circumstantial case. He needs something to pull it all together. Will his investigation be for naught, or will he discover the final key that confirms his suspicions?
Through it all, Holt is reminded of the pitfalls and rewards, the trauma and euphoria, the rollercoaster existence of being a rescue paramedic. One final vision flashes into his mind: This is a job he can’t quit. He’s an adrenaline junkie.
Craig Alan Hartpence has lived in the Orlando, Fla. area for 50 years. Married with three grown children, he has worked as an emergency responder for more than 30 years, 28 of which he has been a state certified paramedic. Hartpence writes that he has “seen things that will curl your hair, almost breaking your spirit, because of the tragedies witnessed. Friends who die because of the risk they took and the lives saved due to rescuers numbing themselves to the horrors of the profession.” Adrenaline Junkies captures it all.
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