The Champion Maker
Kevin Joseph
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2006 Lulu Press
ISBN: 1411668790

A genetic engineering case comes to court after the fastest man on earth fails a routine drug test.

Sr. Associate Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

The first thought that went through my mind as I finished reading The Champion Maker was: “Hey, why hasn't anybody thought of this plot sooner? It's truly one of the key issues that should have been written about at least a decade ago.”

That said The Champion Maker -- the debut work by Kevin Joseph -- the pseudonym of a former lawyer who wishes to remain unknown -- is one grand read - it's fiction totally rooted in reality.

The world of sports now means fame, business & big, big money. & each sportsman, each athlete dreams of competing & winning in International events. & sometimes the lure inveigles some athletes to take banned substances or untested drugs to gain that extra potential. But what would happen, if by genetic engineering... or rather genetic mis-engineering, we're able to create hordes of sportsmen who are truly “the perfect athlete”? They will be champions no doubt... but will they really be “human”, or should they be considered something else? It is in this background that The Champion Maker is best enjoyed and savored.

Nick Vance is a broken athlete. Years back he'd dreamed of making it big in the Olympic Games, but the US boycott of the Moscow event shattered his hopes. Since then he's sought solace in finding & promoting young talented runners. & it seems that those old dreams will finally come true, at least for one of his proteges -- Stanley “Bullet” Gardner. But does The Bullet merely posses raw talent, or is there something more to him than meets the eye?

So when Gardner fails a routine drug test, Vance feels his dreams are once again slipping away, but he's determined to set the record straight & what follows is the valiant attempt of the duo to clear The Bullet of all doping charges.

The harder they fight, the more dreadful, dirty secrets they uncover -- secrets that were better left... hidden.

The Champion Maker is an exciting courtroom drama, culminating in a finish that's not only superb, it's also thought-provoking.

Comparison with Ira Levin's 1976 The Boys From Brazil is inevitable (a thriller centered around cloning to create the next Fuhrer which was made into a creepily good movie starring Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason & Lilli Palmer) -- however, Kevin Joseph has, with superb finesse, delivered a punching thriller that combines the better elements of science fiction with impressive legal fiction.

The Champion Maker truly deserves an Olympic medal -- the gold.
(06/18/06)

Narayan
2006©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org