Type of book you'll ignore the airplane movie to read.

books:


	• The First Patient Michael Palmer St. Martin's Press, 2008 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 43 reviews view larger image
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"...the powers and duties of his office"

There is so much of interest in the field of medicine that it seems a shame to use an obscure element in a medical thriller. Nanotechnology (I don't think that's a spoiler) is on the sensational end of medicine: real but not in our everyday medical lexicon. Yet Michael Palmer used it as his "hook" in The First Patient, and used it effectively.

Palmer's smooth style brought me straight into the story. Gabe Singleton, a Wyoming doctor, was a Naval Academy roommate of Andrew Stoddard who is now the President of the United States. Stoddard pays a visit to Gabe and persuades him to come to Washington as the President's personal physician after the previous holder of that position vanished. Another man might see this as a good career move but Gabe has his "baggage" and goes only as a favor to his friend.

Things get ugly fast when the President has what seems to be a psychotic episode; temporary, but not his first. The twenty-fifth amendment to the constitution is waved about (rules of succession should the president be incapacitated). That night someone tries to kill Gabe at a traffic light. Something's rotten in the state of Denmark and Gabe is determined to puzzle it out. There are two beautiful women, horses, impressive real estate, Washington intrigue, ideology in politics.

Michael Palmer always delivers great writing and a brisk pace. His characters are well drawn: the good guys a little flawed, the bad guys wearing a veneer (in some cases very thin) of civility. My personal preference in a medical thriller is that it be grounded a bit more firmly in the plausible, but this book delivers the goods and is sure to please readers far and wide. Four stars, and it would have been four and a half if I had enjoyed the political overtones more. Recommended for a beach read or a rainy night.

Linda Bulger, 2008

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Spellbinding Plot

The First Patient is a page turner with twists and turns along the way.
Michael Palmer has done it again. You won't be disappointed with this book.

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Type of book you'll ignore the airplane movie to read.

I confess I'm a sucker for unique thriller concepts, particularly when they involve the white house and president. This one - someone is trying to hurt the president - and he brings in his old friend to be his personal Doctor to protect him - was just that. And Michael Palmer executes upon it wonderfully. Tying in clever dialogue, nano-technology (something those Chrichton fans will remember from a more thorough look in his novelPrey) a few secrets, plenty of twist and of course plenty of potential enemies - this is a thoroughly enjoyable, thriller.

Fast-paced, twists and turns and a big-over-the-top ending (some may find way over the top - I did, but it didn't make the novel any less enjoyable to me.) wrap the whole thing up.

For those that like deep complex character development and tragedy - this isn't the book for you. For those that usually enjoy Robin Cook or are a previous fan of Michael Palmer - you won't be dissappointed.

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great plot fell short

I have read most of Palmer's books and found them to be much more exciting than the 'First Patient'. The story line and the characters were appropriate but they were never developed to the point you thought you knew them. Palmer kept endlessly repeating and referring to the tragedy the First Doctor suffered while at the Naval Academy, but never really expanded on it. When there was good action, it started suddenly and ended too quickly.
I wanted to know more about the 'farm' and the missing doctor, the hit squad and other scenes.
Most of all who could believe the secret location of the final scene. Don't you think that would be visible and out of place to normal observation.

I wanted more.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

From the blockbuster, New York Times bestselling author comes a high-concept, high-octane thriller at the crossroads of presidential politics and cutting-edge medicine. . . .

Gabe Singleton and Andrew Stoddard were roommates at the Naval Academy in Annapolis years ago. Today, Gabe is a country doctor and his friend Andrew has gone from war hero to governor to President of the United States. One day, while the United States is embroiled in a bitter presidential election campaign, Marine One lands on Gabe?s Wyoming ranch, and President Stoddard delivers a disturbing revelation and a startling request. His personal physician has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, and he desperately needs Gabe to take the man?s place. Despite serious misgivings, Gabe agrees to come to Washington. It is not until he is ensconced in the White House medical office that Gabe realizes there is strong evidence that the President is going insane. Facing a crisis of conscience?as President Stoddard?s physician, he has the power to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment to transfer presidential power to the Vice President?Gabe uncovers increasing evidence that his friend?s condition may not be due to natural causes.

Who? Why? And how? The President?s life is at stake. A small-town doctor suddenly finds himself in the most powerful position on earth, and the safety of the world is in jeopardy. Gabe Singleton must find the answers, and the clock is ticking. . . .

With Michael Palmer?s trademark medical details, and steeped in meticulous political insider knowledge, The First Patient is an unforgettable story of suspense.

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