Monday, May 12, 2008

The First Patient by Michael Palmer--Book Review



The First Patient by Michael Palmer is an outstanding, exciting thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from the very first page.

Years ago, Andrew (Drew) Stoddard and Gabe Singleton were roommates at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Then their lives took very different directions. Drew became a war hero, a governor, and soon President of the United States. Gabe ended up a country doctor living on a ranch in Wyoming, surviving various addictions as he lives with the fact that he killed a woman and her unborn child while driving drunk one night; an accident that sent him to prison.

When Drew and Marine One touch down on Gabe's ranch, Gabe learns that the president's personal physician has mysteriously disappeared and Drew wants Gabe to temporarily replace him. Not without reservations, Gabe agrees to go to Washington...but nothing could prepare him for the mess he dropped into.

While Drew is embroilled in a tight race for reelection, he might also be going insane; and Gabe will have to make the decision whether or not to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment.

If you enjoy thrillers filled with suspense, mystery, action, and some political wrangling, then The First Patient is a must read.

Palmer is a master storyteller, weaving the reader through plot twists that lead her to believe everyone is a suspect, but knowing she must decipher the evidence to find out who is really responsible. A story full of lies, cover ups, and shocking addictions, Palmer's characters truly bring this novel to life: the war hero, turned governor, and now president; the Naval Academy student whose life takes a new direction after a tragic accident he can never forget; an overly protective father, and a virtual garden variety of special agents and operatives create an all too realistic of politics at its best...and its worst.

The First Patient is a satsifying, suspense-filled story of dynamic proportions that will thrill you up to its shocking end.


Title: The First Patient
Author: Michael Palmer
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN-10: 0-312-34353-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-34353-8
U.S. Price $25.95

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