| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
'An exciting thriller that is full of surprises and captures the intense atmosphere of the White House. I thoroughly enjoyed it.' - Bill Clinton
Product Description
Two helicopters disrupt the peace of Dr Gabe Singleton's remote Wyoming ranch. From one of them strides the President of the United States with startling news - and a stunning request which will turn Gabe's quiet life upside down.
President Stoddard's personal physician has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, and he needs Gabe to take the man's place. Reluctantly, Gabe agrees - but soon he discovers that critical details concerning the President's health have been kept from him...
Suspecting that the President's worsening condition may not be due to natural causes, Gabe sets out to uncover who is behind his mysterious illness. But the more questions he asks, the more Gabe seems to be putting himself in danger...
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When the premise of a novel is `what if the President of the United States were mentally incompetent?' you have to wonder where the author has been for the last 7 years.
Michael Palmer's latest tale is a blend of medical mystery and political thriller. The story is a throwback to the outlandish plots of James Bond and The Man from Uncle, but without the tongue-in-cheek humour. In fact, Palmer's attempts at humour are a weak point. When the President says his dog is "strong as a tiger, wise as an owl..." etc, the hero says, "Maybe you should have named him Simile" which causes the President to laugh out loud. And that's about as funny as the jokes get, I'm afraid. But the book does have action and suspense (plus a dash of pedophilia and the torture of a woman, which some readers would be more comfortable without).
Readers of genre fiction like plenty of authenticity, as it gives them the excuse that their escapist reading is educational, and Palmer obliges with regular doses of medical facts. These do not always flow with the narrative and can be intrusive. But the writing is good enough and the story has pace and flair. This is not great literature and does not pretend to be. So if you are looking for a light read, are not perturbed by the above-mentioned torture, etc, and are prepared to believe the unbelievable, you might give this a try.
Michael Palmer's latest tale is a blend of medical mystery and political thriller. The story is a throwback to the outlandish plots of James Bond and The Man from Uncle, but without the tongue-in-cheek humour. In fact, Palmer's attempts at humour are a weak point. When the President says his dog is "strong as a tiger, wise as an owl..." etc, the hero says, "Maybe you should have named him Simile" which causes the President to laugh out loud. And that's about as funny as the jokes get, I'm afraid. But the book does have action and suspense (plus a dash of pedophilia and the torture of a woman, which some readers would be more comfortable without).
Readers of genre fiction like plenty of authenticity, as it gives them the excuse that their escapist reading is educational, and Palmer obliges with regular doses of medical facts. These do not always flow with the narrative and can be intrusive. But the writing is good enough and the story has pace and flair. This is not great literature and does not pretend to be. So if you are looking for a light read, are not perturbed by the above-mentioned torture, etc, and are prepared to believe the unbelievable, you might give this a try.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you're going to write a novel about underdeveloped characters making one flawed decision after another in less than credible circumstances, you'd better be able to tell a great story. Luckily, Michael Palmer is able to do just that, making The First Patient an entertaining thriller that works well despite its rather obvious flaws. This is my first Michael Palmer novel, so I can't compare this one to the author's list of past medical thrillers, but I can say that there was never a single moment in this one that I forgot I was reading a work of fiction; i.e., I was never completely drawn in to the drama. On a number of occasions, all I could do was smirk, shake my head, and keep reading because I knew that characters in such a situation would never do what these just did.
Gabe Singleton is a most unlikely choice for a U.S. President's personal doctor. Haunted by a drunk driving accident that killed an innocent young woman and her unborn child, got him drummed out of the Naval Academy, and bought him a five-year stay in prison, Gabe somehow got in to a medical school and has tried to compensate for his past wrongs by saving lives as a doctor. He's more than happy on his ranch in Wyoming - but he can't turn down his old friend, President Andrew Stoddard, when he flies in out of the blue, explains that his personal physician has disappeared, and asks Gabe to take his place. In and around Washington, there are rumors that the President's mental dinghy has struck a leak - and Gabe soon learns why, after seeing the President in the throes of an obvious mental episode. Suddenly, he finds himself in the difficult position of determining whether or not this man, currently engaged in a spirited reelection campaign - not to mention his own good friend - has the mental capacity to retain his job as the most powerful man in the world.
Gabe can't turn around without running into a dark secret or conspiracy - starting with his still-missing predecessor and his obvious interest in nanotechnology. In order to save the President, Gabe's going to have to save himself first, as he is targeted for murder in his own right. With no one to trust, not even the pretty nurse who may or may not be who she claims to be, Gabe has to somehow find his inner James Bond if he's ever going to get to the bottom of the high-level conspiracy threatening to destroy and very likely assassinate the President of the United States.
As far as the medical part of this medical thriller goes, the whole nanotechnology bit just doesn't take you all that far. My real problem with the novel, though, comes down to the issue of credibility. I obviously can't delineate all of the specific plot points here, but suffice it to say that all of the main characters make decisions I found less than credible. I had "you must be kidding" reactions to many a plot point, especially toward the end. That ending did hold a couple of real surprises, but they felt quite forced to me - I certainly had no regrets over not seeing such things coming because I think Palmer just threw them in there without having lain any sort of foundation for their sudden existence in the book's closing pages. Ultimately, while I did enjoy reading this fast-paced thriller, I can't say I was all that impressed by it.
Gabe Singleton is a most unlikely choice for a U.S. President's personal doctor. Haunted by a drunk driving accident that killed an innocent young woman and her unborn child, got him drummed out of the Naval Academy, and bought him a five-year stay in prison, Gabe somehow got in to a medical school and has tried to compensate for his past wrongs by saving lives as a doctor. He's more than happy on his ranch in Wyoming - but he can't turn down his old friend, President Andrew Stoddard, when he flies in out of the blue, explains that his personal physician has disappeared, and asks Gabe to take his place. In and around Washington, there are rumors that the President's mental dinghy has struck a leak - and Gabe soon learns why, after seeing the President in the throes of an obvious mental episode. Suddenly, he finds himself in the difficult position of determining whether or not this man, currently engaged in a spirited reelection campaign - not to mention his own good friend - has the mental capacity to retain his job as the most powerful man in the world.
Gabe can't turn around without running into a dark secret or conspiracy - starting with his still-missing predecessor and his obvious interest in nanotechnology. In order to save the President, Gabe's going to have to save himself first, as he is targeted for murder in his own right. With no one to trust, not even the pretty nurse who may or may not be who she claims to be, Gabe has to somehow find his inner James Bond if he's ever going to get to the bottom of the high-level conspiracy threatening to destroy and very likely assassinate the President of the United States.
As far as the medical part of this medical thriller goes, the whole nanotechnology bit just doesn't take you all that far. My real problem with the novel, though, comes down to the issue of credibility. I obviously can't delineate all of the specific plot points here, but suffice it to say that all of the main characters make decisions I found less than credible. I had "you must be kidding" reactions to many a plot point, especially toward the end. That ending did hold a couple of real surprises, but they felt quite forced to me - I certainly had no regrets over not seeing such things coming because I think Palmer just threw them in there without having lain any sort of foundation for their sudden existence in the book's closing pages. Ultimately, while I did enjoy reading this fast-paced thriller, I can't say I was all that impressed by it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really like to read books that are credible and this is total fantasy with things happening in the White House that just could never be believed. Having said that it is still difficult to put down which goes a lot in his favour. I havent read his other books but will probably try one in the hope that it is in the real world.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
