The First Patient

When Gabe Singleton's old friend asks him for a favor, the Wyoming doctor readily agrees. But the old friend just happens to be the President of the United States, and the favor he asks plunges Singleton into mortal danger.

This intense thriller features good pacing and good characterization, but loses points with its ending, which has an Ultimate Villain who -- while definitely a surprise -- seems to have fuzzy motivations, and the wrap-it-all-up resolution is a bit too slick to be credible.

THE FIRST PATIENT should come with a warning label, because it grabs you and refuses to let go. If you’re familiar with Michael Palmer’s unique writing voice, then you already know to clear time for this fast-paced medical thriller.

In his latest book, Palmer takes the most complicated of topics, nanotechnology, and weaves it in to a modern-day suspense story with live bodiless brains and an underground, secret lab. Throughout the story, the logical part of my mind was screaming this couldn’t happen in real life. All the while, the other part of me wondered if it could. The end result had me believing it’s a very real possibility.

The story opens with the President of the United States, Andrew “Drew” Stoddard, enlisting the show more aid of an old friend, Dr. Gabe Singleton. The President’s previous physician has disappeared and he needs someone he can trust.

Reluctantly, Gabe accepts the job. After arriving at the White House, but before settling in, he discovers the President isn’t well. For the past three months, the President has had four mysterious episodes resembling a seizure. Dr. Ferendelli had been working on the mystery when he disappeared and now Gabe is left with this responsibility. With pressure to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment, Gabe is in a race against time to find out what’s causing this mystery illness.

Before he can get answers, an attempt is made on his life. He’s rescued by a nurse, Alison Cromartie, who’s actually working for the Secret Service. A step closer to the truth is a step closer to danger. Uncovering the truths will also shed light on an accident that happened many years ago when Gabe and Drew were in the navel academy. It’s hard to tell who will live and who will die until the last chapter. One thing is for certain, nothing will be the same again for the President or his physician when the dust settles.

Note: A raffle of this book will be raffled at http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com. show less

Gabe and Drew were once college roommates back at Annapolis. Now one of them is a small-town doctor and the other is President of the United States. When Gabe gets a call saying he’s needed in Washington, he comes. But things quickly spiral out of control. Drew has been experiencing mysterious medical attacks, a fact which has been kept from the public, and no one can figure out the cause. Worse, Gabe believes someone may be out to harm him.

This book started out somewhat slowly at first, however at about 20% into it, things began to really pick up and the pieces began coming together into a very interesting medical thriller. Michael Palmer has a medical background and the level of detail in his books is wonderfully done. I really show more enjoyed the combination of presidential/secret service plot lines, along with the medical/technology plot lines and all the twists and turns this one threw in. show less

Dr. Gabe Singleton had been enjoying a quiet life in Wyoming, living on his ranch and working at the local hospital, but when Marine 1 landed in his pasture with his old friend and Naval Academy roommate President Drew Stoddard emerged from the helicopter Gabe's life changed completely. The president's personal physician had recently disappeared under suspicious circumstances and Drew would now like Gabe to move to Washington D.C. and take over the post at least through the upcoming election. Gabe agrees to help his friend and is soon caught up in the political intrigue of the White House, the first family and the Secret Service. Soon after his arrival Gabe is called to the president's bedroom where he is stunned to see Drew in the show more midst of a strange mentally unstable episode and he learns that this is not the first time it has happened. Gabe is reminded by several people that the 25th amendment allows for the removal of the president if it is deemed he is unfit to fulfill the duties of his office and Gabe would be the person to make the final decision. Gabe feels the terrible burden of the looming decision but does not believe that the president is suffering from a mental disease but that all indications point to the possibility Drew is being poisoned by someone close to him. Gabe will find his life, as well as Drew's, in danger from sinister men who have an agenda and will stop at nothing to succeed.

I have read many of Palmer's books in the past and have enjoyed them very much. This one, however, was so over the top that it was unvelievable. I liked Gabe's character for the most part but for a country doctor he sure can be 'James Bond' at times. I do have to admit that I did not figure out who the bad guy was and it came as quite a shock, but that, too, was very strange. Oh well, they can't all be gems. show less

Interesting combination of ideas - nanotechnology used to deliver psychoactive drugs to the unsuspecting president of the United States; a conspiracy; a Secret Service agent with a big, bad secret; a physician with a substance abuse problem and a prior conviction and prison sentence for manslaughter during a DWI. The main problem with the book is that it skims the surface of the personalities and conspiracies and technologies. When a female character is assassinated in the hospital, the reader is slightly surprised but really doesn't care. When we find out the identity of the person who twice tried to kill Dr. Singleton, the only response is, "Why is he in the story at all?" The whole story takes place over a 2-week period, and a show more character with no intelligence service training manages to evade highly trained hit men and foil well-planned plots .... leaving this reader more than once raising her eyebrows and saying, "Yeah, RIIIIIiiiiiiiiIIIGGHHT."

The characters and plot deserved a lot more depth than they were given.

HOWEVER, with that said - the book is still enjoyable. It would make a fun movie, and it's definitely a good beach read. You don't have to think very hard to keep up with the characters and plot, and there's enough action in the plot to keep you turning the pages at the end of each chapter.

Mind candy. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't expect a whole lot. show less

This was my first Michael Palmer book and I am now a new fan, looking forward to reading his other titles. In this one, someone is after the president of the U.S. and are slowly poisoning him. But who and why? The pres hires a new physician, a friend he can trust after his first MD disappears. But can his friend help him and keep him alive?

Great premise, not so great book. Personal physician to the President has to figure out why/how the president is being driven insane. Lots of political enemies and theories, but by the end I just didn't care.