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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780312343538
ISBN number: 0312343531
Label: St. Martin's Press
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: February 19, 2008
Publishing house: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: February 19, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 202255
Studio: St. Martin's Press
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
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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Rated by buyers 
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Gabe Singleton is a troubled doctor struggling to atone for the sins of his past. When his college friend and now president of the US Andrew Stoddard requests that Gabe become his personal physician, Gabe feels obliged to comply. What President Stoddard did not tell Gabe before making his request was that he has been having health problems which threaten his ability to lead. Gabe tries to discover what ails the president but also struggles with the moral implications of hiding his illness from the public. He ultimately unravels a conspiracy that threatens the life of the president and his own.
This was the very first Michael Palmer book I read, and I almost did not make it through it - the very first 100 pages were so slow and boring that I considered giving up on The First Patient. However, based on the blurb from Bill Clinton on the book's cover I decided to muddle through. I am glad I did - the pace picks up considerably throughout the duration of the book, and it was difficult to put down after the very first half or so. Although the medical technology described in the book ultimately seems far-fetched, the pacing of the story makes it forgivable... assuming you make it past the very first 100 pages.
Rated by buyers 
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I loved the story and the descriptive writing. I felt like I was in the story. And the ending was surprising. Just want I needed in a suspense.
Rated by buyers 
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The plot of The First Patient is not exactly new, power and money hungry bad guys attempting to manipulate the political machine with advanced technology, yet the viewpoint is different and is told with stylized, elegant writing much superior to other medical thrillers. It was with great zeal that I purchased this book having read every book by physician Michael Palmer, and like his other books, I read this lengthy and involved story in a short time, being unable to put it down. It is a hyper charged but intelligent read that moves quickly, yet thoughtfully to the very end.
Some of the story and the ending were rather predictable, and the romantic relationship of the protagonists was almost eye-rolling in its suddenness and its sappy presentation, yet somehow the scholarly science and the well-written descriptions made up for some of the short comings of the basic story. Some of the implausibility of the White House's lax in security might have seemed ridiculous had not the events of a recent administration occurred. Still, much of it simply did not make sense in light of the strict regiment generally surrounding the President of the United States.
Many medical stories seem to lack in character development, making the reader unable to connect with the unrealistic people being portrayed. In the hands of author Michael Palmer however, this book has real people with real problems, creating an inclusive read for the multitude of classes that exist in our culture. Especially enjoyable were the medical situations presented, the drug descriptions, and the one-time futuristic but now currently experimented nanotechnology.
Based on the energy and the writing style, I am able to recommend this book at 4 stars but am cautioning other readers of medical thrillers that the plot is not completely original. Aside from the basic story, this was a page-turner that made me feel both educated and emotionally involved from the beginning to the end.
Rated by buyers -
I really enjoyed this book immensely. It is a book that I could not put down. I like his style of writing kind of like John Grisham but in medical not legal format. I like medical thrillers and this is one of the best by far. Palmer simply does it every time. Enjoy!!
Rated by buyers -
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 very 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.
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