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The First Patient
by
Michael Palmer (Goodreads Author)
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
...moreHardcover, 384 pages
Published
February 19th 2008
by St. Martin's Press
(first published 2004)
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I've been flying so much lately that I've had an unusually large amount of time to read. But, traveling a lot also means less time to stay organized and plan my reading list. This combination of factors has resulted in me desperately picking up a lot of books not normally found on my shelf because I unexpectedly finished, forgot or lost my "intentional" book. In this case, I'm certainly not complaining. The First Patient was totally captivating. Now, it was also poorly edited (th...more
Beeka
added it
POTUS (President of United States) has chosen Gabe Singleton as his new personal physician, his best friend and college roommate, after his original physician disappeared. The president is in great danger as rumors about his mental health tears the area for a search of truth, Gabe has to find out what is causing Andrew Stoddard's episodes. Episodes of hallucinations and strange behaviors that cannot be explained by anything medically. As the truth unfolds, Gabe realizes the danger his best fr...more
What if.... The United States had the best President in years. What if....the economy, stock market, social security, etc., were in great shape and the future looked better than ever.
What if...this same President, in a bid for reelection is showing signs of mental disorder and those closest to him are trying to hide this from the public.
Andrew Stokddard may be just about the best President the United States has seen in years, but is showing signs of a mental disorder. T...more
What if...this same President, in a bid for reelection is showing signs of mental disorder and those closest to him are trying to hide this from the public.
Andrew Stokddard may be just about the best President the United States has seen in years, but is showing signs of a mental disorder. T...more
Summary: 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 mysterio...more
His personal physician has suddenly and mysterio...more
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Liz
rated it
Recommends it for:
james patterson fans
Recommended to Liz by:
alison cardone (stepmom)
Shelves:
mystery-suspense
Let me just say this book was very predictable.
Gabe Singleton a doctor from Wyoming is visited by his best friend/the President of the US to come be his personal doctor in the White House. Andrew Stoddard's previous doctor has mysteriously disappeared.
When Gabe gets to the White House, he notices there is something seriously wrong with the President. Numerous attacks of psychosis have occurred and Gabe is determined to set out to find out what is causing these. He le...more
Gabe Singleton a doctor from Wyoming is visited by his best friend/the President of the US to come be his personal doctor in the White House. Andrew Stoddard's previous doctor has mysteriously disappeared.
When Gabe gets to the White House, he notices there is something seriously wrong with the President. Numerous attacks of psychosis have occurred and Gabe is determined to set out to find out what is causing these. He le...more
The story began with the President of the United States, Andrew “Drew” Stoddard, calling for the help of an old friend, Dr. Gabe Singleton. The President’s previous personal doctor had disappeared and Gabe was the only person he could really trust.
Reluctantly, Gabe accepted the offer. After arriving at the White House,before he even had an opportunity to settle in, he discovered the President wasn't OK. For the past three months, the President had four psychological episodes. Dr. Fe...more
Reluctantly, Gabe accepted the offer. After arriving at the White House,before he even had an opportunity to settle in, he discovered the President wasn't OK. For the past three months, the President had four psychological episodes. Dr. Fe...more
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One day I found myself at the library, unprepared... I didn't have a single book I went there to check out, so I found myself going slowly through the aisles looking for something to read. After a while, I stumbled upon this book by Michael Palmer. Having had a great experience with him in the past (see The Fifth Vial), I decided, why not? and I checked it out. I don't know why I didn't like this book so much. I mean, I guess the story was interesting (the President's health is in danger and...more
3.0 out of 5 stars where are the really good medical thrillers now?, July 19, 2008
This review is from: The First Patient (Hardcover)
OK first off I am a nurse. Also I have been an editor for a publishing company that produces medical and allied health materials.
I LOVE medical stuff.
This book fell so short -- it was like they gave you a cool premise and then spend 100 pages with background junk and a little paragraph or two about nanotechnology and how heroic and m...more
This review is from: The First Patient (Hardcover)
OK first off I am a nurse. Also I have been an editor for a publishing company that produces medical and allied health materials.
I LOVE medical stuff.
This book fell so short -- it was like they gave you a cool premise and then spend 100 pages with background junk and a little paragraph or two about nanotechnology and how heroic and m...more
I read The Fifth Vial and loved it so picked this one up when it came in at the library. Oh so different....only in books can 2 people fall in love with one look while being chased by the bad guys and ...well I won't spoil the story but all I can say is as much as I loved a previous title (and others) by this author, I would not recommend this one.
Not my favorite of Michael Palmer's books. I must have been in a bad mood while I was reading it. Usually his books have more medical details (which I missed) and a more obvious political agenda (which I'm glad was not so prevalent). I guessed right from the beginning one of the "surprises" revealed at the end of the book--seemed a bit obvious. I did enjoy the White House setting, but I didn't connect so much with the main character. Like I said, I must have been in a bad mood when I r...more
Insipid. By using a one word review, I've essentially matched the amount of time and effort the author put into this novel. Between the simplistic writing style, the "medical suspense" that was no more than taking a Michael Crichton plot and dumbing it down immensely, and a love story that can most easily be described as nauseating, I have no reason to recommend this book in any way other than it was a very fast 500 pages...could have been like a kid being served cauliflower and to...more
Another fine vacation book; I finished this one on the way home from Vegas. It was fun to read a political thriller (endorsed by former president Bill Clinton <insert as many exclamation points as you deem necessary>) with medical/science elements included. The foreshadowing and reminders of the various plot threads were applied with a sledgehammer and far too frequently for my taste, and I'm clearly not the target audience for the science bits. It was impossible for me to believe that...more
I really enjoy the medical thrillers by Robin Cook and Michael Palmer. They're a bit farfetched, but thought provoking since medicine and the other sciences are fraught with ethical issues these days. This one's hero is a Wyoming physician called in to sub for the President of the United States' physician, who has mysteriously disappeared. The President and his temporary physician are longtime friends. There are some real surprises and the story is exciting and involving, though of course fa...more
Unfortunately, a co-worker had hyped this book up to me so much that it could never have lived up to it. I liked it, but didn't love it. It was my first Michael palmer, and I do think I will try another one.
This book was a little convoluted at times but over all it had an interesting premise. The President is having episodes which technically make him unfit to make decision so the 25th Amendment should come into play and the Vice President should take over. However through various tests and other wild things the Dr. finds out the president is being 'poisoned' so to speak. The Dr. then has to go into hiding for fear of his life and the president brings in his college roommate also a Dr. to take over...more
I needed a lighter, quick read after finishing a 900+ page book and this one was handy. I have read Michael Palmer books and found them enjoyable and interesting. This one fit the bill. It's is a mystery/thriller involving the president's personal physician, a Wyoming rancher/doctor who was the president's college room-mate and a plot to discredit the president. While not great literature, it was interesting - both the insights into medical coverage of the president and some of the issues of nan...more
Dorothy
rated it
Recommends it for:
readers of cloak and dagger books
Recommended to Dorothy by:
My book club
The First Patient is just another politically based cloak and dagger thriller. The main characters are the President, Andrew Stoddard, better known as POTUS and his old time classmate at the Naval Academy,
Gabe Singleton. They are bound together by their mutual interests, their experiences as young men, and an accident that happened during their youthful drinking days.
Time has passed. Drew is now the President of the United States. Gabe has become a country doctor back i...more
Gabe Singleton. They are bound together by their mutual interests, their experiences as young men, and an accident that happened during their youthful drinking days.
Time has passed. Drew is now the President of the United States. Gabe has become a country doctor back i...more
This is the first book by this author that I have read.
It was a good story, with medical information that I enjoyed learning about. The author is himself, a physician.
As a medical thriller, I enjoyed the mystery, action, and the political insider information, you find in this book.
'The First Patient' is the story of the US President, his physician, and the crisis' that occur around them both.
I liked the book, and will read other's by this author.
(This book was even ...more
It was a good story, with medical information that I enjoyed learning about. The author is himself, a physician.
As a medical thriller, I enjoyed the mystery, action, and the political insider information, you find in this book.
'The First Patient' is the story of the US President, his physician, and the crisis' that occur around them both.
I liked the book, and will read other's by this author.
(This book was even ...more
Good adventure & suspense. Idealistic president is in danger from mysterious person or persons using the latest nanotechnology. His best friend becomes his personal physician & the center of much of the intrigue. The science is scary with its implications for our lives today & in the near future. Fast moving yarn which asks you to suspend credibility in many areas with a few twists & turns to keep it interesting. Science fiction, conspiracy, politics, even a little romance, good vs. evil - great...more
Not sure who recommended this book, but I'm sure glad they did. I've read other books by Palmer which I didn't enjoy as much. But this one was very good! It was almost like an episode of CSI, except the victim is still alive. In this book the president's personal doctor goes missing and the president is suffering from occasional bouts of incoherency. The president's good friend, who is a doctor, is asked to come in and take his place. Everything goes down hill from there. I did notice that the b...more
Another pageturner from Michael Palmer. Not as medically-driven as some of his earlier books, The First Patient adds political intrigue and nanotechnology to the mix here. With echoes of Michael Crichton, The First Patient is a fast paced thriller about President Drew Stoddard and his college friend Gabe, now a doctor in the West. Drew hires Gabe as his personal physician after his current official doctor disappears during a presidential health crisis (and a reelection campaign). Conspiracie...more
A medical/thriller/mystery, this is one of the best fiction books I've read in a loooong time. Dr. Gabe Singleton is persuaded by his old college friend Drew Stoddard (who happens to be the President) to become his personal physician. What the good doctor doesn't know until a few days into his new job is that The Prez just happens to be having periodic, brief periods of insanity! But caused by whom?? A nail-biting plot that kept me guessing who the villain was, with short James Patterson-type ch...more
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 momen...more
Title: The First Patient
Author: Michael Palmer
Date Finished: July 30, 2008
Pages: 384
Before reading this book, I had not heard anything about Nanotechnology, but found myself very intrigued as the story progressed. Not being very medical savvy, this book opened my eyes to something new that I would consider to be a topic of sensational medical research.
A definition from the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology lists: "Nanotechnology is the engineeri...more
Author: Michael Palmer
Date Finished: July 30, 2008
Pages: 384
Before reading this book, I had not heard anything about Nanotechnology, but found myself very intrigued as the story progressed. Not being very medical savvy, this book opened my eyes to something new that I would consider to be a topic of sensational medical research.
A definition from the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology lists: "Nanotechnology is the engineeri...more
A really fast-paced thriller with many twists and turns. Quite an unexpected ending too! I read this book in one day and couldn't wait to see how it all came out in the end. Has all the elements to keep a reader engaged and interested right through. Not as predictable as some of the other thrillers. Introduces up to date technology and so may conspiracies. One can also learn about the inner circle of the President and how business is run at that office. I will certainly read more books by this ...more
Andrea Larson
added it
Two friends in college reconnect after one becomes president and the other is a small town doctor. The president needs a new personal physician because his has disappeared without a trace. The doctor soon realizes that his friend, the president, needs more than a physical doctor as his mental state is questionable as well. The doctor, then, must solve the mystery of the original physician and what's causing the president to appear to be losing his mind. Surprise ending makes it extra good.
Often times a suspense novel is unbelievable, but we lay aside our disbelief and enjoy it nonetheless. Unfortunately, The First Patient has all the impossibilities but none of the thrill or smarts that usually keeps us turning the pages. The characters are flat and unengaging. The protagonist's troubled past is cliche and his romance lacks spark.The bad guys are just who you think they are and the good guys are too dull to carry the predictable plot. With so many entertaining thrillers available...more
Not bad, medical mystery. In this one the First Patient is the President of the United States who has just had to replace his personal physician because the previous one has disappeared. He actually chooses a former classmate of his who finds that the President has not been altogether honest with him and had not told him of his mysterious illness which was undiagnosed by the former physician. Are the disappearance and the illness linked? That's what the new doc thinks.
This was another book I listened to because Phil Gigante was the narrator. I've never read/listened to a Michael Palmer book before. I liked it for the most part because he injected a lot of humorous dialogue into it. The story itself was pretty interesting, though the science part of it was a little iffy to me.
I liked the main character, though the twist at the end was pretty predictable. It was still an enjoyable listen.
I liked the main character, though the twist at the end was pretty predictable. It was still an enjoyable listen.
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Michael Palmer, M.D., is the author of the forthcoming A Heartbeat Away (2011), The Last Surgeon, The First Patient, The Fifth Vial, The Society, Fatal, The Patient, Miracle Cure, Critical Judgment, Silent Treatment, Natural Causes, Extreme Measures, Flashback, Side Effects, and The Sisterhood. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages. He trained in internal medicine at Boston Cit...more
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