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Second Opinion
by
Michael Palmer (Goodreads Author)
Dr. Thea Sperelakis, diagnosed as a teen with Asperger's syndrome, has always been an outsider. She has a brilliant medical mind, and a remarkable recall of details, but her difficulty in dealing with hidden agendas and interpersonal conflicts have led her to leave the complex, money-driven dynamics of the hospital, and to embrace working with the poor, embattled pat
...moreHardcover, 384 pages
Published
February 17th 2009
by St. Martin's Press
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this book had an awesome start out of the gate. there was lots of medical jargon and occurrences, it was almost like ER or Chicago Hope (tv medical dramas). then it happened, the main character met a man and started to fall in love, which turned her into a ball of marshmallow fluff (i am using that bc i don't really like it and it's a fake substance). he was constantly wondering about having sex with the dude and what he would think about her. it really detracted from the main storyline which wa...more
Dr. Petros Sperelakis is a brillant doctor and has built the Beaumont Clinic, which may be the premier medical facility in the world. It not only boasts of the best doctors, but its nursing care is second to none.
Dr. Sperelakis is severely injured in an automobile accident and is in a comatose state. His twin children, both doctors, have opted to take him off life support. However, his other son and daughter, want a second opinion. Dimiti is eccentric and does a model mock up of ...more
Dr. Sperelakis is severely injured in an automobile accident and is in a comatose state. His twin children, both doctors, have opted to take him off life support. However, his other son and daughter, want a second opinion. Dimiti is eccentric and does a model mock up of ...more
Summary: Dr. Thea Sperelakis, diagnosed as a teen with Asperger's syndrome, has always been an outsider. She has a brilliant medical mind, and a remarkable recall of details, but her difficulty in dealing with hidden agendas and interpersonal conflicts have led her to leave the complex, money-driven dynamics of the hospital, and to embrace working with the poor, embattled patients of Doctors Without Borders. Her father, Petros, is one of the most celebrated internal medicine specialists in the w...more
This isn't a genre of book I read very often, but my parents do and my mom recommended this one to me because the main character has Asperger's Syndrome, which my son has, so it is always interesting to see media depictions of that. I saw a movie not long ago called "Adam" that was really good about a man with Asperger's Syndrome and then just last week saw the series premiere of the TV show "Parenthood," where one of the characters finds out their child has Asperger's. I t...more
This was a pretty tame medical mystery and there were moments when I'd think, "Really? She KNOWS someone is trying to kill her and she's still blowing off her mouth to the folks who are, probably, trying?" That aside, there were characters with medical conditions integral to the storyline that were interesting to learn about, to me, e.g. Asperger's Syndrome and Locked-In Syndrome. In an afterward, the author explained his family had personal experiences with Asperger's and other ...more
This was an interesting book, featuring 4 siblings, twins man and woman, an older brother very smart but while undiagnosed most likely having Asperger's Syndrome and a younger sister diagnosed with Asperger's. The father is a noted MD as are the Twins, Thea the youngest is also an MD who has been working in Africa. Dimetri, the oldest brother is a near relcuse who lives to play and develop computer games. Petros the father is severely injured in a hit and run and is in a coma. Thea who is th...more
I hate to say it, but Michael Palmer just didn't live up to his own standards on this one. Thea is a doctor with Doctors Without Borders who returns to her hometown when her father, also a doctor, is seriously injured in an auto accident. Only her brother doesn't think it was an accident. Soon Thea is asked to take over her father's practice and she accepts the offer when she decides to do a little sleuthing of her own with the help of a hospital security guard who is a former police officer....more
I was fascinated by the reaction of the main character, Dr. Thea Sperelakis, to life with Asperger's Syndrome. She comes from a family of brilliant doctors, particularly her father, but she is, perhaps the most brilliant of all of them. Having been working with Doctors Without Borders in Africa, which has been a very comfortable way of life for her, she is called home to Boston when her father is injured by a hit-and-run driver and is close to death. The situation soon becomes much more compl...more
I couldn't really get into it. Thea's father was never portrayed sympathetically, although it's possible there's just a cultural gap.
It was interesting to get into mind of someone with Asperger's syndrome.
(view spoiler)...more
It was interesting to get into mind of someone with Asperger's syndrome.
(view spoiler)...more
This is a medical thriller. Thea Sperelakis is the daughter of the founder of the Beaumont Institute, a large hospital and research center outside Boston. Her father is put into a coma by a hit-and-run driver and she returns to Boston from Africa where she works as a doctor. She gradually tries to piece together what happened. Also involved is an apparent scheme to make very rich, healthy people look sick, so they can be given an experimental anti-cancer drug. When they are miraculously cur...more
A friend recommended "2nd Opinion" because she knew that there was a relative with asbergers syndrome and thought this would help me understand it better. A mystery involving a Father (Petros) and his 4 children: older brillant son undiagnosed but probably autistic who never felt loved by family; daughter(Thea) main character, a doctor who was diagnosed as a child with asbergers who found herself while working in Africa with Docotrs without borders; and twins who are also in medical f...more
I listened to the audio version of this book, which made the characters come alive. Thea, the main character, who has Aspergers Syndrome, talks really fast and you can picture the social awkwardness caused by her condition. Her brother, Dimitri, having a related but different condition, comes across as more flighty and unfocused. Both are brilliant. Their father, a prominent physician, has been hit by a car and turns out to have Locked In Syndrome, so the reader gets a bit of an introduction...more
Since this plot featured a protagonist who is a very high-functioning physician with Asperger's, I knew it would be an interesting read. I know some of Palmer's novels are fairly formulaic, but this one did really stand out from his other novels. And at the end of the book, I realized why. He has a son with Asperger's, and it's obvious that he crafted his protagonist from the perspective of someone who is not only well-educated on the subject, but one who has been deeply affected by such a di...more
Michael Palmer's novels of medical suspense are generally fascinating, but this time he outdid himself. The heroine, an MD with Asperger's syndrome, returns to Boston after her father, an eminent Diagnostician, is seriously injured by a hit and run driver. She begins to delve into the reasons why. Among the cast of characters are her twin siblings, both of whom are MD's, her older brother who may or may not also be Asperger's, a Security Officer with whom she falls in love, assorted Doctors a...more
I like Michael Palmer. A little more involved and differnt from book to book than Robin Cook - his are a bit more fomulaic. This story, about a woman who comes back to the United States from her hospital work in Africa due to her docter-father being in an accident, was interesting and informative. I enjoyed reading about her Asperger's disease, one I'm not that familiar with, however I wanted the information to be part of the story without feeling like it was being shoved in my face. That said, ...more
Wow, it's been a while since I read a Michael Palmer book. I love his medical mysteries, and this one was no exception. The characters were likable or hateable, depending on their role in the story, and Palmer draws vivid pictures of each character. I was captivated by the medical detail, as well as the character makeup and the idiosyncracies of each. I found the novel thrilling, with so many great descriptions, and a twist I didn't see coming! Nothing makes me happier than a surprise endin...more
Medical mysteries are not typically my cup of tea, but this turns out to be a tastier brew. Author Michael Palmer adds some interesting elements, including the main doctor who has Asperger’s Syndrome – an autistic-like condition that affects emotional responses.
The doctor’s father has been left comatose following a hit and run, but that supposed accident also follows his discovery of some funky dealings among the hospital staff. (Add orchestra swell HERE) Yes, there are plot holes galore...more
The doctor’s father has been left comatose following a hit and run, but that supposed accident also follows his discovery of some funky dealings among the hospital staff. (Add orchestra swell HERE) Yes, there are plot holes galore...more
I found this medical thriller even more interesting because two of the characters in the book have Asperger's Syndrome. Michael Palmer's son was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was 4. Palmer's knowledge of and personal experience with Asperger's is quite evident in the story. I suggest listening tot he book on CD for a much fuller experience of this book. The narrator does a fantastic job on the voices of Thea and Demetri, which helps you get a better picture of Asperger's from these two chara...more
Humorous without being mocking and kind without being sentimental.
I particularly liked the author's treatment of his main character, a woman with Asperger's syndrome. And then to find out at the end of the book that the author's own son has the condition was particularly poignant.
Because of the author's personal experience, I would recommend this book to folks who want to better understand Asperger's. I felt like I came away with a better understanding as well.
...more
I particularly liked the author's treatment of his main character, a woman with Asperger's syndrome. And then to find out at the end of the book that the author's own son has the condition was particularly poignant.
Because of the author's personal experience, I would recommend this book to folks who want to better understand Asperger's. I felt like I came away with a better understanding as well.
...more
Ok, so I'm officially done with Palmer after this one. I really enjoy a good medical mystery, but these books are a joke. The characters are extremely 2 dimensional, they fall in love/develop friendships within 5 minutes of meeting a new person, and the drama/thriller portions are all completely cliche. PLUS the dialogue makes me want to rip my eyeballs out, it's so stilted and contrived. The only way I'd read him again is if someone gave me one of his books for free...or maybe paid me to read i...more
I actually put this one to the bottom of the stack and didn't think I was going to like it much but the murder mystery side was well done and i was fascinated by the content on Adult Autism and Aspbergers symdromes. Most people I know whith these are children. Opened up a whole new workd for me. And adding to this the fact that so many of these people possess high intelligence levels it was a great intellectual exploration as well!
I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the medical knowledge that was shared in this book. The positive focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) - specifically Asperger's Syndrome was really a nice characteristic of this tome. So often, people with any diagnosis on the ASD are thought to be intellectually challenge, but I personally know several people with Asperger's that are a bit quirky but quite intelligent.
This book had such promise but by the middle I was wishing for an editor. A doctor is ran over by a car and even though it points to an accident, his daughter and son believes otherwise. I really enjoyed learning about Asperer's and how people function with it. I didn't like how it dragged in the middle and seemed lost. When it got back on track, it was a great read to the end. I never saw the who of the mayhem until the author told me. That first disgusted me, then it all made sense.
I stopped reading this book when the author introduced the pastor who would rather kill himself than be caught in a homosexual affair. Come on, hasn't Hollywood done that one to death? Why can't a pastor ever be presented in fiction who isn't a bad stereotype? God forbid, (pun intended) that a Christian character actually act Christian. There are so many good books out there that I would rather read than this drivel.
I like Michael Palmer's books. Like Robin Cook, he writes medical mysteries/thriller. The medical thriller plot line of this story is good. What I liked best about the story is Thea's personality. She has Asperger's so it's fascinating to see how she interacts with others, and she is great about explaining her condition to the reader (not in a hokey way). I also enjoyed the family dynamics of the Sperelakis clan.
Jill
added it
This was recommended to me by my mom. It is a medical thriller, but what was most interesting was that two of the main characters has Asperger's. The author's son has Asperger's too, and the end has a section with Q & A about the condition. He did a good job of explaining how it affects the characters and why they do what they do. It was a good thriller, beyond all that though.
Fascinating medical mystery in which the central character is a doctor with Asperger's Syndrome. I could tell, even before I got to the afterword, that Palmer had skin in the game. It turns out he has a son with AS. As a result, the AS part was often more interesting than the hospital politics/medical mysteries for which Palmer is better known. Still and all a good read.
A medical suspense thriller by Michael Palmer. I have read several of his books in the past and always enjoyed them. This time a doctor with Asperger's Syndrome is investigating a hit and run accident that left her father with locked-in-syndrome. Along the way she discovers many things are not what they seem. The usual "bad guys using bad medicine to make money" is on full display here but still a fun read.
This was a fairly interesting story of a father who ends up in the hospital due to a hit-and-run accident. His children each respond differently to his condition. His daughter, who is a doctor and has autism, fights to keep him alive. She also tries to find the person who hit her father. I would have enjoyed the story more if the characters were better developed. There were times I felt like giving up on the story, because I didn't really care about the characters.
I enjoyed this "medical "mystery -- as I have other s by Michael Palmer. An interesting addition to this particular story is that the main character, Dr. Thea Speralakis, has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of Autism, and must deal not only with the mystery of her father's injuries but also with the challenges of life with Asperger's.
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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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