The New York Times bestselling author and master of medical suspense delivers another shocker of a thriller filled with insider detail...
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reviews
Jan 09, 2011
Shelley
rated it: 
Four murders. Three accidents. Two suicides. One left.
Summary: Dr. Nick Garrity, a vet suffering from PTSD; post traumatic stress disorder; spends his days and nights dispensing medical treatment from a mobile clinic to the homeless and disenfranchised in D.C. and Baltimore. In addition, he is constantly on the lookout for his war buddy Umberto Vasquez, who was plucked from the streets by the military four years ago for a secret mission and has not been seen since.
Psych More...
Summary: Dr. Nick Garrity, a vet suffering from PTSD; post traumatic stress disorder; spends his days and nights dispensing medical treatment from a mobile clinic to the homeless and disenfranchised in D.C. and Baltimore. In addition, he is constantly on the lookout for his war buddy Umberto Vasquez, who was plucked from the streets by the military four years ago for a secret mission and has not been seen since.
Psych More...
Apr 03, 2010
The Last Surgeon, by Michael Palmer, A-minus, narrated by John Bedford Lloyd, produced by Macmillan Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This is a medical thriller. I haven’t read any of Palmer’s books before, but that will be a mistake soon mended. This book takes many leaps away from credibility with its continued coincidences, but it is a wonderful read. I can’t say it’s an escapist read because you are on the edge of your chair for the entire time, or, if you are reading in bed, More...
This is a medical thriller. I haven’t read any of Palmer’s books before, but that will be a mistake soon mended. This book takes many leaps away from credibility with its continued coincidences, but it is a wonderful read. I can’t say it’s an escapist read because you are on the edge of your chair for the entire time, or, if you are reading in bed, More...
Feb 26, 2010
Jenny
rated it: 
The Last Surgeon is Michael Palmer's latest medical thriller. This book kept me intrigued and creeped out at the same time! In this latest work, a psychopathic serial killer is out to get random victims in the name of "work" for which he is highly compensated. The killer has medical skills of his own which only compounds his ability to senselessly murder innocent people and, yet, keep himself clear of any accusations.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nick Garrity, a young war vet suffering from More...
Meanwhile, Dr. Nick Garrity, a young war vet suffering from More...
Feb 05, 2010
Alvin
rated it: 
Excellent read! Michael Palmer's medical thriller, THE LAST SURGEON follows the story of former trauma surgeon Dr. Nick Garrity, an Army veteran suffering from PTSD as the result of a terrorist suicidal attack on his military field hospital in Afghanistan. This sets the stage for drama and mayhem following the path of a serial killer on the payroll of a certain government department. The story opens with the killer murdering Belle Coates, a nurse in Charlotte, N.C. The plot thickens when Belle'
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Jan 11, 2010
Lenore
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Michael Palmer’s THE FIFTH VIAL is one of the most exciting and memorable thrillers I’ve ever read. Even though it’s been at least 3 years since I finished, I still have the plot and characters burned into my brain. Why? Palmer excels at creating scarily plausible medical nightmare premises that are part conspiracy theory, part engaging human drama. And he’s done it again with his latest, THE LAST SURGEON.
The drama here revolves around war hero Dr. Nick Garrity who suffers from sever More...
The drama here revolves around war hero Dr. Nick Garrity who suffers from sever More...
Jun 23, 2010
Denise
rated it:
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing novel for a medical thriller fan..., June 23, 2010
By Denise "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: The Last Surgeon (Hardcover)
There was not much "medical" in this purported medical thriller novel by Michael Palmer. I've read his entire backlist, and indeed some of his novels are better than others, but this one was very much not one of his better ones. This book was abou More...
Jan 05, 2010
J.R.
rated it:
“I know you can’t believe this is happening, Ms. Coates, but I assure you it is. I have been paid, and paid very well, to kill you.” – The Last Surgeon, Prologue, Page 1.
From the very first sentence, New York Times Bestselling Author Michael Palmer captures the reader’s attention with no intention of release. In fact, it is advisable to keep water and food nearby as it is tempting to read “one more chapter” rather than to prepare dinner.
Palmer’s latest medical thriller More...
From the very first sentence, New York Times Bestselling Author Michael Palmer captures the reader’s attention with no intention of release. In fact, it is advisable to keep water and food nearby as it is tempting to read “one more chapter” rather than to prepare dinner.
Palmer’s latest medical thriller More...
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Mar 22, 2010
Bob
rated it:
Dr. Nick Garrity was a trauma surgeon serving in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber drove into the hospital tent and blew up his car. Nick's fiancée was killed and only Nick and one other survived. He is now out of the service, battling PTSD and working a mobile clinic in the poor sections of Baltimore and Washington. He meets up with a nurse, Jillian Coates who is upset about her sisters death and doesn't accept the police ruling of a suicide. On the other side, there is a contract killer on
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Jan 21, 2010
April
rated it:
Mesmerizingly seductive in its intense psychological ploys, The Last Surgeon is a book that will grab the reader from the beginning, twisting itself within the reader's mind and not letting go until the very last page. Author, Michael Palmer, takes a glimpse into the world of "what-ifs" and brings the possibilities of the unthinkable to life. In this day and age, where technology is virtually infinite, the possibilities are endless, especially within the realm of terrorism, cover-ups a
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Jan 26, 2010
Michelle
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I have never been approached by an author or publisher directly for any ARCs. So, when I received an e-mail from Michael Palmer, the author, asking if I were interested in a copy of his latest book for review, I knew I was not going to turn down the opportunity to do so. Since I like thrillers and medical mysteries, it was not a hardship for me. Having never read any of Mr. Palmer's previous work, I did not know what to expect. On the whole, I enjoyed my foray into his work. There was a lo
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May 07, 2011
Bonnie
rated it:
This is one of those thrillers with a truly horrifying hitman. The hero is a surgeon suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to a terrorist attack that kills his fiancee and most of the other medical personnel in their medical unit in Afghanistan. He and his partner Junie, a nurse, run a medical van that cares for homeless people in D.C. and Baltimore. The heroine is a nurse whose sister is killed by the hitman. She is determined to prove that her sister's death wasn't the s
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Feb 23, 2010
Lori
rated it:
I have not read many medical thrillers. As much as I enjoy a good thriller or suspense book, I discovered that some medically themed books become tedious with so many medical terms and jargon, turning a relaxing pastime into a chore.
Not so with Michael Palmer’s The Last Surgeon. I found Mr. Palmer’s tale of a surgeon suffering from PTSD, intertwined with missing men, accidental deaths that may be murders and a character that has rightfully been compared with the ultimate literary so More...
Not so with Michael Palmer’s The Last Surgeon. I found Mr. Palmer’s tale of a surgeon suffering from PTSD, intertwined with missing men, accidental deaths that may be murders and a character that has rightfully been compared with the ultimate literary so More...
Nov 21, 2011
Adam
rated it:
I am keeping this review short. There is no need for a description because you should have read it all before. I will explain it in incomplete sentences for you. Familiar plot. Medical murder mystery. Cool, efficient killer. Nothing new. Clone. Okay, this thing took me over a month to get through. I can read a book of this length in under four hours if I get into it but a month is unheard of for me. This falls into the category of reads for me that I like to call "I would have loved it if I
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Sep 02, 2010
Cindy
rated it:
I'm a big fan of medical thrillers, and Michael Palmer did a great job of keeping the book moving along.
Jillian, a nurse, and Nick Garrity, a doctor who spends his time helping out vets with PTSD, investigate the death of Jillian's sister--a death that also seems to be tied to the disappearance of Umberto, Nick's friend from the army.
As the plot unfolds,we discover that all of the individuals involved in a surgery four years ago are dying off one by one. Although all of t More...
Jillian, a nurse, and Nick Garrity, a doctor who spends his time helping out vets with PTSD, investigate the death of Jillian's sister--a death that also seems to be tied to the disappearance of Umberto, Nick's friend from the army.
As the plot unfolds,we discover that all of the individuals involved in a surgery four years ago are dying off one by one. Although all of t More...
Apr 23, 2010
Susan
rated it:
Pretty good book. I started it because I enjoy books about medical people. This turned into a mystery of sorts as the main character searched for his buddy who has been missing for 4 years. The main character is suffering from PTSD after having his field hospital bombed by a truck full of explosives. He sees his fiancee cut in half by the truck and is saved by the buddy who is now missing. His searches while manning a moving medical vehicle that serves the homeless and runs survival classes
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Jan 30, 2010
Gaby
rated it:
This is my first time to read a medical thriller by Michael Palmer. In The Last Surgeon, Michael Palmer has created a dark villain who has made the artful masking of murder his life's work. The book is fast paced and the lead protagonists, Gillian Coates and Dr. Nick Garrity, work well
together.
I had hoped for a different ending - and would love to hear what others think of this book.
ISBN-10: 031258749X - Hardcover $26.99
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February More...
together.
I had hoped for a different ending - and would love to hear what others think of this book.
ISBN-10: 031258749X - Hardcover $26.99
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February More...
Mar 16, 2010
Kristen
rated it:
If you love great medical thrillers, you'll love Michael Palmer's latest novel, The Last Surgeon. Dr. Nick Garrity is suffering from PTSD from his war wounds and is searching for his friend, who vanished from the war. Jillian Coates is a psych nurse, who doesn't believe her sister committed suicide. Together, they join forces to discover a heinous plot that stems from the CIA and deals with the ongoing war, while they go head to head with Franz Koller, the mastermind of the "non-kill."
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Aug 31, 2011
Laura
rated it:
I liked this book A LOT. The plot made you turn the pages without noticing. I've to be honest, almost the first 100 pages bored me, it took me like a week getting through those pages... but after that wow I got surprised.
The characters... well, I liked them but not that much, in fact the character I liked the most was Umberto Vásquez even though he didn't appeared that much in the book. It would have been Franz Koller, because of his deadly-twisted mind except for one thing: The auth More...
The characters... well, I liked them but not that much, in fact the character I liked the most was Umberto Vásquez even though he didn't appeared that much in the book. It would have been Franz Koller, because of his deadly-twisted mind except for one thing: The auth More...
Apr 15, 2010
Pbwritr
rated it:
The first thing that I learned is that Michael Palmer is one of the nicest persons you could ever want to meet. I emailed him last year after finding a tiny discrepancy in one of his books, and he graciously replied. He then friended me on Facebook, and I got invited to his book launch party in Boston for The Last Surgeon. My husband and I rode up on the train and went to the party, which also featured about 9 other bestselling authors, many of whom whose books I'd read. The function also se
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Jan 14, 2010
Freda
rated it:
What a suspenseful, thrilling and action packed read this is! I loved it, and honestly I didn't think I would. For me it was as if Jason Bourne joined ER.
I liked the characters in this story. I was really afraid of the killer in the book. His steeliness came through, and yet Nick Fury, the doctor, was the character that made it alright to endure the creepy guy. I really like Nick, and am secretly hoping the author writes more tales with him as the star.
A must read for any thriller or More...
I liked the characters in this story. I was really afraid of the killer in the book. His steeliness came through, and yet Nick Fury, the doctor, was the character that made it alright to endure the creepy guy. I really like Nick, and am secretly hoping the author writes more tales with him as the star.
A must read for any thriller or More...
Feb 09, 2010
Julie
rated it:
I'm not sure I've ever read a book that scares me...but I have now! I've always said I couldn't find a movie to scare me but I've *wanted* to be scared. I had some crazy nightmares while reading this book but they were also interesting! (insane, I know!)
Jillian's sister is dead and everyone says she committed suicide. Jillian knows better...she believes she was murdered. Jillian spends a great deal of time devoted to finding her sister's killer. Along the way, pieces begin to fall in More...
Jillian's sister is dead and everyone says she committed suicide. Jillian knows better...she believes she was murdered. Jillian spends a great deal of time devoted to finding her sister's killer. Along the way, pieces begin to fall in More...
Feb 15, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
From the first sentence on the first page, I was entranced. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, with all of its twists and turns, ups and downs. It held my interest page to page. I normally don’t seek out political thrillers, but this one was really good! I’d actually classify it as a medical/political thriller. There wasn’t too much medical detail, but just enough for me to understand what was happening. The story centers around former Army trauma surgeon, Dr. Nick Garrity, who has been searc
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May 08, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
In The Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer, Nick "Fury" Garrity, veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder spends his days and nights helping people from a mobile clinic on the streets of Washington D.C. He is contacted by a nurse who wants to prove her sister was murdered even though the evidence points towards her death being a suicide. Together they go against a brilliant but evil foe, a man who has perfected the art of the "no-kill", making his murders appear like
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Sep 25, 2011
Alicia
rated it:
Michael Palmer is a medical doctor who writes medical thrillers. Like other books of his, this book was slow to grab my attention while Palmer was connecting all the different veins that underlie the story. However, once connected, the book becomes a ride of medicinal mystery. Pretty good book.
I sometimes think that some of Palmer's books venture on the edge of medical unbelievability - the science appears so very advanced to the layman's understanding of the technology in medicine.
I sometimes think that some of Palmer's books venture on the edge of medical unbelievability - the science appears so very advanced to the layman's understanding of the technology in medicine.
Jan 08, 2011
Holly
rated it:
This is a medical thriller concerning a surgeon suffering from ptsd. He and a nurse drive around the Baltimore/DC area in a medical RV giving care to vets and advising them on how to get their benefits. Enter Jillian, a nurse who is convinced her sister's suicide is really a murder. They team up together to uncover a government plot to kill a specific group of people. Throw in secret military missions, plastic surgery and a light love story and presto chango you have The Last Surgeon!
May 16, 2011
Gail
rated it:
I don't know what it says about me that I enjoy these books so much! They are filled with some gory murder stuff, a fast paced mystery and usually a little romance on the side. I just do. This one was a bit too much in place for me, but still a good mystery that kept me reading too late and made me wonder what would happen. I am not good at solving the mysteries, and Palmer tends to make his books a little too complicated, but it was still fun.
Aug 18, 2010
Joyce
rated it:
This is another quick read that will hold your interest throughout. A Doctor with PTSD is working with Vets and street people in DC. He is also looking for an old friend who vanished a few years earlier. A nurse is murdered, only the crime is made to look like a suicide. There is possibly the coldest murderer written about in a long time. He enjoys his work and makes his murders for hire look natural. The medical pros begin investigating the crimes. The climax is worth the read.
Sep 23, 2010
Marti
rated it:
I found that I liked this book better toward the end. The bad guy psychopath reminded me a little of the John Lithgow character in last year's season of Dexter--getting people essentially to kill themselves. Surgepn Nick Garrity suffers from post traumatic syndrome disorder and teams up with the sister of one of the victims. Will they manage to outsmart him? There is a really great sequence near the end.
Feb 11, 2011
Burt
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It's been quite a while since I read Michael Palmer and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this fast and easy read. Some nice little twists created by usine 'a mechanic' insteead of a "run-of-the-mill assassin. Using the top of the of the CIA as the biggest villan was a bit of a stretch for me - perhaps a rogue Senator or Cabinet officer would have been a little more believable.
Nov 22, 2010
Dick
rated it:
Pretty good medical thriller about a vet physician suffering from post traumatic stress disorder who treats the homeless from an RV in DC and Baltimore. His attempts to find an old Army buddy who saved his life bring him to tracking down a psychopathic killer who stages murders that appear to be suicides or accidents. Good reading but not one of Michael Palmer’s best
