The First Patient: A Novel

Found at a garage sale, should have kept my 25 cents. Never before read this author, and will not again. Have wasted valuable reading time on this ridiculous story, about mid way I thought it was leading somewhere. I have now read 415 pages, the plot has gotten so preposterous, don't think I will bother to read the last 100 pages. Have never read this far into a book only to discard it! Too many good books out there waiting to be read...

This book didn't become interesting or all that readable until about page 300, where it then kicked into delicious medical thriller cliche overdrive. So, the first half got one star, the second half got three, giving the entire novel a solid two.

I'm addicted to barely plausible, push the envelope, medical fiction because it's fun and fast paced. First Patient, while most of the main characters are interesting and fairly fleshed out for a book of this genre, is an interesting idea that's lost in poor execution until far too many pages have gone by.

I am a Michael Palmer fan and have read many of his books. The First Patient starts strong and gets you hooked, but then loses momentum about 1/3rd through. The author appeared to get lost juggling too many storylines which made the ending seem rushed and slightly implausible. Would have apprecaited more details on the day-to-day life of the "First Doctor." All-in-all, Palmer fans will be pleased.....but don't judge the author solely on this piece of work.

very happy with book - it's condition was exactly as described, and delivery time was reasonable.

I am very sad that he will no longer be writing books. Really enjoying it.

The story was very interesting. Couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this book. Will look for more books by this author

This author is entertaining but not up to the caliber of a Baldacci, Bell or Coben. Interesting reading what I assume is a great deal of facts from the inside of the white House but the mystery lacks pizzazz !

It's been a while since I've read a Michael Palmer book. In fact the last one that I read was one of his first 5 novels (can't remember which and we're talking like 10 years ago), but I do remember that I thought it was good. Like a cross between Robin Cook and Michael Crichton. So when I unexpectedly finished the book in my bag after a long flight delay, I was happy to see in the airport bookstore The First Patient by an author that I remembered as being one that I enjoyed.

And The First Patient did not disappoint. And true to my memory, Palmer reminded me again of both Cook and Crichton. The First Patient in an engrossing, relatively fast paced, 500 page novel. Plenty of action and the way the technical and medical stuff is written makes the reader walk away thinking that they fully understand it. Very cool.

The First Patient is the President of the United States. And the president's personal physician mysteriously disappears. So he recruits his old college buddy, Dr. Gabe Singleton, now a practicing doc in rural America, to come to the White House to replace the missing med. After The POTUS reveals that he's been none too well, it's up to Gabe to find out what wrong with the Prez, which may involve "meddling" into what happened to Gabe's predecessor.

Oops. Did I say meddling? Would that imply the Gabe's missing predecessor was some kind of conspiracy? And if there's a conspiracy that involves the president's personal physician and perhaps the president himself, could that mean that a meddler into the conspiracy might be in danger? Hmmmm.

The First Patient, while an enjoyable, easy read, was a predictable one, and at times it went a bit too far beyond the oh-that-would-never-or-could-never-happen limit. Very early on in the book I had figured out how the Prez was getting ill while it took the doctor in charge of the Prez 2/3's of the story (I guess that I've read too many Cook and Crichtion novels). And ultimately some of the stunts executed by your average every day physician and the Prez himself were just way over the top...not to mention that Palmer made White House security seem about as lax as airline security pre 9/11.

Bill Clinton was quoted on the cover of my copy of The First Patient as saying something like "it captures the true essence of the day to day White House tension." Billony. You want White House tension, read a Tom Clancy novel. You want an entertaining novel that you need an open mind to get through, then The First Patient is a fine Candidate.

Several years ago, I stumbled across some very enjoyable books by Michael Palmer. By "several," I mean over ten years ago. If I remember correctly, the books were Flashback, Silent Treatment, Extreme Measures, The Sisterhood, and Natural Causes. It has been several years since I've ventured into the pages of a Michael Palmer book, and I have recently discovered just what I have been missing during that time.

In The First Patient, Palmer weaves an incredibly insightful tale that combines his unique medical suspense thrillers with the political thrillers that have become so popular. From the cover:
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. . . .
Michael Palmer tells a tale that could so easily be true that it's frightening. In a world where the next great threat could be lurking around any corner, it would be no surprise to see a terrorist mastermind target the President directly. But Palmer takes the story to the next level, throwing one shocker after another at the reader. This story never gets dull. This story never gets predictable.

Needless to say, it won't be another ten years before I pick up my next Michael Palmer book.

Jeff Cole is an author, blogger, and podcaster. [...]

First off, I would like to say that I found this a very compelling read. I know nothing of nanotechnology, but as a fiction work it seemed believable. The work seemed solid except for the "asthma attack" when giving the speech. The protocol was SO outdated it made me laugh. I mentioned this to a friend who had previously spoken to Dr. Palmer on one of the social networks. This friend dropped a note about my comments on the outdated meds to Dr. Palmer. Dr. Palmer basically said he wanted no further comments about errors and was very abrupt with my friend. This response seriously makes me consider buying another Palmer book. I did, however, finish this book and enjoyed it, but the holier than thou attitude has turned me off towards Mr. Palmer.