The First Patient

The First Patient
Michael Palmer
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-34353-1
Fiction, Medical Thriller
Reviewed by Mona Lisa Safai

Michael Palmer’s latest medical thriller quickly captivates his audience through Washington politics, medical challenges, a murder mystery, and a touch of romance. In The First Patient, the President of the United States, Andrew Stoppard begins to experience psychotic episodes. Suddenly, his physician and daughter mysteriously disappear leaving him to ask for his old friend and naval academy roommate, Gabe Singleton to care for him. He is the only one he can trust to care for him under such conditions.
When he arrives, Singleton is unaware of Stoppard’s episodes. Unfortunately, he is unfamiliar with much of Washington D.C. Much to his benefit, he is a quick learner and weaves the audience through a thrilling plot of intrigue and unpredictable, fast-paced excitement in the middle of what could be a political storm.
Michael Palmer twists and turns his novel in unexpected ways. Once in Washington, D.C., there really is no telling who has a gun and who has a knife. Singleton tries desperately to figure out his friends from his enemies as fast as he can without harming the delicate balance already in place. Palmer’s engaging storytelling talent manifests when his audience realizes they cannot put down the book. They just have to read on.