The First Patient

I read about 50 books a year, with about half of them novels and the rest non-fiction and academic texts. I don't often read thrillers, but as a doctor with some interest in how the government is run, I was intrigued enough to get "The First Patient". I'm glad I did. Dr. Michael Palmer has crafted a truly thrilling story replete with White House intrigue, secret medical experiments, secret service double-agents, murders and rescues, sexy nurses and icy assassins, horse-back escapes and hidden castles. The story, with plot and pacing aplenty, was never that far from plausible, and there is little that loses my interest in modern storytelling more quickly than inability to suspend my disbelief. Gabe Singleton is a Doctor in Wyoming. Thirty years ago he was roommates at the Naval Academy with Andrew Stoddard, the current President. In the opening the President flies out to Gabe's ranch to ask him to be the White House Physician. The current Presidential Sawbones has gone missing. Palmer has some writing style - economical with scarcely some wasted words with some exception. Dr. Palmer uses the word "some" approximately three times more than required - enough that it became some distraction for me, sometimes. I exaggerate for effect, and the truth is the overall book was of the "can't put down - page-turner" variety. Another truth is that only about 5% of the books I read meet that distinction, and to find a story I relished tearing through was a treat. If you thought you'd be interested in a medical thriller with a political angle, I recommend "The First Patient" highly.

The twenty-fifth amendment was designed to deal with two distinct problems of Presidential succession.In the first half, it provides a system to fill the office of the Vice-President when it is vacant, either by reason of the death, resignation, removal from office or upon the Vice President becoming President following the death, resignation or removal from office of the President. This portion of the amendment has been invoked twice, once when Nixon nominated Gerald Ford as the successor to Spiro Agnew upon his resignation and once when Ford appointed Nelson Rockefeller when Ford became President Nixon's resignation. The second half of the amendment sets procedures for the Vice President to become Acting President when the President is unable to fulfill his duties of office. Had the twenty-fifth amendment been in place Woodrow Wilson likely would have lost his Presidential powers upon suffering a massive stroke in the fall of 1919. Indeed the country's experience with Wilson, whose First Lady Edith assumed de facto control of the Presidency loomed heavily on the minds of Congress when in 1965 less than eighteen months after the Kennedy assassination it sent the amendment to the states for ratification. Michael Palmer, a talented writer and physician, recognized the dramatic conflict inherent the second half of this amendment. Palmer sees within the procedures specified a mechanism for a purely constitutional coup d'etat. Looking at it from this perspective, the White House physician, normally a faceless professional, assumes a central role in protecting the President. As this superb thriller opens the President's doctor and his daughter have suddenly disappeared. The President turns to Gabe Singleton, his roommate at the Naval Academy now practicing medicine in Wyoming to take the now vacant office. Singleton, whose own life story includes dismissal from the Academy for vehicular manslaughter and subsequent jail time, agrees reluctantly to put himself into the fishbowl of Washington politics. Soon Singleton finds himself facing serious issues about his old friend's mental state, and finds himself with an increasing romantic issue of his own with a radiant White House nurse. This is stuff with high dramatic potential, and Palmer does not disappoint. In many ways it is a very original work, with little reliance on standard thriller plot devices. Someday another author will tackle the twenty-fifth amendment, but Palmer has set a very high standard and it may be a while before anyone does it better.

Dr. Gabe Singleton is sitting in the saddle on his Wyoming spread when Marine One puts down. President Andrew Stoddard has come a calling. His personal physician is missing, he needs someone he can trust to take over and who better than his old college pal. Gabe has reservations, but President Stoddard is persuasive and Gabe accepts. But a couple days latter, just before a state dinner, Gabe is called to the Residence. The president is having an episode. He appears stark raving mad. After the episode passes, Stoddard begs Gabe to keep quiet about his problem for the good of the country. He wants Gabe to find out what's causing his episodes and Gabe agrees. But Gabe wants to get to the bottom of why the president's doctor has vanished, so he starts to investigate. Also someone tries to kill Gabe, not once, but twice. Does someone fear Gabe is getting to close? And if so, too close to what? And who can Gabe trust? Nobody it appears. I will admit at first I found Mr. Palmer's story a bit farfetched. The stuff of this book could never happen, but as I read on I started to think, well maybe. It wasn't long before I was caught in a high power web of lies and deceit. Somebody very close to the President of the United States wants him out of the way and it appears he is very powerful, a man or men with unlimited resources. Someone who will stop at nothing and there is only on person who stands between him and what he wants, country doctor turned investigator Gabe Singleton. This is Michael Palmer's best book and surprisingly when I finished, I didn't find it so farfetched after all and that's scary. Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

We read for many reasons. Those who have left rather stinging remarks in their reviews have valid comments. They are perhaps reading for information or enlightenment. Yet, there are other readers who read to escape the routine of their life. They want to fall in love, have an adventure and solve a case, all within the cover of a book. Yes, the plot is rather far fetched but so is Harry Potter and look how many copies it sold! I tend to bristle at technical readers who do not stick to technical media. The categories is NON-FICTION! Dan Brown has received similar comments about his writing. This comments are unfortunate as they may influence an uniformed reader to not purchase Books that are entertaining and escapist. A book that is realistic is called a textbook. They cost ten times what these wonderful little novels do and sell far fewer copies. All this being said, I feel First Patient has many merits. It has a clever plot. The reader is taken through several twists and is given the surprise ending that thrills us all. Michael Palmer created some likable characters which are important for our transference into the plot. I think one of the biggest problems a writer faces is creating characters and scenes that are transferring while staying within the confines of what a publisher feels is a marketable length. I most most impressed by who the villain was. Often, I am ready to put a book aside within the first 50 pages because the writer has given me too much information and I am not inclined to read any further. This was not the case in First Patient. Anyone wishing to take a small weekend adventure that doesn't use any gasoline or create a motel bill will be satisfied by their First Patient experience.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through. It is entertaining, exciting, and informative. This book is Dr. Palmer's best yet. Don't miss it. I have added First Patient to my permanent library!