Rating: 
Summary: A Memorable Book
Review: I must have listened to this book 8 months ago, and I'm still impressed with the tension and powerful writing skill displayed by Palmer in this book. I work at a major LA hospital, which made it all the scarier for me. We've had doctors shot by irate patients and live with metal detectors and security at every door and in the middle hall emergency room. Our experience with violence was real, but the terror and violence portrayed in The Patient was certainly realistic, and the medical science revealed in the book seemed believable.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down...
Review: Cold-blooded killer offs a leading neurosurgeon, a leader in robotic surgery research. Cut to Eastern Mass Medical Center, where similar research is going on...Mix up medicine, in a fair amount of technical detail, with international terrorism, the CIA, and, oh yeah, love and the single doctor; season it liberally with suspense that builds slowly and lasts into the final minutes of the book (I listened, not read), and you don't mind being stuck in traffic. As a matter of fact, you might sit in the parking lot to hear just a little more before you have to go in...
Rating: 
Summary: A Thrilling Thriller
Review: While a bit far-fetched, this medical thriller was enough to put this reader on the edge of her seat many times. The plot took many twists and turns, from wondering who REALLY was the bad guy to wondering how the good guys were ever going to solve the mystery and get out alive. The ending was a bit predictable-which makes me think that I have read too many books like this. Alex Bishop, a CIA agent operating on his own, wants to settle a personal score with Claude Malloche, an international terrorist/murderer who is a master of disguise but who also has an inoperable brain tumor. Dr.Jessie Copeland is in the final stages of perfecting the use of a miniscule robot that will change brain surgery forever and allow formerly inoperable tumors to be excised. To ensure Jessie's co-operation and to force her to use the untested robot to remove his tumor, Malloche literally holds all of Boston hostage, threatening patients in the hospital and the entire city with the release of a deadly toxin into the air. Of course, in light of what happened here on September 11th, the threats in this book, seemed mild in comparison. Nevertheless, physician-writer Palmer manages to imbue his stories with enough legitimate medical lore to make them fairly believable.
Rating: 
Summary: Neurosurgery - Boston Style
Review: This is a fine page-turner with many detailed medical procedures described in an interesting manner. Michael Palmer does well with female protagonists, making them human sized and interesting. The Boston terrain is well handled and should be a pleasure for locals to read. The CIA agent, Alex Bishop, is a bit of a problem. He has no visible means of support, has been drummed out of the CIA, yet somehow get cooperation and spending money from where we do not know. He gets shot and an hour later is chasing a villain through the streets of Boston, pounding up stairs, leaping through traffic and hurtling fences. By rights, he should be dead, but he barely draws a deep breath. Some editing was needed when Alex starts a chase early in the a.m., only to have twilight descend two hours later. There were too many impossible situations; luck can carry one only so far. However, Mr. Palmer sketched the scenes vividly and kept the readers interest involved to the very end. I never doubted for a moment that good would triumph.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Medical Suspense Story
Review: This was the first medical thriller I have read. I am inclined to read mystery/suspense style novels and based on the cover synopsis alone decided to read this story. I was not disappointed and have decided that not only was this book interesting and suspenseful, it was educational. I could hardly put it down. Michael Palmer keeps the reader wanting more with every chapter. There were so many interesting twists and just when you think you have it all figured out, he throws in another. I have decided I am now a Michael Palmer fan and I plan to continue reading his books. I would highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: the patient
Review: I love a good medical mystery, and this is one of Palmer's best! It's up there with some Robin Cook classics and Tess Gerritsen's debut title (name escapes me but it rocked). Full of suspense, sorry for the cliche, but a total page turner.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME BOOK
Review: This book keeps you going untill the very last page. If you are thinking about reading this, read it, it is taht good. I read this 433 page book in about a week which is a lot for me; i never read. So, if you never read or you read all the time, this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Smart Medical Thriller
Review: Palmer plays one scenario against another to keep the tension in this story alive. Along with the excitement generated by new medical procedures in the field of neurosurgery, there is the addition of a world class terrorist and his cadre orchestrating death and destruction. The action is non-stop. Don't get too attached to any one character...they are all at risk. An excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Rx: A Better Recording
Review: I see some fellow reviewers of the audio cd version registering complaints about the production quality and the performance of the female reader. I prescribe the unabridged cassette version from Recorded Books. Reader Paul Hecht delivers a virtuoso performance - the giveaway being that his interpretation of the female characters, the key players in this story, are all completely believable. And a variety of accents are handled convincingly; listen how subtly Hecht meets the challenge of one character that he, reading as narrator, describes as having a "hint of an Irish brogue". A long recording at eight cassettes, I was still interested enough to listen to the 9th which was a recorded interview with doctor/author Michael Palmer. For the readers who had a problem with the ending, it was interesting to note that Palmer says the denouement is the one part he doesn't plan in advance; he lets it flows naturally from the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Decent plot, annoying reader.
Review: The Patient has a pretty good plot that will hold your interest, but this reader has a distracting accent and seems to have a minor speech impediment. I don't know why she was chosen to read this, but I will avoid buying anything else she narrates.
| 
