Oath of Office

By: Michael Palmer

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

From the New York Times best-selling author of A Heartbeat Away and The Last Surgeon comes a shocking new novel at the crossroads of politics and medicine.

What if a well respected doctor inexplicably goes on a murderous rampage? When Dr. John Meacham goes on a shooting spree, his business partner, staff, and two patients are killed in the bloodbath. Then Meacham turns the gun on himself.

The blame falls on Dr. Lou Welcome. Welcome worked with Meacham years before as a counselor after John's medical license had been revoked for drug addiction. Lou knew that John was an excellent doctor and deserved to be practicing medicine, and fought hard for his license to be restored. After hearing the news of the violent outburst, Lou is in shock like everyone else, but mostly he's incredulous. When he begins to look into it further, the terrifying evidence he finds takes him down a path to an unspeakable conspiracy that seems to lead directly to the White House and those in the highest positions of power.

©2012 Michael Palmer (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Very Timley Choice Of Subject

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

There is a lot of timley information on genetic engineering in this cliff hanger novel.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I tried to turn off my ipod to save some of the story for later but couldn't do it. Had to listen to the whole thing in one gulp!

Have you listened to any of Robert Petkoff???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first time listening to this reader. He has a wonderfully expressive voice. He makes the novel into a performance rather than someone reading from pages of a book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This is a book that could be true, it could actually be happening as we go about out daily lives, unaware or not wanting to be aware of what is being done to our food supply. Not a laughing matter although the sarcasm expressed by Dr. Welcome was an enjoyable way to lighten up an otherwise terrifying plot.

Any additional comments?

Michael Palmer is a wonderfully informed person which makes his books realistic and enjoyable.

Beyond Fiction

I like Michael Palmer and can usually handle "far out" scenarios in any sort of fiction. It is, after all, fiction, but this story made the protaganist seem down-right stupid. Seriously - he's almost murdered - but then goes back to the scene - not once - but twice - and somehow convinces himself that he shouldn't call authorities or any sort of back-up.

Nevertheless I was entertained by the story and in spite of their lack of common sense - even liked the characters. The subject matter was intresting and it could have been a great book - but the events played out in a rush and unfortunately there was an unfinished feeling at the end. Almost felt like a set up for a sequel.

Not too believable

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Story started off pretty good and then went down hill. Having the Presidents wife on the caper, corn making people crazy. It got out of hand. Performance was good.

Good story.

Somewhat predictable , but entertaining nonetheless . Thought provoking with the abundance of GMO's in our food supply today.

Excellent Read

The book was excellent. The narrator was outstanding. Great reading voice and perfect speed.
It allowed great visualization the story.

Don't genetically modify our food!

"Oath of Office" deals with an important issue that threatens to detrimentally affect our health. I thank Michael Palmer for bringing it to light in this novel. Big-Pharma and Big-Agriculture are genetically modifying our food without our knowledge. Here in California, we recently had an election proposition that would have required food manufacturers to label their genetically-modified products, so that we consumers could, at least, make a choice. Of course, the proposition was defeated, thanks to the vast sum of money that the corporations spent to fight this sensible, if modest, proposal. Most people do not know that -- unless they are organically-grown -- 𝙖𝙡𝙡 of the corn and soy beans now produced in the U.S. have been genetically modified. By corollary, that means that all non-organically grown livestock have been fed those genetically-modified foodstuffs. Many of our other food crops have had foreign genes inserted into their D.N.A., in order to boost production and provide pest resistance. In "Oath of Office," Palmer provides the example of a corn crop that has had the gene from irradiated termites inserted into its D.N.A. Far-fetched? Not really. Unless you are only buying organic, you have probably already been eating tomatoes carrying pig genes. Nobody knows yet exactly what this genetic tampering with our food may do to us in the long run, because the experimental testing is being done on us right now. Only time will tell how this reckless manipulation is going to affect us. In "Oath of Office," Palmer postulates that the altered corn crop begins affecting people's brains, altering their decision-making faculty. The resulting plot provides an exciting thriller, with a message: Don't let greed overwhelm good sense. Robert Petkoff, the narrator of this audiobook, has a good voice and good acting chops. I recommend "Oath of Office" to fans of medical thrillers. As other reviewers have mentioned, this novel may not top Palmer's oeuvre; but it is definitely not a snore, either.

A good read but not a page turner.

I normally like Palmer's book and this is no exception. It is however not a page turner. I enjoyed it and the narration was excellent. If you like a good mystery, you will enjoy this. I think it it just above your average mystery but worth a credit.

Couldn't Put it Down

What made the experience of listening to Oath of Office the most enjoyable?

Michael Palmer does it again...along with a great reader..you can't go wrong.
Loved it

What did you like best about this story?

It's a could happen type of thing...Greed for money oversteps bounds

What does Robert Petkoff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Entertaining reader from the start

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book makes you think

Love Michael Palmer, but not this book!

Genetically modified food -- REALLY??? It certainly cannot be classified as a "Medical Thriller." I am a huge Michael Palmer fan and have read every one he has written, mainly because I enjoy him so much. Not so with this book. It just was not very good. It reminded me of a second-rate author and I wondered whether it might actually be a collaboration rather than a Michael Palmer original. I was surprised that at least one person rated it 5.0. Apparently, that person does not read much Michael Palmer and know how good he can be. Given the chance, you might pass on this book. At best, you should put it at the bottom of your listening list. There are a lot of others that are much better.

Worth a credit

What did you love best about Oath of Office?

The story is like many of Michael Palmer book's, if you like his other work you will like this book.

Have you listened to any of Robert Petkoff’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Petkoff is the right reader for this type of book, good performance