The First Patient

A Novel

By: Michael Palmer

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

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 25th 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.

©2008 Michael Palmer (P)2007 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"[An] over-the-top yet endlessly entertaining thriller....The roller-coaster ride of a plot builds to an undeniably shocking conclusion." ( Publishers Weekly)

Enjoyable easy "reading"

I really enjoyed this book. It kept my attention and I was surprised by the ending. This is a good choice when you want something easy to "read" in traffic or when concentration is not critical. My mind never wondered.

A little hard to swallow but entertaining

Real life gets taxed here, but, as usual, you need to forget reality and just be entertained.

Very enjoyable

Held my attention from beginning to end. The two narrators, one male, one female, did an excellent job. The story exceeded my expectations.

Nail biter

This book had my heart in my throat from the beginning. Many twists and turns.

great listen

a very good story. i couldn't stop listening to it! it a book that will hold your attention

Easy to listen to

I enjoyed this book. It kept my attention and I loved the ending. This is a good choice when you want something easy to "read" in traffic or when concentration is not critical. My mind never wondered.

OK airplane novel. Excellent narration

Another one of Michael Palmer's semi-medical thrillers about the U.S. President's personal physician who becomes embroiled in a sinister plot that has lead to the disappearance of his predecessor. Palmer does not write as good a medical thriller as Robin Cook, nor as good a political thriller as David Baldacci, but does a passable job. The plot would make a great "made-for-TV" cable movie. The characters are not very engaging but who cares as long as the chase is on. The narrator, Phil Gigante, is one of my favorites. He does his novels in different voices so they tend to come across like a radio play rather than a narrative. I particularly like his European accents in the Dan Silva novels. His southern accents are a little too strong for my taste, but it is always clear who is speaking. I bought this one on the one-penny per minute sale and it was worth every cent if you want a good listen for the beach or the plane.

Review of The First Patient

My wife and I couldn't stop reading this book. We found the characters quite authentic, and the ending quite thrilling. We were also very impressed with the narrator, whose verbal emphasis added to the drama of the book.

Exciting & Pausible Read

Would you listen to The First Patient again? Why?

I never understand this question? Now? After I have heard it? Before I heard it if I knew beforehand how the book would go? No, I will not listen again, but I would recommend it.

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

Nothing but he did not get too much in the way. Note: I have lived in Texas twice.He was Understandable. Nothing horrible. Am not a fan of the dramatic geographic dialects. Tolerated. And there was some irony in the Texas accents.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Global Economic Greed really is Poisoning our Food: DO NOT EAT THE CORN!

Any additional comments?

The plot threads were too weakly intertwined. I much like the combination of science/medical with political plot lines. I thought about topics from this book after I competed it. Serious issues. Yet I read this book for entertainment. In almost all of author's books I find the violent, "car chase" sections, hero brutal fight scenes... to be much too drawn out. Movie? Maybe. But I switch to a faster narrator speed now for those sections.[Thank you Audible for that listening feature, but to avoid The Chipmunks how about 1.1 ? 10% faster? 25% faster makes my heart race and I think of helium!]I much enjoy Palmer's work. Easy yet not empty. Character development could improve - I think by reducing the number of minor players. I also find a trend to draw out not the very ending but the two hours leading into the ending, to be tedious and "lite." I want to yell: "Where is the editor?"I found the science issues in this book to be quite spot-on, real-world pertinent and passionately covered. I would recommend this read. I would like to have a ten star rating system! There are so few truly "all-star" books currently released, I find I give five stars if I think the book was worth my time. And it mostly captured me.Yet, this one and most of them are not really five star. Relative to available titles? Yes. Relative to Palmer's titles? Yes. I enjoy them all. I thought this one was especially worth the time.

Improbable but enjoyable medical thriller

I just listened to "The First Patient" again, and it held up admirably to a second listen. I always enjoy Michael Palmer's novels, because of their intelligent plotting and good writing. This one introduces the ingenious concept of nanotechnology as a medical weapon. It has a very satisfying surprise plot twist at the end; and the good guy comes out on top, which I always like. I also appreciated Phil Gigante's narration of the story. I recommend "The First Patient" to anyone who enjoys medical thrillers.