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The Patient (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,180 listener ratings
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With one nerve-shattering New York Times bestseller after another, Michael Palmer has demonstrated his extraordinary ability to create medical thrillers that are at once relentlessly suspenseful and chillingly realistic. And now the former ER physician returns with the stunning and explosive tale of a gifted neurosurgeon drawn into a world of escalating danger and violence, all because of...The Patient. Dr. Jessie Copeland is exactly where she wants to be: A respected neurosurgeon at Eastern Mass Medical Center, she spends her days waging life-and-death battles in the OR and her spare time holed up in a lab, spearheading the development of a tiny robot that could revolutionize brain surgery. ARTIE--Assisted Robotic Tissue Incision and Extraction--is an exciting fusion of biomechanics and radiology that, when perfected, will be able to excise tumors now considered inoperable. But it could be months before ARTIE is ready for use on human beings...or so Jessie thinks, until her ambitious department head jumps the gun and uses the robot in a high-profile case that nets immediate worldwide attention. Suddenly the hospital is swarming with media, vying for a multimillion-dollar grant, and fielding calls from patients desperate for this lifesaving technology. But what no one at the medical center realizes is that the publicity has also reached one of the most malevolent men on earth. Claude Malloche is brilliant, secretive, remorseless, and without regard for human life--a mercenary willing to bring down a world leader or a jetliner filled with people if the price is right. He is also ill with a life-threatening brain tumor that is exactly the sort ARTIE was invented to treat. Now Malloche must come into the open, and he has set his sights on the hospital that has burst to the forefront of neurosurgery: Eastern Mass Medical Center. For those caught on the neurosurgical floor, the nightmare has just begun...and no one is more aware of the stakes than Jessie Copeland. In brain surgery there are no guarantees. But that's exactly what Claude Malloche demands, leaving Jessie to face the most harrowing case of her life. Disaster is just a cut away. And the price of failure may be thousands of lives.... Heart-poundingly scary and immensely entertaining, The Patient is riveting, unpredictable, page-turning suspense. It is terror to which no one is immune. Claude Malloche is a master assassin, more rumor than man, for whom murder is an art. No one can identify his face. Now Malloche has a deadly brain tumor, and he intends to have the best neurosurgeon in the world operate on it. To ensure Jessie's cooperation, Malloche has devised a plan of intimidation that puts at risk her life and the lives of hundreds of innocent people. Neurosurgery requires nerves of steel, but in coming up with a scheme to fulfill her oath as a doctor yet thwart a diabolical killer, Jessie will be performing the most complex surgery of her career--on a knife-edge of terror. With every book he writes, Michael Palmer raises the standard of the medical thriller, writing "wrenchingly scary,"* "chillingly sinister"** novels packed with the authenticity that his years as an ER physician provide. THE PATIENT proves he is the master of scalpel-sharp suspense. -->
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"This was my first MP book, and it was very good. However, I was almost halfway through the book before the blurb on the back cover started to play out. I was expecting some kind of suspense. This book really had none of that, at least not what I'm used to in a suspense thriller. That said, it was well written and was a captivating story."
— Jennifer (4 out of 5 stars)
The Patient Listener Reviews
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" A mix of Grey's Anatomy with 24. A really good read. "
— Olga, 2/2/2014 -
" I will finish this book tonight- I can't put it down! I'm loving this author. "
— Lisa, 1/30/2014 -
" This is a riveting medical thriller by Michael Palmer. Lots of suspense and intrigue and a nice storyline wrapped about medicine and the surgery. "
— Kristen, 1/19/2014 -
" This medical thriller was an easy read. A terrorist with a brain tumor needs surgery; the surgeon performing the surgery must be successful or suffer the consequences. "
— Gail, 1/19/2014 -
" This was a pretty good book, it held my attention but something was missing for me. Perhaps the main male character Alex, he just did not warm to me at all, he seemed a bit too stiff in character and without personality. I was pleasantly surprised at who the killer turned out to be. "
— Denise, 1/18/2014 -
" This is my second time through this book and I enjoyed it just as much today as I did years ago. It is a jarring glimpse into the world of managed care, and unfortunately we see the evidence more and more every day or Dr. & hospital visit. "
— Mary, 1/15/2014 -
" I really liked this book. I like Michael Palmers books, but this one is particularly well written. Very suspenseful with interesting characters. I could not put this book down. Highly recommend. Michael Kramer is a master reader and his reading makes this audio book so much better. "
— Joseph, 1/12/2014 -
" A nice, easy, suspensful read. I enjoyed the "medical" aspect to this novel. "
— Megan, 12/19/2013 -
" I liked this book alot. There was lots of action and suspense. "
— Kathy, 12/17/2013 -
" Palmer is a good author, but use of so many medical terms so frequently in the book make it a little hard to keep your attention at times. I found myself wandering off when he hits you with a full paragraph or two of nothing but medical terms. Otherwise, not bad. "
— Vicki, 12/9/2013 -
" He always has great plots but the endings leave something to be desired. "
— Mike, 12/6/2013 -
" Really liked it. Very fast moving in some places. "
— Donna, 12/4/2013 -
" Good suspenseful book. As a nurse, I enjoyed the mostly authentic feeling medical aspects of the story. "
— Val, 9/12/2013 -
" Really liked this one by Michael Palmer. Most of his books that I've read have been chilling page turners, but I think this one was the best. Cleverly designed, not predictable, a great read. "
— Karleene, 8/8/2013 -
" Although I could see a lot of the twists coming, this was still an excellent story. The pace was fast, and not a lot of down time in the story, which I like. The characters were easy to like, and the medical jargon was not too lofty to enjoy. "
— Dawn, 5/26/2013 -
" Better than the average novel "
— Cathy, 2/15/2013 -
" Michael Palmer never disapoints when it comes to action and this book exceeds the mark when it comes to a book that you alomst have to read in one day.... "
— Daviyd, 7/29/2012 -
" I couldn't put it down -- fast-paced, fascinating story, well written -- and I learned a bit about brain surgery for cancer (not enough to do it myself, tho ). If you like murder mysteries, this one will appeal. "
— Judy, 6/11/2012 -
" Great suspense and reading about brain surgery is always cool! "
— Rosemary, 6/4/2012 -
" Outstanding book. Read it in one day! "
— Maria, 2/9/2012 -
" Read as part of a Book Club. "
— Erika, 5/14/2011 -
" This was an interesting story about a doctor that has Asperger's syndrome. I wish it had ended differently, but I think it was well written. I thought Michael Palmer did a good job of portraying Thea Speralakis as the main character. "
— Sue, 5/6/2011 -
" I always enjoy Michael Palmer's books, and this one is no exception. Great characters and interesting <br/>information regarding Asperger's syndrome. "
— Kw, 4/14/2011 -
" This was very good. A good "Who Done It" book. "
— Karen, 4/6/2011 -
" I enjoy reading books by this author as he is also a doctor. There is a credibility in his writing due to that fact....it was an okay book and i would recommend it if you enjoy medical thrillers. "
— kathi, 4/4/2011 -
" Predictable and at times annoying. "
— Rebecca, 3/25/2011 -
" Being ADHD myself, I *very* much enjoyed this book. It seemed like it was skipping around at the beginning, but I promise it does all tie together. "
— CodyAnne, 2/22/2011 -
" Meh? The romance in the story seemed very secondary and unnecessary to the story and almost tacked in to satisfy some unknown formula. The rest of the emotion in it seemed very remote, even the action scenes. Otherwise, a decent "who done it." "
— Jesi, 2/11/2011 -
" What are the chances of finding another book about people with asbergers? This one was good, but the characters didn't display symptoms as strong as the first book. At the end I discovered that the author actually has a son with the disorder. It was exciting and education at the same time. "
— Julie, 1/19/2011 -
" Autism and adult Asperger Syndrome in the novel made it unique. The Author's Note at the end was very interesting too. "
— Gary, 1/17/2011 -
" Amazing how twins can be so different even when sharing Asperger's syndrome. "
— Mary, 1/3/2011 -
" Excellent plot. NOT written well, "
— Jim, 12/22/2010 -
" I found the insights into Aspergers Syndrome fascinating. The main character was not a flawless superhuman as is the typical protagonist. "
— Joan, 12/1/2010 -
" I liked this book. It was well-written and I'm pleased to see that this author has written many others that I'd like to read. It was a good page-turner and contained a lot of interesting medical information. "
— Bill, 11/26/2010 -
" OK read...fairly typical of the author. "
— John, 11/19/2010
About Michael Palmer
Michael Palmer (1942–2013) authored twenty-one novels of medical suspense, all international bestsellers, including The First Patient, The Second Opinion, and The Last Surgeon. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages. Extreme Measures was the basis for a movie starring Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman.