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jgraydee's review against another edition
3.0
This was a free ebook from the library, and a popular author so I wanted to give it a try. A quick read, but often predictable. The main characters, who are selflessly heroic and brilliant against master minded assassins, got to be tedious, and I found myself just wishing for the end of the story. I enjoy the medical aspect Palmer's writing. This story is written around the setting of cutting age technology, rather than making the technology a pivotal part of the thriller. I like Palmer's writing style, and will read more of him. Hopefully his use of medicine within the story will continue to develop.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
5.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 4.5
Characters: 4.5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 5
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.83
Characters: 4.5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 5
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.83
literally_jayqwellin's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
weaselweader's review against another edition
3.0
Terrorism in the operating room!
In The Patient, Palmer has hypothesized ARTIE (Assisted Robotic Tissue Incision and Extraction), a technology that will assist surgeons in the removal of previously inoperable tumors and crafted a high voltage suspense thriller set in the arena of the neurosurgery operating rooms of EMMC, Eastern Massachusetts Medical Center. When Carl Gilbride, the tyrannical head of the department overrules the decision of Jessie Copeland, his finest surgeon, and successfully uses ARTIE to save the life of a world class Olympic gymnast, a veritable firestorm of publicity results attracting the attention of other surgeons, scientists, foundations, grant-giving authorities and dying patients desperate to get in line for a life-saving operation with this new technology.
It also comes to the ears of Claude Malloch, a shadowy, ruthless, mercenary assassin known to the CIA and the FBI as responsible for the deaths of over 500 people. Malloch has decided that, whatever it takes, nobody will stand in the way of his getting to the front of the line for the removal of a growing brain tumour that will certainly be his own call to the grim reaper. Alex Bishop, the relentless and obsessed CIA agent who has spent five years on the heels of Malloch after his brother's murder, tracks him to the hospital and tricks Jessie Copeland into helping him with his plans to capture Malloch.
Standing tall beside other tales such as Tess Gerritsen's Harvest or Robin Cook's Coma, Palmer has given us a breathtaking look at the operation of a large metropolitan hospital - the controlled chaos and compelling urgency of a "Code 99"; the exhilaration of success or the shattering heartbreak of failure when the hospital's "product" is the life or death of its patients; the ethical dilemmas confronted by the desire to bring cutting edge technology into use on live human patients as quickly as possible; the unforgiving and demanding long hours; the compassionate involvement, caring and humanity that must often be held in check in order for medical staff to perform as competent, objective professionals; and, of course, the political tension between administrators, department heads, doctors, residents, and nurses as employees of the hospital as an extraordinarily complex and multi-faceted corporation.
The first two thirds of the novel is a workmanlike but very compelling and fascinating description of life in the hospital. Frankly, with the plot all but in the sack, I was wondering how Palmer was planning on spinning out a further 100 pages. But, at that point, Palmer blindsides his readers with a completely unpredictable twist, ratchets the action into high gear and packs the finale with all the intensity of the finest page-turning thriller.
But, sadly, the novel ultimately failed to satisfy and what might have been great ended as merely good. Palmer brought us to the climax and ended his novel with the intensity, speed and suddenness of a NASCAR driver hitting a wall at 200 mph and disintegrating into a ball of flames. In the course of developing his main plot and fleshing out his characters, Palmer started a number of sub-plots and every dad-blasted one of them is left hanging unfinished in mid-air. When I got to the final paragraph, I actually flipped back three or four pages and re-read them suspecting that perhaps I had actually missed something. How disappointing is that?
Paul Weiss
In The Patient, Palmer has hypothesized ARTIE (Assisted Robotic Tissue Incision and Extraction), a technology that will assist surgeons in the removal of previously inoperable tumors and crafted a high voltage suspense thriller set in the arena of the neurosurgery operating rooms of EMMC, Eastern Massachusetts Medical Center. When Carl Gilbride, the tyrannical head of the department overrules the decision of Jessie Copeland, his finest surgeon, and successfully uses ARTIE to save the life of a world class Olympic gymnast, a veritable firestorm of publicity results attracting the attention of other surgeons, scientists, foundations, grant-giving authorities and dying patients desperate to get in line for a life-saving operation with this new technology.
It also comes to the ears of Claude Malloch, a shadowy, ruthless, mercenary assassin known to the CIA and the FBI as responsible for the deaths of over 500 people. Malloch has decided that, whatever it takes, nobody will stand in the way of his getting to the front of the line for the removal of a growing brain tumour that will certainly be his own call to the grim reaper. Alex Bishop, the relentless and obsessed CIA agent who has spent five years on the heels of Malloch after his brother's murder, tracks him to the hospital and tricks Jessie Copeland into helping him with his plans to capture Malloch.
Standing tall beside other tales such as Tess Gerritsen's Harvest or Robin Cook's Coma, Palmer has given us a breathtaking look at the operation of a large metropolitan hospital - the controlled chaos and compelling urgency of a "Code 99"; the exhilaration of success or the shattering heartbreak of failure when the hospital's "product" is the life or death of its patients; the ethical dilemmas confronted by the desire to bring cutting edge technology into use on live human patients as quickly as possible; the unforgiving and demanding long hours; the compassionate involvement, caring and humanity that must often be held in check in order for medical staff to perform as competent, objective professionals; and, of course, the political tension between administrators, department heads, doctors, residents, and nurses as employees of the hospital as an extraordinarily complex and multi-faceted corporation.
The first two thirds of the novel is a workmanlike but very compelling and fascinating description of life in the hospital. Frankly, with the plot all but in the sack, I was wondering how Palmer was planning on spinning out a further 100 pages. But, at that point, Palmer blindsides his readers with a completely unpredictable twist, ratchets the action into high gear and packs the finale with all the intensity of the finest page-turning thriller.
But, sadly, the novel ultimately failed to satisfy and what might have been great ended as merely good. Palmer brought us to the climax and ended his novel with the intensity, speed and suddenness of a NASCAR driver hitting a wall at 200 mph and disintegrating into a ball of flames. In the course of developing his main plot and fleshing out his characters, Palmer started a number of sub-plots and every dad-blasted one of them is left hanging unfinished in mid-air. When I got to the final paragraph, I actually flipped back three or four pages and re-read them suspecting that perhaps I had actually missed something. How disappointing is that?
Paul Weiss
ikuo1000's review against another edition
3.0
It's a page-turner that read like a movie. A quick read that got me into the groove of reading again.
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
Young brain surgeon Jessie Copeland has worked for years on a robot that will enable previously inoperable tumors to be removed. When her boss uses the robot to save a young Olympic gymnast, word spreads fast and they are quickly swamped with cases. Unfortunately, one of these cases happens to be a crime boss who is responsible for the murder of several people. And he will stop at nothing to get the surgery he needs.
This medical thriller was fine. It kept my attention.
This medical thriller was fine. It kept my attention.
baronessekat's review against another edition
4.0
Dr. Jessie Copeland is a Neurosurgeon at Boston Memorial who has been working on cutting edge technology to use robotics to remove previously inoperable tumors. Besides the pressure of being one of the team on the cutting edge of surgical tech, she is dealing with a Department Head who is more concerned with image and prestige instead of actual medicine.
Alex Bishop is a CIA agent who has spent 5 years tracking down a ghost - Claude Malloche, a international assassin who many do not believe exists. Alex comes to Boston because rumor has it that Malloche has been diagnosed with a large brain tumor and would seek out the best to help him.
Alex posses as a hospital security guard because he believes that his target is coming there to force the neurosurgical team to fix him. The question is, can he catch a man that no one knows what he looks like, save lives and possible get the girl?
*****
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It's not my go to genre at all. But despite the fact that it was clear by "technology" used in the book that it was written at the beginning of the millenium (it refers to using ICQ to contact someone online, pagers being used as the primary form on contacting someone immediately), I found myself interested in the story. OK, I figured out who the bad guy was almost immediately upon his introduction to the story but that didn't bother me. It became a "when are they going to figure it out?"
I am also surprised to find myself thinking that I may look for other books by this author when I need a change of pace from my usual reads.
Alex Bishop is a CIA agent who has spent 5 years tracking down a ghost - Claude Malloche, a international assassin who many do not believe exists. Alex comes to Boston because rumor has it that Malloche has been diagnosed with a large brain tumor and would seek out the best to help him.
Alex posses as a hospital security guard because he believes that his target is coming there to force the neurosurgical team to fix him. The question is, can he catch a man that no one knows what he looks like, save lives and possible get the girl?
*****
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It's not my go to genre at all. But despite the fact that it was clear by "technology" used in the book that it was written at the beginning of the millenium (it refers to using ICQ to contact someone online, pagers being used as the primary form on contacting someone immediately), I found myself interested in the story. OK, I figured out who the bad guy was almost immediately upon his introduction to the story but that didn't bother me. It became a "when are they going to figure it out?"
I am also surprised to find myself thinking that I may look for other books by this author when I need a change of pace from my usual reads.
shakith's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jennybun's review against another edition
tense
4.0
Vast majority of the book is good, the ending is lackluster.
em_beddedinbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I am a sucker for medical thrillers, and this satisfied my expectations in that it had elements I liked - a busy hospital, sick patients and doctors always in a game of chess with King Death. Very busy, committed group of doctors, their leisure free lives...
The theme revolves around a busy neurosurgery department which is also doing research in using robotic neurosurgery and is so advanced that they have started trying their robot, Artie on patients. As a side-track we have a killer who is chased by a CIA agent, and finally doctors, patients, CIA and killers are entangled in a confused, horrible mess.
I love leading lady doctors who are highly accomplished, and who have nasty less intelligent bosses to boot! The first three quarters was definitely a four star read, but then the end wasn't as good..it never is...
The theme revolves around a busy neurosurgery department which is also doing research in using robotic neurosurgery and is so advanced that they have started trying their robot, Artie on patients. As a side-track we have a killer who is chased by a CIA agent, and finally doctors, patients, CIA and killers are entangled in a confused, horrible mess.
I love leading lady doctors who are highly accomplished, and who have nasty less intelligent bosses to boot! The first three quarters was definitely a four star read, but then the end wasn't as good..it never is...