‘Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: Available Now
352 Pages
Synopsis: Cam Hilliard is, in addition to being the President’s sixteen-year-old son, a chess prodigy. A year into President Hilliard’s second term Cam inexplicably stops playing the game he loved and becomes withdrawn. The First Lady is convinced that the senior White House physician is wrong in diagnosing Cam’s issue as a psychological one, and she demands that Dr. Lee Blackwood be brought on to provide a second opinion. Lee’s opinion is dismissed, until Cam’s spleen ruptures and it becomes obvious that something is horribly wrong.
Lee informs the President and First Lady that to make a diagnosis they need to find other people with the same symptoms to conduct additional testing. From there, it’s possible to to identify the the gene defects and correlate those to the missing enzymes. Only then can a diagnosis be made and treatment begin. For now, they must face the harsh reality that Cam’s genes are producing a mutation that appears to be entirely new to science.
As Lee delves into this medical mystery, he comes to believe Cam is not the first case of this presentation of an inborn error of metabolism. But when two young people Lee has found, each with exceptional gifts, are murdered, Cam’s condition suddenly takes on a terrifyingly new dimension. Is someone out to murder the President’s son? If so, why? As Lee searches for answers he will uncover unimaginable secrets and dark betrayals that breach the highest levels of security.
I’ve made no bones (please forgive the pun) about how much I love the medical thrillers of Michael Palmer and although he sadly passed away in 2013, his son Daniel (a respected thriller writer himself), has been doing a wonderful job completing his unfinished manuscripts. The First Family is the third book after Trauma and Mercy I’ve read by the duo, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first two. My only criticism is that sometimes the medical terminology gets to be a bit much and slows down what is otherwise a non-stop thrill ride. There are also some eyebrow-raising implausible situations, but with relatable characters you can’t help connect to, and the way both writers manage to make things like genetic anomalies, brain enhancers, and neurophysiology fascinating, these are minor complaints. If you enjoy cutting edge medical thrillers with plenty of mystery and suspense, I can’t recommend The First Family highly enough!
bunsareallthatyourequirehere said:
Ooh a good medical thriller can be very entertaining.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Michael and Daniel Palmer are the best!
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bunsareallthatyourequirehere said:
I trust you there.
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bunsareallthatyourequirehere said:
Ooh and I’m getting back to movie reviews soon. Been slacking there, got one of the new It coming up.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Cool!
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bunsareallthatyourequirehere said:
I knew you’d like that.
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James J. Cudney IV said:
Sounds great! I added this one. 🙂
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thebookwormdrinketh said:
That the one thing I don’t like about medical thrillers. Great books, too much technical babble. I feel the same way about Kathy Reichs. Amazing, but sometimes I find myself skipping things in the book. Ha ha!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yeah. I can start feeling my eyes glazing over.
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Michelle Morrison said:
I like Michael Palmer too. It’s been awhile since I’ve read any of his books, I’ll have to check this out. So many good books out there and not enough hours in the day to get to them all. LOL. Part of the what makes reading fun is it’s something you can do at your own pace.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Awesome. If you’ve liked his previous books I think you’ll like this and the other two books Daniel has completed for his dad.
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beetleypete said:
Sounds like a solid thriller, Kim. Your recommendation, and 4.5 stars, is more than enough for me!
Best wishes, Pete.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Pete. It definitely is.😊
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Carrie said:
I remember debating on this one myself but the idea it may be political scared me away, love a good medical thriller though. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
The politics really doesn’t factor into the story beyond the fact that what’s happening involves the son of the president. I do think you’d like this Carrie.
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Carrie said:
I may add it to my library list then. Just like legal thrillers I don’t often see many medical on Netgalley and always loved both.
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Diana said:
I have never read a medical thriller. This sounds good and I do like the first family angle. I’d worry about the use of medical terminologies but I am glad to hear that didn’t bother you much. Great review!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Diana! I think you’d love both Michael Palmer’s medical thrillers and Damiel Palmer’s more traditional suspense, as well as these joint efforts.
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
I have a few of this author’s books and I am yet to read them! I definitely must check out Mr. Palmer’s novels after reading your fantastic review.💖📚🤗
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Dani. I know you’d love these!
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Lashaan (Bookidote) said:
Sounds like a pretty solid medical thriller. Thanks for sharing, Kim. 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’ve never been let down by either of them Lashaan.
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