Political Suicide - Hardcover

Palmer, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312587554 ISBN 13: 9780312587550

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2012

Synopsis

A massive cover-up gone awry

A prominent physician accused of murder

Uncovering the truth could put the entire country at risk

Dr. Gary McHugh, known around Washington, D.C. as the "society doc," calls his longtime friend Dr. Lou Welcome in a state of panic, certain he is about to be arrested for murder. McHugh was found in an alcoholic blackout in his wrecked car after visiting a patient of his, the powerful Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Elias Colston. Soon after McHugh leaves, Colston's wife returns home to find her husband shot to death in their garage. McHugh has no recollection of committing the crime and no one who would possibly believe in his innocence, other than Lou. As more facts come to light, even Lou has serious doubts. But something about McHugh's story nags at him and as he looks into matters, pieces of the puzzle don't point to his friend's guilt so definitively.

With the help of Sarah Cooper, an ambitious attorney with her own reasons for hating doctors, Lou finds himself at the center of a deadly, high-level conspiracy where the difference between right and wrong is a matter of interpretation, and the words "whatever it takes" have a chilling meaning. If Lou and Sarah don't uncover the real reasons Colston is dead, they may not survive themselves, and the entire country could be at risk for attacks that could destroy the very fabric of national security.

Once again, bestselling author Michael Palmer proves that he is the king of suspense in this page-turning thriller, Political Suicide, set at the crossroads of politics, the military, and medical science.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Palmer (1942-2013) wrote internationally bestselling novels of medical suspense, including The First Patient, The Second Opinion, The Last Surgeon, A Heartbeat Away, Oath of Office and Political Suicide. His book Extreme Measures was adapted into a movie starring Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages. Palmer earned his bachelor's degree at Wesleyan University, and he attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University. He trained in internal medicine at Boston City and Massachusetts General Hospitals. He spent twenty years as a full-time practitioner of internal and emergency medicine. In addition to his writing, Palmer was an associate director of the Massachusetts Medical Society Physician Health Services, devoted to helping physicians troubled by mental illness, physical illness, behavioral issues, and chemical dependency. He lived in eastern Massachusetts.

From Booklist:

Dr. Lou Welcome, who supervises other doctors through the Physician Wellness Office, is shocked to discover that a friend and colleague might be mixed up in the homicide of a U.S. congressman. Not willing to accept that his friend is a murderer, Lou starts digging only to uncover a deadly conspiracy. If this all sounds a bit familiar, it’s because it’s pretty much the same story, with minor variations, as Oath of Office (2012), which introduced Welcome, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, which explains why he’s not supervising other doctors with troubled histories. It’s not a bad book, but like its predecessor, it misses several opportunities for surprising plot twists and has the overall feeling of been-there, done-that (too many times). Palmer can be a talented and original storyteller, but of late his writing feels lethargic, and his stories repetitive and predictable. Devoted readers might enjoy this one, but it won’t win him any new fans. --David Pitt

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0312587554
• ISBN 13: 9780312587550
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368