Miracle Cure [Paperback]

Michael Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1998

A sports injury ended Brian Holbrook's professional football dreams and left him addicted to prescription painkillers. This cost him his marriage and his licence to practice medicine. Then the prestigious Boston Heart Institute offers him an opportunity to participate in a trial for a wonder drug.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this flawed medical thriller about the marketing of a new drug by veteran writer Palmer (The Sisterhood), one plot twist too many turns a frightening vision of corporate greed into an excuse for prefab heroics. The drug is called Vasclear, a heart medication being developed at the Boston Heart Institute by Newbury Pharmaceuticals. The FDA is being pressured by a Massachusetts senator (who, it turns out, is secretly taking Vasclear himself) to approve the release of the drug. And Vasclear may be the magic wand that can save the life of Jack "Coach" Holbrook, whose health is declining after a quintuple bypass. Coach's son, Brian (an M.D. living at home and working as a rental-car gofer while he recovers from an addiction to painkillers), not only faces the ethical dilemma of stealing the drug if he can't place his father as a test patient but also finds evidence of potentially dangerous side effects?evidence that could derail the drug's release to the public. The characters are sitcom thin, the moral dilemma is barely raised before it's resolved and the inclusion of a Chechen Mafia subplot only serves to transport the story further into an unlikely realm, where otherwise efficient killers do nothing more dangerous than send the hero a threat in the mail and members of drug and alcohol recovery groups know more about pharmaceutical companies than the FDA. Palmer's thriller-friendly prose, pacing and plotting draw readers on here, but, like Vasclear, his novel should have spent more time in development before it hit the shelves.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A disgraced doctor finds himself working in an experimental program where patients are dying mysteriously.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 447 pages
• Publisher: Arrow (December 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099278669
• ISBN-13: 978-0099278665
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,360,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Palmer, is the author of sixteen novels of medical and political suspense, all international bestsellers. His 17th medical and political thriller, OATH OF OFFICE is now available. In addition to writing, Palmer is 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 lives in eastern Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The usual- a great read, April 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Miracle Cure (Mass Market Paperback)

Be prepared to kiss the weekend good-bye when you tackle a Palmer book. This one is no exception, however I must say that the formula is getting a bit long in the tooth. We all know the hmo-drug corporate establishment is bad, and that everyone associated with the main character is potentially bad. And as we read more and more of Dr. Palmers books we ultimately become less fulfilled upon the completion of each succeeding one! This one was no exception...the plot was somewhat predictable, the scenario somewhat claustrophobic, the cast of characters somewhat limited..he probably wrote this thing in one weekend too!! Oh, by the way, as with all his books..LOVED IT.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've read all of Palmers books except the new release!, September 4, 2000

By 

Ann C. Oman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miracle Cure (Mass Market Paperback)

Yes - his books seem to following the typical formula/recipe for medical mystery thriller - BUT, each of the eight paperbacks of his books I finished in record time and couldn't get enough of them! After reading the first one "Silent Treatment" I ordered the other seven to read too! Yes, I too am fairly good at guessing the next "thing" that will occur in mystery books that I read - but I am pretty good at doing so with mystery movies and TV series too - so this is nothing new to me. I have to say that I have also passed on his books to friends and family to read and they are just as captivated by his writing ability and plots as I have been! They are a good, exciting, fast read and if that is what you are after you won't be disappointed - give his books a shot - I certainly did - and I'm not in the least bit disappointed that I did.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow start- outstanding finish, February 6, 2003

By 

Theresa W (mi, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miracle Cure (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't know if it was the mood I was in when I started reading this book, but I had a hard time getting involved in the first 50 pages or so. I almost put the book down, but I'm glad I didn't. The book really picked up the pace & suspense after that. Things started really coming together in the last half of the book. Great story, it's my first by Palmer, and won't be my last. Only criticism- characters left a little to be desired.