Oath of Office [Hardcover]

Michael Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 14, 2012

Michael Palmer, the New York Times bestselling author of A Heartbeat Away and The Last Surgeon brings us a shocking new thriller at the crossroads of politics and medicine. 

What if a well respected doctor inexplicably goes on a murderous rampage?

When Dr. John Meacham goes on a shooting spree the office, his business partner, staff, and two patients are killed in the bloodbath.  Then Meacham turns the gun on himself.

The blame falls on Dr. Lou Welcome.  Welcome worked with Meacham years before as a counselor after John's medical license had been revoked for drug addiction.  Lou knew that John was an excellent doctor and deserved to be practicing medicine and fought hard for his license to be restored.  After hearing the news of the violent outburst, Lou is in shock like everyone else, but mostly he's incredulous.  And when he begins to look into it further, the terrifying evidence he finds takes him down a path to an unspeakable conspiracy that seems to lead directly to the White House and those in the highest positions of power. 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A physician with a history of behavioral issues shoots and kills several people in his office before trying to take his own life. It falls to Dr. Lou Welcome, the assailants friend and former colleague, to determine why the man went on his murderous rampage, but Welcome doesn’t bargain for a conspiracy that could lead directly to the Oval Office. This is a weaker novel than Palmer’s Last Surgeon (2010), but it’s stronger than A Heartbeat Away (2011), leaving it in the midrange of Palmer’s up-and-down swing. Its characters are sturdy, but the story doesn’t have the spark that made his early work such a treat. Palmer doesn’t seem all that interested in his plot. He seems content to let it be another frequently predictable conspiracy story, although there are places where it could have veered off in a new and surprising direction. This is one of those cases where there’s nothing especially wrong with the book, but it isn’t especially memorable, either. Not a complete misfire but, from an author with undeniable talent, a disappointment. --David Pitt

Review

Praise for Michael Palmer’s OATH OF OFFICE

“This is Palmer at his most terrifying, most plausible and, worst of all, most realistic.” —RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars)

“Suspenseful…Palmer’s easy mix of science and individual courage should please his many fans.”—Publishers Weekly

“Compelling.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Oath of Office captures the modern pulse…An engaging novel that touches on some of the fears readers may have about big business, politics, and the food supply. Difficult to put down.”—Technorati

“A darn good read.”—Examiner.com

More praise for the books of bestselling author Michael Palmer

"The twists fly in A Heartbeat Away and the results create a terrifying scenario...Palmer has a mastery of the medical science involved in such an elaborate conspiracy, plus the intricacies of presidential succession."--Associated Press on A Heartbeat Away

“When it comes to inventive plots for medical thrillers nobody does it better than Michael Palmer…  This premise is explosive and compelling and grabs the readers from the very first page.”--The Huffington Post on A Heartbeat Away

"Fans of Michael Palmer will love the Boston-based doctor/crime writer's latest thriller...Prepare to burn some serious midnight oil."--The Boston Herald on The Last Surgeon

"The novel is not merely a thriller but also an exploration of its central character's unique gifts and her determination to communicate with hercomatose father despite overwhelming odds. Another winner from a consistently fine writer."--Booklist on The Second Opinion

"The First Patient is an exciting thriller that is full of surprises and captures the intense atmosphere of the White House, how the medical system works, and how the 25th Amendment could be brought into play. I thoroughly enjoyed it."--Bill Clinton on The First Patient

"This latest should please Palmer's fans and all those who enjoy their suspense mixed with medical characters and settings."--Library Journal on The Last Surgeon

"A heart-pounding medical thriller."--The Boston Globe on The Second Opinion

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (February 14, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312587538
• ISBN-13: 978-0312587536
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Palmer is the author of seventeen novels of medical and political suspense, all international bestsellers. His 18th medical and political thriller, POLITICAL SUICIDE, will be available December 11, 2012 . 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "It's not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath." Aeschylus February 15, 2012

By michael a. draper TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

When stressed out Dr. John Meacham goes on a shooting spree, killing a number of his patients and fellow employees, Dr. Lou Welcome is blamed.

Lou had been overseeing his friend, Dr. Meacham's progress at Physicians Wellness. This organization counsels and attempts to help doctors with psychological problems, resulting in their loss of anger. They also counsel doctors who over medicate themselves with drugs and alcohol.

As the story progresses, we observe Lou's compassionate nature while a number of other characters exhibit unexplained anger that seems to take control of their body for a time, and then, if they survive their aggression, the anger seems to go away. Afterward the person seems almost unaware of what happened. We witness a number of tragic events due to this anger. Lou tries to find the cause. He goes to the Chief of Police in King's Ridge but the chief tells Lou that he doesn't have any real evidence to back his claims.

He meets Dr. Darlene Mallory, the First Lady of the United States. They form a bond together, attempting to find answers to this mystery.

The characters are realistically portrayed. Lou's thirteen-year-old daughter, Emily, is a charmer. The author brings Lou and Emily to life at moments such as when they are playing monopoly. In reality, Lou is using the game to keep Emily occupied while he questions her about herself and her life with her mother and step-father.

How many parents don't know how to communicate with teenagers and this method of keeping a teenager active with something while asking questions is a very good lesson.

The plot is laid out nicely with some interesting surprises. I found the book entertaining and recommend it to readers who enjoy medical thrillers and good suspense.

Note: I received a copy of this novel for an honest review.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Faced-paced read for an adrenaline rush February 14, 2012

By The Loopy Librarian

Format:Hardcover

If ever there was a cautionary tale against genetic food modification, Oath of Office is it. The author combines medical mystery with political corruption in a suspenseful, fast-paced thriller that is a real page turner. I was stepping outside my usual genres by picking up this book, and I'm ever so glad that I did. I particularly enjoy books that take me outside of my realm of knowledge and experience and teach me something new while entertaining me. I found that Oath of Office did that very well. I also liked the main characters a great deal and appreciated that they had baggage. Palmer was able to make doctors and politicians into people to whom the reader could relate. This book had high speed car chases, shootouts, medical traumas, radiated termites, murder, and romance. It came together in a plot that was frighteningly believable yet surprising and nearly seamless. I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it for a quick read with a bonus adrenaline rush.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Palmer Uses Our Own Fears to Shock! Possible? Probable? February 14, 2012

By Glenda A Bixler VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Whoooa! Palmer's latest has a feel of horror...and you'd never guess why!

Dr. Lou Welcome has great empathy for medical personnel who, for whatever reason, gets hooked on alcohol or other type of substance, including drugs.

Mainly because he's been there...

In fact, part of his own rehabilitation has been to work with others who have the same type of problems. One of those men was John Meacham--and he has just gone on a rampage, killing everybody in his office, including two patients! Lou's boss wants to know what happened, but Lou wanted to know what had happened for his own reasons--he knew Meacham had been clean! So what could have set him off?

You would think that now we are going to investigate how he might have obtained some illegal substance, taking it without even realizing it perhaps. But what that substance is and where his investigation leads is much more scary than some type of new drug... Especially as other people also begin doing illogical activities..

Welcome begins his investigation by learning that Meacham had said only one thing, "No Witnesses!" As he pieced things together, he learned that he had become angry with a dangerously obese patient and got her so upset that she had ran out of the office. With Meacham's last words being "No witnesses" Welcome had to assume that Meacham feared that a complaint would be made against him and he would lose his license permanently. That seemed to make a little sense, except that, Roberta Jennings, the woman he had verbally attacked, was still alive...Meacham was not acting rationally in killing everybody else except her.

In the meantime, in Washington D.C. the President of the United States once again had not shown up for an event that was sponsored by the First Lady. She was very interested in a food program for children. Obviously disturbed, she nevertheless went on with the program, but received a message about an old friend, the former Secretary of Agriculture, who had been fired. She had always felt he had been framed and so went to a secret meeting to learn more... And, she learned more than she had ever expected!

Welcome's investigation took him to Meacham's home town next to talk to his wife Carolyn. Meacham had died and now he was riding with Carolyn, only to have her begin to act strangely. She became fixated on a car ahead of them with a back light missing...chasing after it to prevent an accident, only to cause them to have one themselves!

More and more strange behavior was identified and it seemed to be most happening there in the town where the Meacham's had lived.

When they began to think it may be something around that town, it all began to come together, but what was it and how were they going to identify what it was and who was involved?

Reading about what people were doing in that town adds the feelings of horror...doing the exact opposite of what would really be the most logical thing to do... Michael Palmer has topped his other books in this one! The realism of the plot is so potentially possible and probable that you can't help but be hooked, turning the pages, wanting to know more, but becoming even more horrified as more is discovered! Could it really happen? Not the exact activities within this novel, but something else? This one will leave you afraid...and will not be easily dismissed or forgotten. And how is the President and his family involved?!

Forewarned is forearmed? Palmer is sharing a potential reality for all of us. Even if it's fiction, you need to read this one, in my opinion... A thriller like no other!

GABixlerReviews