Customer Reviews

The Second Opinion

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Palmer has created some quirky, wonderfully likable characters who are sure you draw you into the story. Most of all, however, this is a mystery on overdrive. Fast, furious, and fun.

Dr Thea leaves the hospital in the Congo where she has been working upon hearing that her famous father has been nearly killed in a hit and run car accident.

Her father lies in a deep coma, seemingly beyond help. Thea's older bother and sister insist he should be allowed to die. The coma appears irreversible.

To complicate matters Thea's brother Dimitri has recreated the accident, by using a computer simulation, that landed her father in a coma. The simulation shows that the car that hit her father aimed at him deliberately. Who wanted to kill him?

Moreover, as she watches her father, Thea thinks she can see him respond to her questions. It's only a faint flutter of his eyelid. But when she calls in a nurse her father shows no movement. Why would he only want to contact her? Or could it be that she only wants him to respond?

Thea has Asperger's syndrome. It has made her a superb doctor, with a near encyclopedic memory of medical papers she has read, but it has left her with a dismaying inability to judge the emotions of other people. Who can she trust as she realizes there has been a deadly conspiracy, one involving many wealthy people?

Palmer does a fantastic job of juggling romance and mystery, and there are some twists and turns--and some thrilling scenes--that are bound to surprise the most experienced thriller reader. This is one you will really enjoy.

What a powerful book! With some medical mystery/thriller books, it is impossible for the normal person to know if the writer truly knows what they are talking about when it comes to the medical aspects of the book. As a retired RN I can usually judge that at least the basics are true. This book went past it in dealing with a main character that has Aspergers Syndrome, usually thought of as part of the autism spectrum. As a mother of an high functioning autistic son, it was fabulous that not only was this aspect in the book true to life but something I could personally relate to.

In writing this powerful book, Michael Palmer, is helping to bring to life the very details of the day to day life of the people and families that struggle to cope with this problem and the wonderful lives that can result. Many people's only context about autism are movies like Rainman showing low functioning autistic people. Rarely are these people shown as truly functioning adults in society, yet for many it is possible.

This is truly a terrific book that can not only entertain you, but also educate you.

Michael Palmer has always been a good writer and I have enjoyed each one of his efforts but in the time since First Patient, he has matured and aged as a fine wine. Perhaps it is his interest in Asbergers Syndrome or another change in his life but I get a feel from his work that I never got before.

The protagonist is a female and I often find that writers have a difficult time creating good opposite sex character development but his Thea is very layered and real. Readers will not only feel the complexity of her disability but know her uncertainties as a woman.

It is often easy to identify the antagonist early in a writing but Second Opinion leaves the reader guessing not only about who that is but who might be the ultimate target. I was disappointed when my eyes cried out for sleep and I still had half the novel to read.

Bringing a syndrome to light like Asbergers is a tremendous service and will offer the readers an opportunity to understand these unique individuals in a compassionate and respective view. The space of medical thrillers, when used for greater public understanding, is a wonderfully responsible action for the writer.

Congratulations on a really superior piece of work!

In Michael Palmer's "The Second Opinion," Dr. Petros Sperelakis, medical director of the Sperelakis Institute for Diagnostic Medicine, has been gravely injured in a hit and run accident. He is in the intensive care unit in the prestigious Beaumont Clinic in Boston and appears to be in an irreversible coma. Three out his four grown children believe that it would be better to let him die rather than prolong his suffering, but his younger daughter, Dr. Alethea Sperelakis, refuses to give up on him. Thea has a form of autism called Asperger Syndrome, a condition that is often characterized by alienation and an inability to relate normally to others. However, thanks to "early diagnosis, intervention, and extensive behavior modification therapy," Thea has learned to behave much like a "neurotypical" (a so-called normal person), except for her tendency to be too trusting, to blurt out whatever is on her mind, and to lecture people "like a professor addressing a class."

Soon Thea has reason to suspect that an unknown perpetrator made a deliberate attempt on her father's life, but why would anyone want to kill this highly regarded physician? Thea is also worried that whoever tried to murder Petros will try again. She decides to take a position on the clinic's staff so that she can investigate the hospital's inner workings without arousing the suspicions of her colleagues. She fears that someone in the hospital may be involved in criminal activity, but she has no idea who the perpetrator is or exactly what he or she has done. With the help of a handsome former cop named Dan Cotton, Thea risks her life not only to save her father but also to apprehend a villain before he does further harm.

"The Second Opinion" is one of Palmer's most engrossing and well-written novels in years. Thea is particularly appealing, with her brilliant mind, photographic memory, deep empathy, determination, and refreshing candor. Other noteworthy characters are the aforementioned Dan, who helps Thea with her sleuthing while he wrestles with his own demons. Thea's twin siblings, Niko and Selene, are arrogant and aloof and seem to have a callous disregard for their father's welfare. Their brother Dimitri is a recluse who is obsessed with complex computer games. Hayley Long is a wealthy cancer patient at the clinic whom Thea befriends. Palmer's well-researched medical details, especially about a condition called "locked in syndrome, possibly the most nightmarish medical condition imaginable," and one that was made famous in Jean-Dominique Bauby's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," lend realism and poignancy to this involving story.

Although it is unlikely that Thea would have the presence of mind and flexibility to endure so much stress with such aplomb, most readers will gladly suspend their disbelief. This is an exciting and suspenseful thriller, a touching love story, and a sensitive exploration of the dynamics of an extremely dysfunctional family. In "The Second Opinion," Michael Palmer succeeds not only in highlighting the gifts of someone with AS, but also in writing a gripping medical thriller with some extremely clever twists and turns.

This book is excellent!! The characters are very realistic.There are several asperger people in my family and I could relate to all of the characters in this story. Aspergers affects each individual differently and the characters in this story show that. My families mix of autistic tendencies helped me understand the actions of the characters. Michael Palmer's books are all great, This book just keeps that streak going. Thanks for the great story!

I enjoyed this book on so many different levels, but I especially enjoyed the phenomenal character interpretation by the narrator, Franette Liebow. She made each character recognizable with just a hint in change of voice tone, made the romantic relationship laugh out loud wonderful and funny when it was intended to be, and the clipped and somewhat staccato delivery of Thea's and Dimitri's lines made them feel so genuine. It was a great book, a great read, and a great delivery. Would certainly recommend the book on CD--the book's plot and pace and Ms. Liebow's narration is guaranteed to keep you genuinely engaged. Road trip!

When American Dr. Thea Sperelakis learns her imposing father, renowned Boston physician Petros is dying, a hit and run victim, she rushes home from the Congo where she works for Doctors Without Borders. At home Thea is stunned to find the mighty "Lion", as her dad is known, look so feeble and helpless.

Her brother Dimitri creates a computer simulation of the accident that appears to support the unthinkable premise that the driver tried to purposely murder Petros. Thea struggles to learn why as no motive comes to mind until she obtains some information from her dad. Although still containing monster gaps in what she knows, Thea believes her father is a victim of a professional hit that she thinks is tied to medical fraud Petros must have uncovered at the hospital where he was working.

THE SECOND OPINION is a well written solid medical thriller though the story line cooks up nothing new even for Michale Palmer fans. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Thea returns to Massachusetts as she obstinately seeks the truth although she knows first hand how dangerous that is.

Harriet Klausner

Two novelists excel in writing medical mysteries. Both are physicians who write best sellers. One is Robin Cook and the second is Michael Palmer. Both write thrillers that involve medical conspiracies, generally headed by hospital personnel who are more interested in money than in their patients' health. Even people who are unable to watch medical shows or hear about medical procedures or visit hospitals or see blood flow are able to read and enjoy the twists and turns in their books.
This novel involves Petros Sperelakis, a wealthy man, the most celebrated internal medicine specialist in the world. He is severely injured by a hit and run driver, and is lying apparently comatose, unable to move or speak or be conscious of what transpires around him, in the state of the art clinic that he founded. Three of his four children are doctors; all four are adults. Two are convinced that he will not recover and want to remove his life supports. Two oppose their siblings. Petros did not treat any of his four children well and was generally disliked in the hospital.
The two who fight the decision suffer from Asperger syndrome, a kind of autism that causes them to feel different from and to see the world unlike non-Asperger people. Yet, both are successful in what they do. They are exceptionally bright. Dimitri is an expert with computers and is considered the smartest person alive. He secludes himself in the guard house of his family's massive estate, surrounded by computers. He develops a sophisticated computer system for his father's state of art clinic that alters the way its doctors view their patients. Thea is a physician who feels unable to work in a hospital setting and travels to Africa where she treats the poor with Doctors Without Borders. She rushes home when she hears of her father's injury. She is the heroine of this story.
Thea discovers that her father's doctors had misdiagnosed Petros. She notices that Petros is able, although barely, to blink one of his eyes in response to yes and no questions. She becomes convinced that her dad has lock-down syndrome. While his body, except for the one eye, is entirely locked down and he is unable to move, he is totally conscious. He can hear and think and, what is worse, feel pain.
The book raises many questions. Was the hit and run an accident or a murder attempt? Who would want to kill Petros? Why would they want to do it? Are the two siblings who want to stop his life support involved? Will the attempted murderer or murderers try to kill him again? Will Thea be able to help her father regain his ability to speak and use his body? Who can she get to help her? Is the hospital guard that she meets on her side? Can she who has Asperger syndrome form a love relationship with a non-Asperger syndrome man? Will her Asperger induced tendency to always tell the truth hurt her relationship and stop her from solving the mystery surrounding her father? Is the woman who said she had a sexual relation with her father telling the truth? Are the doctor's who misdiagnosed her father involved in a conspiracy?
The novel also raises issues that go beyond the book? When should people ask for medical second opinions? Does it really make sense to allow a comatose patient to die? If it does make sense, what measures should the patient's family take to assure that they are doing the right thing in killing the patient? Can a family rely on a doctor's opinion?
The novel moves swiftly and skillfully with changes and reverses; what seems reasonable at one moment is shown as unreasonable. Near the middle of the thriller, Thea discovers a motive that seems like a motive found in other medical thrillers, but Michael Palmer adds disclosures that complicate it. It is like Amadeus Mozart taking a peasant tune and varying it with atonal dissonances and variations that turn into a fascinating symphony.

Michael Palmer has done it again with another exciting medical suspense thriller. Much of what is so enthralling about his books is the frightening possibilities he presents and the way he authenticates every issue making you believe it could happen to you. His characters were varied and interesting with real medical problems of their own. He provides us with a good understanding of Asberger's syndrome while he weaves us through a plot that keeps us in total suspense.

What a disappointment. Although the plot is compelling, the book falls flat. The heroine has Asperger's syndrome, and the reader is unlikely to forget this for one second, as it's mentioned every few pages, with frequent mention of how her therapist has helped her cope with normal life. The writing is at best adequate, and the characters basically do whatever is necessary to push the plot along, whether or not it makes sense or is in character. I could be kind and say that the writer was experimenting with an unreliable narrator, but the book doesn't rise to that level. I found myself zipping through it as fast as I could, but to finish it asap and move on to something better, not because it was exciting.