Customer Reviews

The Sisterhood

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have only read a few of Michael Palmer's books and this one is definitely a suspenseful read! I can tell it was one of his earlier works just because they were making a big deal about the main character's lawyer paying a grand a month for his office. Nowadays the price would be a bit steeper. =0)

This one focuses on Dr. David Shelton, who is working to rebuild his career after a tragic accident and personal downfall. He agrees to take over his boss' caseload for the weekend. That was a fateful decision as one of his patients died and was discovered to be murdered. Shelton is then up against something sinister among the nurses ~~ The Sisterhood ~~ who believe in mercy killing. Framed for the murder, Shelton is on the run and soon, everyone close to him is dying.

This is a pretty good first attempt ~~ I know that I will be nervous going into the hospital again! (I would NOT recommend reading this just before surgery!) I have to give this to my sister-in-law who is a nurse to see what she says. It's pretty creepy! This book is perfect for these cold rainy nights we've been having in Ohio!

So if you're new to Michael Palmer, you can't miss with this one! Like his other books, this one will draw you in!

10-20-05

A highly suspenseful thriller filled with tension. I found myself peeking ahead in the story, on occasion, to find out if the bad guys were actually stopped or the good guys made it through another crisis. The main characters were easy to identify with right from the start and the story moves along at a very fast pace. Hard to put down.

A friend gave us the old "if you like Robin Cook, you'll love Michael Palmer." Close enough - a medical thriller for sure, Palmer ironically was a contemporary of Cook at Massachusetts General, and has practiced since as an MD for some 20 years. Somehow he found time to start writing, and although his first book didn't make the cut, he got a commission for The Sisterhood, copyrighted in 1982. At the pace of about one each two years, his tenth novel ("Fatal") has just arrived, so he must be doing well.

Unlike the "stretch", if not medico-sci-fi premises of Cook, this story has a very believable premise: that a group of well-intentioned nurses have formed a secret society that very selectively practices euthanasia on "appropriate" patients. Remember this was written several years before Dr. Kevorkian, in just a slightly different way, shed so much light on this subject. So part of the book is a light, but thought provoking, discussion of the morality and or virtues (or not) of mercy killing.

The suspense really picks up when one of these killings goes sour. Subbing for a prominent surgeon, our leading man, Dr. David Shelton, into whose life a lot of tragedy has already fallen, has a recent operative patient die on him. Between the outrage of the head surgeon and the thoroughness of our hero, the autopsy reveals foul play. The "sisterhood" has to go into action to take unusual measures to cover its tracks, point to Shelton as the murderer, and put out contracts on the nurse, Christine Beall, who we already know actually did the deed, and our doctor as well. Literally running for their lives, Christine and David wind up romantically involved as well, just adding to the fun. Before it's over, another couple of murders add to the tension and suspense, and a great twist at the end concludes a very entertaining story.

Were it not for a bit of a slowdown in the middle book area, we might have rated this first novel 4 stars - so we recommend it; and eagerly look forward to reading Palmer's second book, "Side Effects".

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.

Suspenseful, non-stop action, and interesting subject---mercy killing. Loved the book.

I found this book (the first edition) in my grandparent's basement, and took it -with their permission ;) - because it seemed interesting. It turned out to *almost* be a buried treasure.

I was struck by how involved I became in the characters and their situations. The writing is smooth, and the characters (especially David, the main one) pull you in right away with their believability and actions.

I was really pleased at the twists the novel took. The first 3/4 is a buildup of suspense and things that could really happen in real life (if you let yourself believe, of course - and that's what a good thriller is for). A "Sisterhood" of nurses exist, planted in hospitals all over the country. Their purpose is to end the life of people with hopeless causes, who live in agony every day because their doctors just won't let them die. But what really made things interesting was the Garden - another group of nurses existing within the Sisterhood, whose purpose is...EVIL. But still believable.

Of course, there's the "Action Scene" towards the end of the book, and it started to go a little downhill for me there. But it picks up again at the VERY end, when a surprisingly good character has a surprisingly good death. It was almost depressing to read about. But by the next page (literally), I was smiling again over a situation that was fairly humorous, if you're into "black comedy."

I wish some of the characters had developed a bit more, especially the scarred nurse, Janet. She seemed pretty cool, but played a surprisingly small part in the climax of the book. I was also disappiointed in how unbelievable (and slightly boring) the events became when the "action" started - hired killers conveniently in just the right spot at just the right time (when the two main characters seperate, of course!), and I wish the whole "romance blossoming in a secluded cabin" scene had been left out. These elements felt slightly forced...it's like watching an awesome float at a parade, and seeing scuffed white sneakers peeking out below it. It just "destroys the illusion". But this is also his first novel, so things like that can be expected.

Overall - good read!

I will be reading more of Michael Palmer's books in the future. This was a very intriguing book. The plot seemed very believable and interesting. Characters were easy to relate too.

i have read all of Doctor Palmers books, and keep coming back to this one, his first. I love them all, but this one seems to stick in my mind (pun intended -read the book). my wife, a retired registerd nurse, has taken on a sinister aspect in my mind after reading this. you will never be comfortable alone with a nurse in an examining room again after reading this one.

This suspenseful novel by Michael Palmer was very fun to read as it kept you turning the pages and wondering what was lurking around the corner of the next page. At first, I wasn't sure which side to take, the sisterhood, or the doctor's side. Near the end, you find out which one you are on. It is a great book and I reccomend it very highly.

This book took me several months to finish reading it..why? Because I felt so bored half way through the book. Well, I finally forced myself to finish it...the thrills didn't kick in until the last couple of chapters.. His other books, Silent Treatment & Natural Causes, were much better.