The Second Opinion

In this routine medical thriller from bestseller Palmer (_The First Patient_), Dr. Thea Sperelakis, an idealist who's been working for Doctors Without Borders in the Congo, rushes back to Boston after learning her physician father, Petros, an intimidating figure known as the Lion, is close to death, the victim of a hit-and-run. Thea faces one challenge after another, including having to resuscitate Petros when his heart stops beating. Her brilliant if socially challenged older brother, Dimitri, adds to her anxiety with his computer reconstruction of the accident, which indicates the driver struck Petros deliberately. When Thea manages to communicate haltingly with her father, she suspects he's stumbled on some medical fraud that's made him the target of those behind the fraud. Aided by the requisite hunky ex-cop turned hospital security guard, Thea doggedly seeks out the truth. Robin Cook fans have seen all this before and in more engaging form. (Feb.)
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Palmer, a medical-thriller writer who has been producing A-list-quality novels for years, turns in another excellent performance with this story of a physician who uncovers a deadly conspiracy. Dr. Thea Sperelakis’ father is the victim of a hit-and-run; now in a coma, he communicates only with his daughter and only by moving one of his eyes. Slowly, Thea pieces together the truth behind her father’s accident, and behind a series of suspicious deaths, but exposing the villains could mean exposing her to certain death. As usual, the novel is fluidly written—as a stylist, Palmer is head and shoulders above his more famous competitor, Robin Cook—and very suspenseful. Thea, in particular, is a most intriguing character: she suffers from Asperger syndrome, which gives her an obsession with details, a near-encyclopedic memory, and a rather charming awkwardness in social settings. The novel is not merely a thriller but also an exploration of its central character’s unique gifts and her determination to communicate with her comatose father despite overwhelming odds. Another winner from a consistently fine writer. --David Pitt