- Hardcover: 404 pages
- Publisher: Bantam (Mar 1 1995)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0553095161
- ISBN-13: 978-0553095166
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.2 x 3.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
A timely topic (health care) and a scary idea (a health care insurance cartel killing clients for "cost containment") give Palmer's new medical thriller (after Natural Causes) a big boost-but poor writing, including a series of unlikely plot twists, ultimately sinks it. Dr. Harry Corbett, two weeks short of 50, is trying to save his marriage to beautiful, ambitious journalist Evie, 11 years his junior, who's facing surgery for an aneurysm in Harry's hospital. When Evie dies in hospital, and her lover, about whom Harry knew nothing, accuses Harry of killing her, a boorish NYPD detective vows to nail the distraught doctor. Further murders follow, committed by one Anton Percheck, a physician who used to torture for drug dealers and repressive governments and now works for the cartel. Meanwhile, Harry is beaten, abducted, drugged, chased by villains and the law and nearly killed more than once. As in his earlier novels, Palmer's medical expertise (he's a practicing physician), as well as his ability to write a suspenseful scene, rival those of Robin Cook; unfortunately, so do his pedestrian prose, shallow characterizations, reliance on forced coincidences and maddeningly dim hero (grilled by the vicious cop, Harry doesn't call his lawyer because "he had done nothing wrong"). Major ad/promo; audio rights to BDD.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Just before his 50th birthday, life begins to unravel for Dr. Harry Corbett of the Manhattan Medical Center. Not only is his beautiful and talented wife, Evie, scheduled for serious neurosurgery but Harry believes that he will die on his birthday like his father and grandfather. Nothing happens as the doctor fears. Instead, his wife is murdered, and, after confessing to an affair with her, Harry's archenemy, Casper Sidonis, accuses Harry of having killed her. The most dimwitted cop in recent fiction arrives on the scene and agrees with Sidonis. From this somewhat far-fetched beginning, Palmer (Natural Causes, LJ 2/1/94) creates a suspenseful, entirely credible tale of health insurance fraud and behind-the-scenes hospital politics. Palmer, who manages to find new and more frightenting themes for his medical thrillers, gets better with each book.
--Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
The thrill faded,
By Retiredladydoc (Moreno Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Silent Treatment (Mass Market Paperback)
"Silent Treatment" is a really good read. The first 80% of it was top notch, quite fascinating. Then it became rather tortuous, tedious, and disjointed. Thus, the ending was rather empty, and a disappointment.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good solid potboiler,
By "novel1st" (Mexico) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Silent Treatment (Mass Market Paperback)
Michael Palmer's thriller 'Silent Treatment' didn't keep me up at night turning pages. The female characters were unconvincing as was the love interest between an alcoholic artist and the protagonist, Dr Harry Corbett. The name of the protagonist is unfortunately chosen for UK readers over the age, say, of 53. This is because for very many years there was on TV in England a popular children's comedian called Harry Corbett with his two glove puppets, Sooty and Sweep.But, I digress. The book was a pleasant read. I found myself wanting to keep track of it because there are always several books floating around the house, which is a good sign. It was competently written in boring old third person past tense. The author included enough frissons in the form of dangerous situations to keep the plot, which was straightforward enough, moving along at a decent pace. The book is 447 pages long, a good size; anywhere between 120K and 140K words, a typical airport-bookstall book. In this particular plot, an evil 'inner circle' of medical practitioners conspire to murder several patients a week. The patients are of course, this being set in America, selected on the basis of the most costly to treat, go first.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Medical thriller,
By J R Zullo (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Silent Treatment (Mass Market Paperback)
Like Robin Cook, Michael Palmer writes medical thrillers. For those who doesn't know what this is, Palmer does with doctors what Grisham does with lawyers. The problem is, in my opinion, hospitals and doctors lack the plot-oportunities that we can easily find in the legal profession. So, in the end, everything seems very improbable, and the reader gets a feeling something is missing. "Silent treatment" is about Dr. Korbet, a general practicioner (if I understood right, "gp"s are low in the "scale of doctors") whose wife is suddenly murdered during pre-op procedures. Korbet's life begins to go down the drain when he's accused of the murder and has no way to prove his innocence. On the other hand, a bunch of hot-shots of the medical-insurance industry are making reunions to, in a most unorthodox way, receive more money from their contributors. Obviously, the two plots are linked in some way or another. This is not "the ultimate thriller", but is a light enterteinment, and an easy reading. There are many flaws, the most obvious being the very shall development of characters. The "bad guy" had a very good premise, but went underdeveloped as well, unfortunately. If you are a Michael Palmer fan, read this one. If you're not, give it a try, if you have some time to spare. Grade 8.1/10
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