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Political Suicide  By  cover art

Political Suicide

By: Michael Palmer
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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Publisher's summary

From The New York Times bestselling author of Oath of Office comes a gripping thriller at the crossroads of politics and medicineDr.

Lou Welcome, from Palmer's bestselling Oath of Office, is back in this heart stopping medical thriller. A desperate phone call embroils Lou in scandal and murder involving Dr. Gary McHugh, known around the Capital as the "society doc." Lou has been supervising McHugh, formerly a black-out drinker, through his work with the Physician Wellness Office.

McHugh has been very cavalier about his recovery, barely attending AA and refusing a sponsor. But Lou sees progress, and the two men are becoming friends. Now, McHugh has been found unconscious in his wrecked car after visiting a patient of his, the powerful Congressman Elias Colston, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Soon after McHugh awakens in the hospital ER, Colston's wife returns home to find her husband shot dead in their garage. She then admits to the police that she had just broken off a long-standing affair with McHugh.

Something about McHugh's story has Lou believing he is telling the truth, that the Congressman was dead when he arrived and before he blacked out. Lou agrees to look into matters, but when he encounters motive, method and opportunity he is hard pressed to believe in his friend - that is until a deadly high-level conspiracy begins to unravel, and Lou acquires information that makes him the next target.

©2012 Michael Palmer (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about Political Suicide

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Medical / Military / Political / Legal Thriller

With "Political Suicide," Palmer returns to his likable protagonist, Lou Welcome, from his prior novel, "Oath of Office." Only, you don't necessarily have to listen to "Oath of Office" first, as "Political Suicide" tells a new story. Palmer does, sometimes, fetch afar for his plots; and I am hoping that he has done so, again, with this one. I don't want to believe that a plot like this one could actually be hatched in the upper echelons of power. Without giving away any surprises -- in deference to those who don't like "spoilers" -- this story deals with a despicable way of leveling the playing field in the war on terror. Medicine -- Palmer's usual theme -- plays only a subsidiary part here, demonstrating Palmer's gradual move toward the political-thriller genre. Some of the characterizations in "Political Suicide" do stretch credibility a bit -- like lawyer Sarah Cooper's sudden transformation from nasty to nice -- but the cute plot twist at the end of the story ameliorated that weakness to a certain extent for me. As with "Oath of Office," narrator Robert Petkoff does a good job reading us "Political Suicide," clearly distinguishing all the characters from one another with different voices and accents. If you like thrillers, and don't mind suspending disbelief just a bit, I recommend "Political Suicide" to you.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exciting thriller.

Where does Political Suicide rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's unlike any I've read previously.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

For the most part. Although I have to honestly say that the subject matter was very
disturbing to me.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Unusual story line...

Medical mysteries are not usually my preference, however Dr. Welcome does not seem to fit into a medical mystery. He is more of a detective. I find him to be a very likable character along with Cap his AA sponsor. I enjoyed this book and I will try the next one.

I reserve 4-Stars and 5-Stars for the "I can't put them down page turners" This is not in that category, but I did find it an interesting premise.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

All talk, little action

What would have made Political Suicide better?

The hero, Dr. Louis Welcome, is incredible. He puts himself in remarkably dangerous situations to help a mere acquaintance. Really? He sheds light on baffling mysteries by engaging in research that any competent law firm would engage in -- so why, exactly, aren't the lawyers doing it? He is able to outmaneuver an elite military unit (the green berets on steroids) -- well, how elite can this unit be, if a middle aged ER doc can break into their facilities? All in all, in-credible.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not bad but some silly plotting

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably would not recommend as there are so many better options.

Would you ever listen to anything by Michael Palmer again?

I have read other books by Palmer and was not disappointed.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not as Good as the First Novel

This novel was more on the macho side and less on the cerebral side. The characters were not well developed. Some of the medical information in the book was wrong.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • 01-16-13

Another Michael Palmer Thriller!

Great audiobook! The storyline was perfect. I love Michael Palmer's writing style. The narrator was very good also. Very enjoyable and highly recommended!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another bang-up story by Michael Palmer

What made the experience of listening to Political Suicide the most enjoyable?

Showing again the tenacity, resourcefulness and perserverence of an ER Doc, Michael Palmer has given us another thriller.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Political Suicide?

The keen analysis by Dr. Lou Welcome when describing the motive to Papa Steve.

What about Robert Petkoff’s performance did you like?

Everything

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Bring on more stories about Dr. Welcome!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Medicine-thriller of 2012

Would you listen to Political Suicide again? Why?

Yes: This book has amazing details. As a medical anthropologist I love details given in this book. Creates a well-layered story. Fringe and the President on a high-level. More realistic much more detailed than ANY tv-show. Brilliant from first to the very last page. A priviliege!

What did you like best about this story?

The great details and the smart plot.

Which scene was your favorite?

I won't spill, it does involve the V.P

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A political chaos.

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Political Suicide

A thrill ride that kept me guessing to the vey end by a favorite author’

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