ARTIE (Assisted Robotic Tissue Incision and Extraction) is the name chosen by the researchers for their tiny robot, which can be introduced into the brain cavity via the nasal passage. This device can reach the brain rapidly, as opposed to conventional methods that involve drilling through the bony plates of the skull. In addition, much less normal brain matter is destroyed by ARTIE than by using traditional surgical instruments. Jessie is an expert at maneuvering ARTIE, a skill she attributes to countless hours she spent in her youth playing video games, which perfected her hand-eye coordination.

The one cloud in her otherwise sunny environment is her superior, Carl W. Gilbride, Jr. M.D., Chief of Neurosurgery. Carl is an egomaniac and male chauvinist who has spent so much time promoting his research and his position in the hospital that his surgical skills, not of the highest caliber to begin with, have deteriorated. Without Carl’s knowledge, Jessie attempts a clinical trial on a cadaver with ARTIE, demonstrating the robot still needs some mechanical tuning. The patient would have died had he not already been dead.

Gilbride, of course, is furious when he learns of the trial, understandably because it was done without his knowledge and because he wanted to be the first to “test drive” the robot. Since theirs is not the only research team working on robots as surgical tools, Kilbride wants to accelerate their efforts to have the first successful surgery, with himself as the attending surgeon, in order to garner both the prestige and, hopefully, more research money from companies interested in their technique.

Unbeknownst to either Jessie or Carl, an infamous hired assassin, Claude Malloche, is closely following their research. Malloche has been told by his physician that he has an inoperable brain tumor. His tumor is located in an interior part of the brain that is most difficult to reach. Malloche thinks that ARTIE is the answer to his problem, and Jessie Copeland is the most competent physician to perform the surgery assisted by ARTIE. He is not a man to accept failure, however. If his surgery is unsuccessful, Jessie will be killed. Needless to say, Jessie is not thrilled by the situation, but she has no recourse but to try and meet Malloche’s demands.

Michael Palmer has penned yet another suspenseful medical thriller. He has the uncanny ability to capture the reader’s interest from page one, providing enough specific medical details to make the story believable, while at the same time keeping the medical terminology within the grasp of the layman.

One cannot help but empathize with Jessie as she struggles to maintain her well-earned place in the neurosurgical department. She is a gutsy lady who really does have her patients’ best interests in mind. Gilbride, in sharp contrast, has only his self interest in mind. Malloche is a totally evil person, though his knowledge of his craft (if one can call murder a craft) is encyclopedic, and his attention to detail extraordinary. Horrible as he is one can’t help but admire his skills.

The pace of the book is relentless. A real page turner, albeit an overused expression, is a totally accurate description of The Patient. At times, especially during the chase scenes, Dr. Palmer flirts with creating an unbelievable scenario, but stays close enough to reality that most readers can accept his premises. Long time fans of Michael Palmer will not be disappointed with this effort, and since the author doesn’t write connected novels there is no need to find earlier works to read first in order to well understand the main characters.

--Andy Plonka