The First Family

By: Michael Palmer, Daniel Palmer

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The President’s teenage son is threatened by a potentially fatal illness that is rooted in dark secrets from a long-buried past.

President Geoffrey Hilliard and his family live in the ever-present glare of the political limelight, with relentless scrutiny of their daily lives. The White House is not an easy place to grow up, so when the President’s son Cam, a 16-year-old chess champion, experiences extreme fatigue, moodiness, and an uncharacteristic violent outburst, doctors are quick to dismiss his troubles as teen angst. But Secret Service agent Karen Ray, whose job is to guard the president's family with her life, is convinced Cam’s issues are serious - serious enough to summon her physician ex-husband for a second opinion.

Dr. Lee Blackwood’s concerns are dismissed by the president's team - until Cam gets sicker. Lee must make a diagnosis from a puzzling array of symptoms he's never seen before. His only clue is a patient named Susie Banks, a young musical prodigy who seems to be suffering from the same baffling condition as Cam. Hospitalized after an attempt on her life by a determined killer, Susie’s jeopardy escalates as Cam’s condition takes on a terrifying new dimension.

Is someone trying to murder the President’s son?

As Lee and Karen race for a cure to Cam’s mysterious and deadly disease, they begin to uncover betrayals that breach the highest levels of national security.

Returning to the same Washington, DC setting of The First Patient, which former President Bill Clinton said “captured the intense atmosphere of the White House”, The First Family is a riveting new medical drama from acclaimed novelist Daniel Palmer, in the tradition of his late father, New York Times best-selling novelist Michael Palmer.

©2018 Daniel Palmer (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Double the trouble, twice the action, and quadruple the enjoyment, this is a high-octane game changer.” (Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author of The Bishop's Pawn and The Lost Order)

"A Palmer novel transports you into the complex world of medical-legal-social ethics. The First Family doesn't disappoint, wrestling with the murky questions of what we can do versus what we should do. Gripping.” (Kathy Reichs, New York Times best-selling author and creator of Bones)

“Daniel Palmer’s latest thriller The First Family seamlessly blends genomics, politics, and life in the White House into a riveting potboiler of a story. If you crossed the best of Robin Cook’s medical mysteries with the insider authenticity of David Baldacci's political thriller[s], you’d end up with a book like this, a story that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go....” (James Rollins, New York Times best-selling author of The Seventh Plague)

some medicL knowledge required. Good mystery.

Had me on the edge of my seat,as they say.Even with some medocal knowledge its still a mystery. The ending was a little abrupt,but not complaining. Good narrator.

Loved this book

The storyline was current and compelling. Had me guessing though out the book. Narration carried the story well. Highly recommend

Enjoyed the suspense.

The narrator did an excellent job. I always enjoy a Palmer Book. A fitting gift to his father.

Amazing!!!

One of the better D. Palmer’s I’ve heard. Felt like I was engaged in one of his fathers masterpieces all over again!

A New Twist.

this is a similar story to one I have heard before. However, the many twists and turns in this plot made it very fresh. Felt very close to the characters. Really enjoyed the person who read the story.

first family

I found this book interesting but a bit too long. it was believable, and thought provoking

Riveting book.

Palmer has done it again with this medical mystery novel. At times the medicine part was a little hard to follow and somewhat far fetched. The characters were engaging and the action fast paced. Book is well worth reading.

A Good One!

Love Michael Palmer books............good medical thrillers. Even the First Family is not impervious to messed up meds.

A wise credit investment.

A fascinating medical suspense thriller.

This is a solid story with several strong, well-defined characters caught up in a plausible medical suspense drama. Karen, a secret service agent assigned to protect the President's son, Cam, enlists the help of the best diagnostician she knows to get a second opinion when Cam's doctor insists the boy just needs a psychiatrist. Karen pulls her ex-husband Lee (Dr. Blackwood) into a perilous hunt for truth when they find that Cam is not the only one at risk. Lee and Karen are pitted against several determined and potentially dangerous adversaries. The net of suspicion widens, and some fears prove to be well-founded before the truth finally comes out.

Lee is particularly admirable, consistently demonstrating qualities often overlooked and unrewarded in our current medical environment: dedication, humility, and honor. Fred Berman's articulation of Lee is excellent. Berman also does a reasonable job with some very challenging group conversations requiring multiple unique voice changes in quick succession.

There are a few scenes when the story pushes the limits of reality, but, overall, the medical side stays realistic while the mystery draws us to an interesting and unexpected conclusion.

Solid story, solid narrator

I Enjoyed this novel; the characters were developed well and the narration was very good.