The Fifth Vial [Mass Market Paperback]

Monday, April 2, 2012

The Fifth Vial [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; ZZZ edition (November 27, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312937741
ISBN-13: 978-0312937744
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

By : Michael Palmer
Price : $9.99

Customer Reviews

Michael Palmer addresses the bio-ethical issue of organ trafficking in his fast-paced medical thriller, The Fifth Vial.
Around the globe, people are unsuspectingly having their blood tested in a life and death lottery. If their number is picked, (ie. if they are a tissue match), elitists decide who is more worthy to have their beating heart, them, or the wealthy, influential patient who needs the transplant to live.
Three seemingly unrelated lives,(a medical student, a research physician and a private eye), intermingle in unexpected ways. All three are pushed to the limit of human endurance, as each must answer the call of their conscious, putting their lives on the line to stop an evil which leaves orphans and widows in its gluttonous and infinite wake.
This novel was fast-paced, contained fleshed-out characters, and an intriguing plot that had me on the edge of my seat until the exciting conclusion.
Mr. Palmer not only told a great story, but addresses the bio-ethical issue of organ trafficking, asking the hard questions of: Is one person more worthy to live than another? Who decides?

This may be Michael Palmer's best book yet. This master of medical suspense gives us medical details that are accurate and scenes that carry the ring of authenticity. The plot is tightly woven, and I found the characterization to be quite good. He carries the action forward through the eyes of two very different protagonists and brings them together in an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat. If you start this book in the afternoon, you'll want to read all night to finish it.