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bookhawk's review against another edition
2.0
Side Effects is a medical thriller inducing a case of “meh” reading. The story was melodramatic and generally predictable. The book got a little better at the end, thankfully. Thirty years ago I read and enjoyed some medical thrillers by Michael Palmer and Robin Cook and now these books are faintly appealing. 2 stars.
weaselweader's review against another edition
3.0
Brilliant doctor faces off against big mean pharmaceutical machine!
Dr Kate Bennett's future looks very bright indeed. She's a talented pathologist at the Metropolitan Hospital of Boston and is the likely successor to the chief of the department. Her loving husband is a political star and stands a strong chance of winning a seat in the US Congress. But as she investigates the untimely death of two women and faces the possible death of her best friend from an undiagnosed bleeding disorder, she finds herself facing the power of a giant multi-national pharmaceutical company. Her husband's political hopes for Congress begin to disintegrate as Bennett's actions label her as a loose cannon maverick with possible mental instabilities.
From the time that Robin Cook's Coma exploded into the literary world, I have loved medical thrillers. But, as the genre matures and ages, there are some plots that have been positively beaten to death. This is one of them - heroic brilliant doctor juggles a personal life with professional life and squares off against the big mean multi-national pharmaceutical company whose CEO thinks only of wealth, personal gain or perhaps even more (in this case, think international power that may well extend into political arenas)! It's well enough written to ensure that any reader will finish the book but at the halfway point my eyelids were drooping and my eyes were rolling at the lack of originality in the entire story.
The climax and the epilogue, on the other hand, were an entirely different kettle of fish! Michael Palmer's story of the evolution of Kate Bennett's marriage and the growth of her and her husband, Jared Samuels, as loving supportive team-mates in a most difficult partnership was heartwarming, uplifting, gripping, exciting and most pleasing - indeed, quite capable of producing that proverbial lump in the throat. The epilogue, instead of winding the plot up, actually hangs it up with a tantalizing note of incompleteness that is probably realistically representative of the true state of the world in which we live.
But, too little too late could only convert a two-star yawner into a three star enjoyable representative of the medical thriller genre that won't have much staying power in the memory. If you enjoy Michael Palmer, by all means read it for completeness. Recommended but only just barely.
Paul Weiss
Dr Kate Bennett's future looks very bright indeed. She's a talented pathologist at the Metropolitan Hospital of Boston and is the likely successor to the chief of the department. Her loving husband is a political star and stands a strong chance of winning a seat in the US Congress. But as she investigates the untimely death of two women and faces the possible death of her best friend from an undiagnosed bleeding disorder, she finds herself facing the power of a giant multi-national pharmaceutical company. Her husband's political hopes for Congress begin to disintegrate as Bennett's actions label her as a loose cannon maverick with possible mental instabilities.
From the time that Robin Cook's Coma exploded into the literary world, I have loved medical thrillers. But, as the genre matures and ages, there are some plots that have been positively beaten to death. This is one of them - heroic brilliant doctor juggles a personal life with professional life and squares off against the big mean multi-national pharmaceutical company whose CEO thinks only of wealth, personal gain or perhaps even more (in this case, think international power that may well extend into political arenas)! It's well enough written to ensure that any reader will finish the book but at the halfway point my eyelids were drooping and my eyes were rolling at the lack of originality in the entire story.
The climax and the epilogue, on the other hand, were an entirely different kettle of fish! Michael Palmer's story of the evolution of Kate Bennett's marriage and the growth of her and her husband, Jared Samuels, as loving supportive team-mates in a most difficult partnership was heartwarming, uplifting, gripping, exciting and most pleasing - indeed, quite capable of producing that proverbial lump in the throat. The epilogue, instead of winding the plot up, actually hangs it up with a tantalizing note of incompleteness that is probably realistically representative of the true state of the world in which we live.
But, too little too late could only convert a two-star yawner into a three star enjoyable representative of the medical thriller genre that won't have much staying power in the memory. If you enjoy Michael Palmer, by all means read it for completeness. Recommended but only just barely.
Paul Weiss
eserafina42's review against another edition
4.0
Formulaic, especially if you've read anything else by him, but it did keep me turning the pages.
dianevr's review
3.0
If you enjoy Palmer's medical thrillers then this one is a true classic. It's textured, filled with a good dose of drama, suspense and intrigue. And as always...you take something away with you (if you enjoy learning about the body and how it works).
ibeforem's review
3.0
Did this book really need to be tied to Nazis? Probably not. But it was an entertaining read. Felt a lot more like Robin Cook than the other Michael Palmer book I’ve read.
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