I have never been approached by an author or publisher directly for any ARCs. So, when I received an e-mail from Michael Palmer, the author, asking if I were interested in a copy of his latest book for review, I knew I was not going to turn down the opportunity to do so. Since I like thrillers and medical mysteries, it was not a hardship for me. Having never read any of Mr. Palmer's previous work, I did not know what to expect. On the whole, I enjoyed my foray into his work. There was a lot to like about it; unfortunately, there was also a lot to dislike.For starters, I felt that the story itself was a tad too predictable. I had figured out the mystery behind Umberto Vazquez's disappearance well in advance of the disclosure of the answer. Remember, I am not one who actively tries to solve the mystery before the narrator reveals the answer, so any time I can predict the ending accurately does detract from my overall enjoyment.In addition, at times, the story line is a bit unbelievable, or at least stretches the reader's imagination more than normal. While this is okay with science fiction or fantasy, this is not an admirable trait in a medical thriller. For example, a nurse and a surgeon are able to take on a sociopathic mass murderer who is a master of disguise and who earns his living murdering people while making it look like an accident or suicide? A child infiltrates the government's secrets that its own employees cannot unravel? It is a bit too farfetched, in my opinion.Also, the characters are not well-established. Okay, that is not necessarily true. It is just that the minor characters are more entertaining, more likeable than the main two characters. Even Franz Koller, the sociopathic killer, is fascinating if only because one gets a glimpse into a mind that is most unusual. Junie and Reggie were far more enjoyable than Nick and Jillian, and I found myself more concerned about their well-being than I did for Nick and Jillian's plight.That being said, there was a lot to like about The Last Surgeon. As mentioned above, Junie was a fun character, and Reggie provided some much-needed comic relief throughout the story. Nick's post traumatic stress disorder, as well as his struggles helping vets receive their VA benefits, is truly heartbreaking because of the truth behind them. How many of our soldiers are coming home facing these same issues with no help whatsoever? Mr. Palmer writes a decent story. His physical descriptions of settings were detailed enough to help contribute to the action, and his descriptions of the characters were realistic enough that I could picture each one very clearly in my mind. Unfortunately, I felt he switched the narrator's point of view too often. Waffling between Franz, Nick, Jillian, and even Beth and Reggie as well as other minor characters made the story rather chaotic and interrupted the overall flow of the story. In fact, it helped prevent the reader from becoming too attached to any one character.It may seem as if I did not like the story, but honestly, I did enjoy it! I read the entire novel in a matter of two days because I could not put it down in order to unravel the mystery. As interesting a character as he was, I truly wanted Franz to receive his comeuppance. I may not have been on the edge of my seat with concern about their fates, but I did want Jillian to receive some desperately-needed closure of her sister's death. More importantly, I wanted Nick to find his happily-ever-after and recover from his PTSD. I wanted him to stop living with the guilt and live to enjoy life. In the end, that is what an author hopes the reader will glean from their writing - genuine feelings for his characters. Mr. Palmer achieved that.I will definitely be putting The Last Surgeon on my husband's TBR pile. In addition, I will be recommending it to all of my friends who enjoy thrillers. It is an enjoyable, fun, thrilling read with a very poignant understory that deserves more attention. Thank you to the author, Michael Palmer, for this Advanced Reading Copy.
