THE SECOND OPINION: A NOVEL

Book ID/图书代码： 06830008B30054

English Summary/英文概要： Dr. Thea Sperelakis, diagnosed as a teen with Asperger’s syndrome, has always been an outsider. She has a brilliant medical mind, and a remarkable recall of details, but her difficulty in dealing with hidden agendas and interpersonal conflicts have led her to leave the complex, money-driven dynamics of the hospital, and to embrace working with the poor, embattled patients of Doctors Without Borders. Her father, Petros, is one of the most celebrated internal medicine specialists in the world, and the founder of the cutting-edge Sperelakis Center for Diagnostic Medicine at Boston’s sprawling, powerful Beaumont Clinic.

Thea’s rewarding life in Africa is turned upside-down when Petros is severely injured by a hit-and-run driver. He is in the Beaumont ICU, in a deep coma. No one thinks he will survive. Thea must return home. Two of Petros’ other children, both physicians, battle Thea and her eccentric brother, Dimitri, by demanding that treatment for their father be withheld.

As Thea uncovers the facts surrounding the disaster, it seems more and more to be no accident. Petros, himself, is the only witness. Who would want him dead? The answers are trapped in his brain . . . until he looks at Thea and begins slowly to blink a terrifying message.

In The Second Opinion, Michael Palmer has created a cat-and-mouse game where one woman must confront a conspiracy of doctors to uncover an evil practice that touches every single person who ever has a medical test. With sympathetic characters and twists and betrayals that come from the most unlikely places, The Second Opinion will make you question…everything.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 西娅•斯皮尔莱克斯博士，被诊断患有阿斯佩格综合症，总是以一个局外人的身份出现在人前。她有超常的医学天分，超人的记忆力，但她在处理潜规则，人际冲突方面的困难，使她不得不离开医院那种复杂的，一切向钱看的混乱环境，到无国界医生组织去帮助那些贫穷的，被战争所伤的病人。她的父亲，佩特罗，是世界最著名的外科专家之一，同时也是波士顿波蒙特诊所旗下斯皮尔莱克斯医学前沿诊断中心的创建者。
一个无良的司机将佩特罗撞成重伤后逃逸，佩特罗陷入重度昏迷，被送往波蒙特重症监护病房，没有人认为他还能生还。而西娅在非洲的生活也因此而被彻底打乱，她必须立刻回家来看望父亲。佩特罗的其他子女中，有两位也都是内科医生，他们以停止父亲的治疗，来威胁西娅和她古怪的哥哥迪米特里。
当西娅渐渐发现事故下隐藏的秘密时，整件事情便开始向一个阴谋靠拢，而佩特罗就是整件事情的目击者！究竟是谁要至他于死地？直到他看见西娅，这个恐怖的真相才渐渐的从他脑海中闪现出来……
本书中，迈克尔•帕尔默设计了一场猫捉老鼠的游戏，一个女子必须面对一群诡计多端的医生，揭开那些丑恶的真相。
令人同情的角色，意想不到的背叛和扭曲，这本小说将使你不得不去怀疑..你周围的一切！(赵衡)

Awards/获奖情况：In this routine medical thriller from bestseller Palmer (The First Patient), Dr. Thea Sperelakis, an idealist who’s been working for Doctors Without Borders in the Congo, rushes back to Boston after learning her physician father, Petros, an intimidating figure known as the Lion, is close to death, the victim of a hit-and-run. Thea faces one challenge after another, including having to resuscitate Petros when his heart stops beating. Her brilliant if socially challenged older brother, Dimitri, adds to her anxiety with his computer reconstruction of the accident, which indicates the driver struck Petros deliberately. When Thea manages to communicate haltingly with her father, she suspects he’s stumbled on some medical fraud that’s made him the target of those behind the fraud. Aided by the requisite hunky ex-cop turned hospital security guard, Thea doggedly seeks out the truth. Robin Cook fans have seen all this before and in more engaging form. (Feb.) ---From Publishers Weekly

Palmer, a medical-thriller writer who has been producing A-list-quality novels for years, turns in another excellent performance with this story of a physician who uncovers a deadly conspiracy. Dr. Thea Sperelakis’ father is the victim of a hit-and-run; now in a coma, he communicates only with his daughter and only by moving one of his eyes. Slowly, Thea pieces together the truth behind her father’s accident, and behind a series of suspicious deaths, but exposing the villains could mean exposing her to certain death. As usual, the novel is fluidly written—as a stylist, Palmer is head and shoulders above his more famous competitor, Robin Cook—and very suspenseful. Thea, in particular, is a most intriguing character: she suffers from Asperger syndrome, which gives her an obsession with details, a near-encyclopedic memory, and a rather charming awkwardness in social settings. The novel is not merely a thriller but also an exploration of its central character’s unique gifts and her determination to communicate with her comatose father despite overwhelming odds. Another winner from a consistently fine writer. ---David Pitt, From Booklist

About the Author/作者介绍： Michael Palmer is the author of twelve novels of medical suspense, all international bestsellers. In addition to writing, Palmer is an associate director of the Massachusetts Medical Society Physician Health Services, devoted to helping physicians troubled by mental illness, physical illness, behavioral issues, and chemical dependency. He lives in eastern Massachusetts.
迈克尔•帕尔默（Michael Palmer），创作了十四部畅销国际的医学悬疑小说。除了写作之外，帕尔默也在「麻州医学学会医师健康服务」（Massachusetts Medical Society Physician Health Services）担任副理事长，致力于协助有心理疾病、生理疾病、行为问题、化学物质依赖，包括酗酒问题的医师。闲暇时间，帕尔默还是举重选手，而且是经常参赛的，狂热的桥牌玩家。他住在麻州东部，在当地以他两只有怪癖的猫和三个了不起的儿子而出名。

Format:MASS MARKET TRADE PAPERBACK

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