The Fifth Vial

By: Michael Palmer

Narrated by: J. Charles

Get drawn into a novel of medical suspense that begins with these chilling questions: Who ends up with the blood samples you routinely give for tests? What else are they being used for? Why don't you know?

From Boston, a disgraced medical student travels to South America to deliver a research paper that could save her career and becomes a victim of an unspeakable crime....Thousands of miles away, a brilliant, reclusive scientist, dying from an incurable disease that threatens to make each tortured breath his last, is on the verge of perfecting a serum that could save millions of lives, and bring others inestimable wealth....In Chicago, a disillusioned private detective, on the way to his third career, is hired to determine the identity of a John Doe, killed on a Florida highway, with mysterious marks on his body.

Three seemingly disconnected lives, surging unrelentingly toward one another. Three lives becoming irrevocably intertwined. Three lives in mounting peril, moving ever closer to the ultimate confrontation against a deadly secret society with godlike aspirations and roots in antiquity.

Medical student. Scientist. Private eye. Three people who will learn the deeper meanings of brilliance and madness, truth and deception, trust and betrayal.

Three lives linked forever by a single vial of blood: the fifth vial.

©2007 Michael Palmer (P)2007 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"A terrifying vision of the Hippocratic oath gone very wrong." ( Entertainment Weekly)
"Palmer taps a real medical issue for storytelling thrills." ( Boston magazine)
"A tale set at the very edge of our medical knowledge. I loved it!" (Tess Gerritsen)

Palmer at his best .........I guess

I've read everything that Palmer has written, and this book is very much like his others ...however....some of the characters that could have used some development. But the book ended way-way too soon. It could have used another 200 pages. Interesting topic. Excellent plot and the book flies... so be ready. It's non-stop.

The Fifth Vial Review

What a great read (listen) The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer was! I didn't want to stop until it was over and when it did end it left me wanting more! It is a great book and I think one of the best I have read (listened to) in quite awhile. Enjoy!

one wild ride! Hang onto your seats!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

great narrator, thriller plot

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fifth Vial?

Natalie's lifesaving receipt of a healthy lung at story's end

Have you listened to any of J. Charles’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no I haven't but I will definitely do so now!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

when Natalie almost lost her niece in the fire

Any additional comments?

if you're looking for a story which has many twists and turns, and lots of surprises, get The Fifth Vial! It took me awhile to like the private detective in the book; he didn't seem too inteligent! But by the time the story ended, he had my respect. J Charles was a new narrator to me, and I wasn't sure how he sounded. But, he was great! Get The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer, you will not be sorry!

An enigmatic, believable novel.

This book has held my attention and has kept me on the edge of my seat. Magnificent writing, plot, narration!

Good listen

A little predicable in parts but overall an enjoyable listen