Open Letters Monthly mourns the death of compassionate, sharply intelligent author Michael Palmer, whose medical thrillers (most famously 1991's Extreme Measures and most enjoyably 2008's The First Patient) are the perfect cure for a tedious afternoon - especially one spent in a hospital waiting room. As a doctor, he brought relief to thousands in a career that spanned decades, and as writer, he entertained millions all over the world. No one cared less about something as nebulous as a 'legacy'– but his is a fine one just the same.
