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The Protocol: A Prescription to Die
The Protocol, A Prescription to Die
By John P. Goetz
(www.johnpgoetz.com)
The Protocol, A Prescription to Die is a startlingly prophetic medical thriller by John P. Goetz and is the latest page turner in his Eat Teague novel series. John P. Goetz's medical suspense thriller has been described as, "Ayn Rand meets Dean Koontz at a Twilight Zone gathering with Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and Robin Cook."
The Protocol, A Prescription to Die poses the questions, "What if the government assigned value to individuals and controlled whether a person could live or die?" "What if the elderly and infirm became targets of a government authority tasked with a mandate to test and determine treatment only if medical costs somehow justify their benefits?" "What if you are prescribed The Protocol, a prescription to die?"
The Protocol, A Prescription to Die has all of the elements of a medical thriller, horror story, and intellectual journey. After reading this novel, you will never think about medicine, healthcare, or government in the same way ever again.
By John P. Goetz
(www.johnpgoetz.com)
The Protocol, A Prescription to Die is a startlingly prophetic medical thriller by John P. Goetz and is the latest page turner in his Eat Teague novel series. John P. Goetz's medical suspense thriller has been described as, "Ayn Rand meets Dean Koontz at a Twilight Zone gathering with Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and Robin Cook."
The Protocol, A Prescription to Die poses the questions, "What if the government assigned value to individuals and controlled whether a person could live or die?" "What if the elderly and infirm became targets of a government authority tasked with a mandate to test and determine treatment only if medical costs somehow justify their benefits?" "What if you are prescribed The Protocol, a prescription to die?"
The Protocol, A Prescription to Die has all of the elements of a medical thriller, horror story, and intellectual journey. After reading this novel, you will never think about medicine, healthcare, or government in the same way ever again.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 3, 2014
I won this book on Good reads. Thank you for choosing me as a winner." The Protocol" was everything I thought it would be and then more. The story - a medical thriller was a fast read. I didn't want to put it down. I kept thinking about our current medical care and how easily it might be turned into something like this. It 's really scary-when the government takes over our healthcare and says who gets care and who is dispensible. Thankfully the story is fiction and we can enjoy reading it without having that worry. The writing was excellent-the characters believable and I can't wait to read other books by Goetz. I also liked the little bits of humor that were part f the story.
November 5, 2015
“The Protocol: A Prescription to Die” is a masterfully-crafted thriller that kept me completely engrossed in the story from the very beginning to the end. I mean, you simply can’t put down the book which starts with a scene where the man is walking his dog, and that dog fetches his owner a human foot… But what happened to the rest of the body, which was supposed to be cremated? That’s the question the computer genius Eat, or Evan Anderson Teague, asks himself when he finds out from his girlfriend Andy, who works in the morgue, that the foot used to belong to his father whose ashes were replaced by the concrete mix.
Trying to get to the bottom of this audacious mystery, Eat and Andy open a can of worms, which will put their lives in great danger if they don’t outsmart the sinister boss behind the whole operation – Barbara Nordstrom. Barbara is a power-driven eugenics worshiper, who plans to spread control of her new creation, Aequalis Health, over the whole nation. She’s cutting down the government expenses by prescribing Protocol U, or euthanasia, to any person who isn’t a ‘money-maker’ for the country anymore. However, Barbara finds a deadly enemy in angered by his father’s death Eat, and a dangerous game between the two begins to unravel.
Impossible to put down, this conspiracy thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat; the cliffhanger in the epilogue is fantastic, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading a sequel.
P.S. Eat is officially my new favorite computer genius, special thanks to the author for creating such a loveable and highly intelligent character. Five stars!
Trying to get to the bottom of this audacious mystery, Eat and Andy open a can of worms, which will put their lives in great danger if they don’t outsmart the sinister boss behind the whole operation – Barbara Nordstrom. Barbara is a power-driven eugenics worshiper, who plans to spread control of her new creation, Aequalis Health, over the whole nation. She’s cutting down the government expenses by prescribing Protocol U, or euthanasia, to any person who isn’t a ‘money-maker’ for the country anymore. However, Barbara finds a deadly enemy in angered by his father’s death Eat, and a dangerous game between the two begins to unravel.
Impossible to put down, this conspiracy thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat; the cliffhanger in the epilogue is fantastic, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading a sequel.
P.S. Eat is officially my new favorite computer genius, special thanks to the author for creating such a loveable and highly intelligent character. Five stars!
September 29, 2012
The Protocol is a medical thriller that is all too plausible in the future, especially with the baby boomers now starting to get Social Security and Medicare. Add into that the now notorious 47% of us, and see what happens when the government thinks we are no longer important. This book really held my interest, but it does have some editorial problems. And also a few short disgusting topics that turned my stomach, so be prepared. But overall, it was a great read.
September 1, 2012
An enjoyable, fast-paced thriller set in a very-near-future United States. While the concept is far-fetched, the author manages to make it feel plausible, and I was thoroughly absorbed in the story. Eat and Andy make a lovely couple, and I hope we'll see more of them in future books.
July 24, 2014
This book is easily comparable to the best of thriller fictions from Koontz, Flynn etc. The characters are lovable, and love-hatable, the story lines intermingle perfectly and create a read that is just too good to be put down.
October 29, 2014
Via Goodreads First Reads:
Sometimes a fast read is just what you're hankering. I was, and this was it.
John Goetz writes a book that flies. The prose moves at a breakneck pace, bouncing off walls and occasionally hitting a pole head-on and stopping abruptly. But it always gets moving again, and quickly.
Protagonist and coding-technology genius Eat Teague, and his pathologist girlfriend Andy, happen upon a conspiracy involving Eat's recently deceased father, nightmarish national health care death panels, and both willing and unwilling abettors.
Barbara Norwood, who runs Aequalis, a nationalized health care outfit, is an incredibly shallow but especially vile and amoral character bent on eliminating (euthanizing) patients who are a financial drag on the system. Her henchmen, the willing Carl and unwilling Butch and Frank, are similarly depthless, though Carl does manage to inspire a virulent disgust and dislike in the reader.
There are some procedural inconsistencies, but those I can look past. What I find more daunting is the fact that the entire plot revolves around a point that is incongruous and makes little sense. I won't give it all away. But I will say that had the Aequalis-run Minnesotan funeral home actually followed through on cremation of the pertinent bodies rather than illegally and illogically, and for no coherent reason, disposing of hacked up body parts in various local dumpsters, there would be no story to tell.
Still, I like Eat, and I like Andy. I'm not sure just what the political bent of the book is, where it's coming from and what it's trying to say, but the likability of some of the characters and the sweep-you-along pace of the book allowed me to suspend my disbelief of the utter incompetency that ;ay at the core of the story long enough to reach the end and realize that I enjoyed the read.
Sometimes a fast read is just what you're hankering. I was, and this was it.
John Goetz writes a book that flies. The prose moves at a breakneck pace, bouncing off walls and occasionally hitting a pole head-on and stopping abruptly. But it always gets moving again, and quickly.
Protagonist and coding-technology genius Eat Teague, and his pathologist girlfriend Andy, happen upon a conspiracy involving Eat's recently deceased father, nightmarish national health care death panels, and both willing and unwilling abettors.
Barbara Norwood, who runs Aequalis, a nationalized health care outfit, is an incredibly shallow but especially vile and amoral character bent on eliminating (euthanizing) patients who are a financial drag on the system. Her henchmen, the willing Carl and unwilling Butch and Frank, are similarly depthless, though Carl does manage to inspire a virulent disgust and dislike in the reader.
There are some procedural inconsistencies, but those I can look past. What I find more daunting is the fact that the entire plot revolves around a point that is incongruous and makes little sense. I won't give it all away. But I will say that had the Aequalis-run Minnesotan funeral home actually followed through on cremation of the pertinent bodies rather than illegally and illogically, and for no coherent reason, disposing of hacked up body parts in various local dumpsters, there would be no story to tell.
Still, I like Eat, and I like Andy. I'm not sure just what the political bent of the book is, where it's coming from and what it's trying to say, but the likability of some of the characters and the sweep-you-along pace of the book allowed me to suspend my disbelief of the utter incompetency that ;ay at the core of the story long enough to reach the end and realize that I enjoyed the read.
July 10, 2015
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
The Protocol: A Prescription to Die by John P Goetz is a frightening insight into our near future. Eat Teague a tech savvy man comes across a heinous crime when he enrolls his mother to SunShine Center. With Alzheimer’s disease eating away her brain, Eat had no choice but to entrust his mother to professionals and hope that his money will buy his mother the best care possible. In doing so, he comes across a certain Physician’s Assistant named Carl Titmueller who appears suspicious.
Turns out, Carl kills off the patients who are not “worthy” of living and their health care takes too much money from the government. He works for Barbara Nordstrom, Senior Vice President of Operations of Aequalis Health Services which runs SunShine Center. When Eat discovers her involvement, he has to find a way to reveal Barbara’s true face to the world and show them what power can do to a person. He has to work fast because his mother’s and other countless patients’ lives are depending on him.
John P. Goetz deserves a huge round of applause for writing such a terrific thriller. It actually scared me a bit, because this can be our future. The truly amazing story tells us what ambition can do to the human mind and race if it follows a darker path. The mystery and the thrill of the story is depicted perfectly by John P. Goetz. I will not tell you more and ruin it for you. You MUST READ The Protocol: A Prescription to Die if you love a good thriller!
The Protocol: A Prescription to Die by John P Goetz is a frightening insight into our near future. Eat Teague a tech savvy man comes across a heinous crime when he enrolls his mother to SunShine Center. With Alzheimer’s disease eating away her brain, Eat had no choice but to entrust his mother to professionals and hope that his money will buy his mother the best care possible. In doing so, he comes across a certain Physician’s Assistant named Carl Titmueller who appears suspicious.
Turns out, Carl kills off the patients who are not “worthy” of living and their health care takes too much money from the government. He works for Barbara Nordstrom, Senior Vice President of Operations of Aequalis Health Services which runs SunShine Center. When Eat discovers her involvement, he has to find a way to reveal Barbara’s true face to the world and show them what power can do to a person. He has to work fast because his mother’s and other countless patients’ lives are depending on him.
John P. Goetz deserves a huge round of applause for writing such a terrific thriller. It actually scared me a bit, because this can be our future. The truly amazing story tells us what ambition can do to the human mind and race if it follows a darker path. The mystery and the thrill of the story is depicted perfectly by John P. Goetz. I will not tell you more and ruin it for you. You MUST READ The Protocol: A Prescription to Die if you love a good thriller!
October 18, 2014
I won this book on Good Reads. Thanks to Good Reads and John P. Goetz for the chance to read this great book. I am sorry for the slowness of this review. I had a great delay in reading the book because of an extended illness.
Once I finally picked the book up it was a fast read. I love medical thrillers and this one did not disappoint. The story is plausible in view of the government 's increasing takeover of healthcare. Real events make this fictional work much scarier. I enjoyed the writer's use of "big" words. It was more like reading good literature instead of just another novel. Characters are multi-dimensional and like able. I enjoyed that the central character, Eat, was quirky and not the typical hero. I found the novel to be exciting, thoughtful, and action packed. I would definitely read another book by John P. Goetz.
Once I finally picked the book up it was a fast read. I love medical thrillers and this one did not disappoint. The story is plausible in view of the government 's increasing takeover of healthcare. Real events make this fictional work much scarier. I enjoyed the writer's use of "big" words. It was more like reading good literature instead of just another novel. Characters are multi-dimensional and like able. I enjoyed that the central character, Eat, was quirky and not the typical hero. I found the novel to be exciting, thoughtful, and action packed. I would definitely read another book by John P. Goetz.
May 27, 2015
I found the book fascinating! In reading the reviews there were a lot of people that said scary and I guess I cannot disagree but I was more fascinated than scared. Could something like this really happen? I am not actually sure but the book is written in such a way that it is believable. The writing is also simple enough to follow regardless of your background and has enough intrigue to keep you interested. Also, it open being written from the perspective of a dog (hope I am not giving anything away) which sounds a little silly but made it interesting from the start...I mean...who doesn't love hearing from a dog's perspective? Excited to read the next!
July 21, 2015
Be sure to read the last revision of this book--the author really beefed up the characters and the story in the most recent edition. I love this author--his work is crazy good.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews