Authors: Michael Palmer
A Heartbeat Away (37 page)
ALSO BY MICHAEL PALMER
The Last Surgeon
The Second Opinion
The First Patient
The Fifth Vial
The Society
Fatal
The Patient
Miracle Cure
Critical Judgment
Silent Treatment
Natural Causes
Extreme Measures
Flashback
Side Effects
The Sisterhood
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A HEARTBEAT AWAY. Copyright © 2011 by Michael Palmer. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Palmer, Michael, 1942–
A heartbeat away / Michael Palmer.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-312-58752-9
1. Virologists—Fiction. 2. Quarantine—Fiction. 3. Bioterrorism—Fiction. 4. Virus diseases—Fiction. 5. Presidents—Succession—United States—Fiction. 6. United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.)—Fiction. 7. Washington (D.C.)—Fiction. 8. Political fiction. I. Title.
PS3566.A539H43 2011
813'.54—dc22
2010039321
First Edition: February 2011
eISBN 978-1-4299-9426-2
First St. Martin’s Press eBook Edition: February 2011
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
United States of America Order of Presidential Succession
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Epilogue
Also by Michael Palmer
Copyright