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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed ths book. I'll give Meltzer credit--he doesn't mind tragedy in his novels. You can't count on a happy ending.
It is a good read for the type of read it is.
It isn't the next great American novel, but it was a fun, fast paced, read that made me want to know how it would end. I don't think I can ask for more than that sometimes.
It isn't the next great American novel, but it was a fun, fast paced, read that made me want to know how it would end. I don't think I can ask for more than that sometimes.
I am a fan of Brad Meltzer and the ones I have read already have been amazing. I even watched his show Decoded on History Channel and really enjoyed it. However, this book was a disappointment. The books I have read so far have been his latest ones and I decided to go back and read all of his stuff.
That being said, I think I expected more from it. First Counsel was a slow starter and it took awhile to get going. I found myself looking for points in the book to keep going. For example, two more chapters and then I’ll stop. Towards the end it did get better and was entertaining and I am still glad I read it.
I just hope that his other early works are better, maybe this was just a random instance of mediocrity. Still love his other books and I really enjoy his work with DC comics on Justice League.
That being said, I think I expected more from it. First Counsel was a slow starter and it took awhile to get going. I found myself looking for points in the book to keep going. For example, two more chapters and then I’ll stop. Towards the end it did get better and was entertaining and I am still glad I read it.
I just hope that his other early works are better, maybe this was just a random instance of mediocrity. Still love his other books and I really enjoy his work with DC comics on Justice League.
This one totally sucked me in. A book review quoted on the back cover says it's "fast-paced and suspenseful throughout" and that is actually true. This is a guy who knows the economy of words. I have a very low quota for thrillers, and I was reading along (very quickly), thinking this was a simple, toss-away read like any old Grisham or Crichton novel and therefore not really that bothered by it when sometimes the characters seemed to take a sharp left-turn out of nowhere and for no explained reason. Plot points occasionally need to come out of nowhere in a thriller, right?
However, there was one sharp out-of-nowhere twist at the end (meant to explain the entire mystery) that left me feeling slightly nauseated. It was so sudden and random, in fact, that it pretty much wiped out my opinion of the novel up to then. So the casual recommendation I was going to offer "to fans of light thrillers" is now heavily qualified by the bad feeling this book left me with. I resent the way the narrative jerked me around and wouldn't wish the experience on anybody.
However, there was one sharp out-of-nowhere twist at the end (meant to explain the entire mystery) that left me feeling slightly nauseated. It was so sudden and random, in fact, that it pretty much wiped out my opinion of the novel up to then. So the casual recommendation I was going to offer "to fans of light thrillers" is now heavily qualified by the bad feeling this book left me with. I resent the way the narrative jerked me around and wouldn't wish the experience on anybody.
I want to give this book three stars, but I found myself skipping pages towards the end just to finish this and see what happens. Our main character falls for the reckless daughter of the president, she gets him into a bit of trouble and is generally bad for him, but he doesn't seem to care about that. They come across a secret and spend the entire novel trying to figure out how to fix the predicament it put them in. That's basically it, and my disinterest in the characters coupled with the shallow plot made this tough for me to finish. I hoped the main character would get caught, since it would serve him right, and I hoped the president's daughter would overdose or get outed for the crazy person she is. I don't think the author intended for us to feel that way, so that disconnect probably contributed heavily to my dislike for this book. I may give Meltzer's earlier books another chance, since I have liked all the others I've read, and I will chalk this one up to characters that didn't connect with me.
Good engrossing story. But, nothing was explained in the end, how he was freed of suspicion...
Meltzer has another winner in this tightly woven, intricately plotted political thriller. Without spoiling it, it involves the White House Counsel's office where the protagonist is employed, the First Daughter, FBI, Secret Service, and West Wing personnel. The novel combines elements of pathos with plenty of moments of sheer shock as the plot against the main character unfolds and comes to a climax. It will grab you and keep you reading as many of his books do.
I do not often give a book a 1 star. Annoying characters and cheap hooks and very little payoff at the end. I'm still looking for a good read about the White House staff. This isn't it.
I gave it 1 star because I finished it. Not sure why. Stupid, shallow characters. Terrible writting. It had potential with the plot in the beginning. Kept hoping it would get better. Disappointed.