A review by bibliophilelinda
Dead Even by Brad Meltzer

2.0

This is my second disappointing stab at reading a Meltzer novel. I'm simply underwhelmed with his weak writing ability. The actual story behind "Dead Even" is really quite good, but Meltzer's characters are so utterly annoying that reading about them is the literary equivalent of enduring nails raking down a chalk board. Ugh! In "Dead Even" the female protagonist, Sara, is a complete witch (or think of a rhyming synonym) but we, as readers, are supposed to sympathize with her. Her husband, Jared, in contrast, comes off as a spineless wimp (who needs to discover the word "assertive") instead of portraying the loving and protective husband. The plot: Sara, an unemployed lawyer, finally lands a job at the NYC DA's office. However, major City budget cuts are announced on her first day of work and she fears for her job. As the rookie, she's desperate to prove herself so she takes on a few cases. One of those cases, however, was a home robbery misdemeaner earmarked for a more prestigious and well-regarded Assistant DA, but she takes it anyway. By that small act of legal thievery, Sara becomes entangled in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game full of crooked public employees, psychotic murderers, and heartache as the defendent "hires" Sara's husband to represent him. Both Sara and Jared are told, without each other's knowledge, that they must win the case or the other will die. Thus, the thrilling circus begins. And it is a great story; one that would have been marvelous had a better writer set upon it. Awful dialogue and irritating characters do not a great book make.