Rating: 
Summary: Mundane, banal and Predictable
Review: This is the sort of book that is quickly written after an author is fortunate to have published one best seller. The characters are one dimensional and totally unbelievable. It is hard to have any compelling interest in Michael Garrick or the Presiden'ts daughter- thus one loses interest quickly in the machinations, contrived suspense and weak plot. I couldn't wait to put it down and only read the last chapter to confirm my suspicions about the ending...A waste of time for an intellectual reader.. pure bubblegum for the tired mind.
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Summary: The first counsel
Review: Very disapointed in the author in this book as I liked his other books.
Rating:
Summary: Totally uninteresting
Review: I stopped reading this book less than halfway through. The first turn-off was the huge print. The second clue was the fact that I couldn't care less about any of the characters. Don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: John Pelkey
Review: I could not finish the book. When whiney Michael said he was OK to the fifth or sixth character introduced, when it was so clear he was not OK, it was too much. His defensive and lost personality as revealed could never have gotten him into the position he was in. All characters should have some flaws, but also some reason to root for them. I couldn't find any reason to root for Michael. It is too bad, as the complexity of the story is great, in complete contrast to the main character.
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Summary: 4 chapters was all I could take.
Review: I liked DEAD EVEN so am really disappointed in this book. I got whiplash from all the "bouncy" dialogue. Next time I hope Meltzer will create characters who are real, sympathetic human beings. I know he's capable of it, because he did it in DEAD EVEN.
Rating: 
Summary: A Rare Breed
Review: I have given only four books a five star rating. The Godfather, Fool's Die, The Lion's Game, and The First Counsel. Meltzer's book is paramount to anything Grisham has put on paper. Meltzer does not slow down. Do yourself a service: enjoy this story.
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Summary: THE FIRST COUNSEL - A fundamental political thriller
Review: Young White House attorney Michael Garrick gets more than he bargains for when he starts dating the President's daughter, Nora Hartson. The product of a phony political upbringing, Nora, in search of a 'real' life, has become a thrill-seeking schizophrenic fruitcake. Michael is mesmerized by her aura, energy, and craziness. But he is quickly suckered into a political vortex of murder, blackmail and sexual deceit. While on a date with Michael, Nora shakes off her Secret Service detail for the fun of it. But the laughter ends when she and Michael think they have witnessed a crime by a White House insider. But what do they think they have seen, and what does it mean? As Michael starts to uncover the truth and its political consequences, powerful people set him up for the fall of his life. As a political neophyte, Michael is an amateur among the White House powerful. THE FIRST COUNSEL is fast reading out of the blocks, then slows during the middle innings, and finishes amid suspense and a surprise ending. For a fictional work, it is an interesting and insightful look into the inner workings of the White House and the transient families that occupy it. The storyline itself is probably not plausible, but this does not diminish the enjoyment of this political love story.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT John Grisham
Review: I bought this book after a review said that Brad Meltzer is the next John Grisham. Not with this one! The plot is ridiculous, the characters are not believable and the plot twists are contrived to keep the story moving towards it's insane conclusion. There are doses are reality in his descriptions of the inside of the White House but you can pick it up on West Wing. I almost put it down after the first ridiculous chapter but kept pressing forward, looking for the talent. Look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: The Worst Book of the Year.....
Review: Michael Garrick is out on his first date with the president's daughter, Nora Hartson. She's beautiful, wild and very rebellious and in no time, they've lost her secret service escort and are sitting in an anonymous gay bar, in the wee hours of the morning, having a drink. As they talk, Edgar Simon, Chief White House Counsel and Michael's boss walks in, meets with someone and then just as quickly leaves. Curious, Mike and Nora follow him and discover he's left a $40,000 payoff in an isolated wooded area. As Michael tries to find out who's blackmailing whom and why, he sets off a chain reaction of murder, mayhem, dirty tricks and deceit that reaches all the way to the Oval Office. Now, as his world is set on its end, he's running for his life and trusting no one..... Brad Meltzer has written a book with absolutely no substance. His plot is implausible and unrealistic, his writing is very immature and awkward and he shows no ear for dialogue. His characters are poorly drawn, show no depth or motivation and the relationship between Mike and Nora is contrived and ridiculous. Add to that a very unsatisfying ending with a lot of loose ends and you have the makings of a total disappointment. Do yourself a favor and skip The First Counsel. There are too many really good political thrillers out there to read.
Rating:
Summary: No Dimpled Chads Here.
Review: After suffering through the escapades of our last president (...) and then having to endure another 40 some odd days of bent and dimpled chads I was ready for something other than a story about a President of the United States. Fortunate I came across a novel titled $oft Money. A wonderful story about, none other than, a sitting President refreshed my enthusiasm to read more stories about the sordid lives of our elected kings. I'd been given Brad Meltzer's book but had put it aside, for the aforementioned reasons. Needless to say I was apprehensive when I first waded into this story. I had read the reviews that ran the gamut from one star to five stars. In a nutshell a young man, Michael, dates the somewhat wild and rebellious daughter of the President. The two people observe the strange behavior of a white house aid while they are on a date. Someone gets murdered and the daughter suddenly becomes unavailable to the young man. Michael becomes the suspect and he's left to prove his own innocence. I enjoyed the premise of the story. And I found it refreshing that Meltzer chose to focus his story on a sibling of the great man rather than on the great man himself. Reviews show a range of bad to good for this offering from Brad Metzler. No one can agree. But then again what two people ever agree on anything, even on something as simple as say...a good cigar? My advice is to buy the book and make your own decision. For what it's worth I enjoyed the book.
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