Rating: 
Summary: THE NAUGHTY NORA
Review: As in the three books I've read by Meltzer, his hero does some of the stupidest, mindboggling things, and this is no exception. Michael Garrick, a young lawyer in the law offices of the president, falls for the slightly unbalanced (?) daughter, Nora, of the president. One night on a wild fling, she takes him to a gay bar, where they see their boss, Edgar Simon, secretly chatting with someone. They then follow him and discover that he's left $40,000 in an envelope in the woods. Did he seem them? Nora decides to take $10,000 from the envelope, and as they speed off, they are stopped by a policeman who wants to know what Michael's doing with the money.
From then on, a web of intrigue and deception starts, with murders involved, and Michael of course being the prime suspect. Michael's continued faith in Nora left me wondering how dense he could be; and by the end of the book, when all the smoke settles, readers will still ask themselves why. Meltzer paints Nora as a victim of all the attention she gets in her role as the president's daughter; she has no real life. But at the same time, she does so many outrageous things, you have to wonder why Michael sticks with her.
A good, enjoyable read, though. One gets caught up in Michael's plight, no matter how dumb he is, and Meltzer knows the White House and DC.
Rating: 
Summary: Corridors of Power, Mystery and Intrique
Review: Brad Meltzer has written a slick thriller that is, indeed, a "page turner". His knowledge of the White House is superb and we are led skillfully through corridors of power, mystery and intrigue at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.The dialogue is good. The plot holds our interest to the very end. The characters, however, are not even remotely believable. The behavior and problems of Nora, the First Daughter, could never have escaped the scrutiny of the FBI or the media. Michael, our earnest young hero, puzzles us as he persists in a relationship with a bizarre young woman the reader will see immediately as out of control, manipulative and self-serving. Edgar Simon, Michael's boss, could be a fascinating study, but he is portrayed in a superficial manner, as are the other "players" in the story. Despite the contrived ending, including the probable solution to Michael's tribulations with his father, those who read the book will be swept along by the momentum of the tale and will enjoy it for what it is. It is only by comparison with the author's fine first novel, The Tenth Justice, that we preceive the flaws in this book and are disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Fun But Makes You Feel Cheated
Review: Brad Meltzer is a good writer. This book was a very quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the book. I thought Meltzer seamlessly wove in interesting background information about life in the nation's capital, work in the political spotlight, and legal issues. Since I am a lawyer, political junkie and D.C. resident, I thought that others might not have had the same reaction, but a quick perusal of other reviews shows that most people enjoyed the book. The plot, unfortunately, is a little less believable. Meltzer tells the story of a young lawyer, Michael, in the White House Counsel's office who goes on a date with the President's daughter, Nora, who has a reputation for wildness, but may or may not have a sweet side begging to get out. Michael and Nora see Michael's boss in a compromising position. However, almost immediately, Michael and Nora are stopped by the D.C. police and have suspicion thrown on them. Michael has to cover for Nora, partly because she already has a bad reputation and partly because the FBI is out to get Nora and the entire First Family. However, as the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the FBI must be filled with some of the worst cops on the planet if they are unable to pin anything on Nora, the First Family, or close allies of the First Family. And in this age of Matt Drudge and others, even if the FBI could not do the job, others would be able to do it for them. Thus, although I found it easy to read and finish the book, the book left me feeling a bit cheated. Still a fun read though.
Rating:
Summary: Fun But Makes You Feel Cheated
Review: Brad Meltzer is a good writer. This book was a very quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the book. I thought Meltzer seamlessly wove in interesting background information about life in the nation's capital, work in the political spotlight, and legal issues. Since I am a lawyer, political junkie and D.C. resident, I thought that others might not have had the same reaction, but a quick perusal of other reviews shows that most people enjoyed the book. The plot, unfortunately, is a little less believable. Meltzer tells the story of a young lawyer, Michael, in the White House Counsel's office who goes on a date with the President's daughter, Nora, who has a reputation for wildness, but may or may not have a sweet side begging to get out. Michael and Nora see Michael's boss in a compromising position. However, almost immediately, Michael and Nora are stopped by the D.C. police and have suspicion thrown on them. Michael has to cover for Nora, partly because she already has a bad reputation and partly because the FBI is out to get Nora and the entire First Family. However, as the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the FBI must be filled with some of the worst cops on the planet if they are unable to pin anything on Nora, the First Family, or close allies of the First Family. And in this age of Matt Drudge and others, even if the FBI could not do the job, others would be able to do it for them. Thus, although I found it easy to read and finish the book, the book left me feeling a bit cheated. Still a fun read though.
Rating:
Summary: Expected a more believable daughter of the president........
Review: Ever since reading Dead Even, I knew I found a gem in Brad Meltzer. It's been several years between books and since I've had time to read him, but now that I have, I'm in love again! Dead Even and Tenth Justice were the other books of his I read, and from what I remember, they knocked my socks off. First Counsel is no exception! Not disappointed at all. As for some of the reviews that thought this book was a bit unrealistic, I don't know...I disagree. Truth is stranger than fiction and we've all seen what our elected officials can do and get away with. If you're looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and in suspense the entire time, I recommend this book. His writing style is not only exciting, but he's a fun read as well, with little jokes and creative writing along the way. Go read this book!!
Rating:
Summary: Good Intentions, Poor Execution
Review: I like Brad. He tells a good tale. His plots are every bit as compelling as anything out there. But he absolutely makes too much liberal use of exclamation points. It's true! While I understand that the main character's life suddenly becomes caught up in a game of high stakes and political intrigue that is spiraling out of control, I just don't quite buy the way he shouts everything. Really, it's not about exclamation points-- though there are a lot of them. It's about characterization and his characters seem designed to fill a role in the story, rather than becoming living, breathing entities. It's a shame too. This is a good book. I'd recommend it. But, I wish he'd improve his dialogue. It rarely rings true and comes off as contrived.
Rating:
Summary: Good Intentions, Poor Execution
Review: I like Brad. He tells a good tale. His plots are every bit as compelling as anything out there. But he absolutely makes too much liberal use of exclamation points. It's true! While I understand that the main character's life suddenly becomes caught up in a game of high stakes and political intrigue that is spiraling out of control, I just don't quite buy the way he shouts everything. Really, it's not about exclamation points-- though there are a lot of them. It's about characterization and his characters seem designed to fill a role in the story, rather than becoming living, breathing entities. It's a shame too. This is a good book. I'd recommend it. But, I wish he'd improve his dialogue. It rarely rings true and comes off as contrived.
Rating:
Summary: Much Better Than the Average Rating It's Received!
Review: I've had The First Counsel for years but put off reading it until recently due to the many average or worse ratings it has received from Amazon reviewers. Having just finished this book, I was pleasantly surprised by its being much more deserving than the 3-star rating it, on average, has received on this web site. The First Counsel, which involves how a date with the president's daughter draws a young lawyer working in the President Counsel Office into a web of extortion, scandal and murder, will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout most of the book. Its plot is very supenseful, contains many twists and surprises. The characters are interesting and pretty well described, although at times a bit unrealistic -- particularly due to the naivete of the main character, Philip Garrick, and the over-the-top behavior of Nora, the President's daughter. Noneheless, this criticism was not a major problem for me as it appeared to be for many other reviewers of this book. To me, the action and suspense moved the story along at such a quick pace that I was easily able to overlook these flaws. Up until the last 50 pages or so I was prepared to give The First Counsel a 5-star rating. However, without going into any detail as to why, I found the ending, while not disappointing, to be not quite up to the standard of suspense and excitement Meltzer had created up to that point. If you like books in the style of James Patterson, David Baldacci and Harlan Coben, I think you will enjoy The First Counsel. I know I did.
Rating: 
Summary: A definite 5-star thriller!
Review: The First Counsel is one of the best books I have read in a long time. This is the first Meltzer book I've read, and as is usually the case, the first book by an author is usually my favorite since you don't have any clue as to how the author writes or where he is going with the story. This book truly was a page turner and very easy to read. Instead of telling us, Meltzer uses a lot of dialogue to keep the story moving quickly. Authors like James Patterson are easy to read but his novels are so short. When I read Scott Turow, just a few pages wore me out. The First Counsel is full of twists and turns and substance and easy to read 60 to 70 pages at a time. The opening chapter had me hooked. White House lawyer Michael Garrick is dating the president's daughter Nora. They elude the secret service and see Garrick's boss Edgar Simon at a gay bar. Simon then drives out into the forest to make a drop of $40,000. Nora and Michael go exploring and Nora takes some of the money. From there a murder is committed and the evidence keeps mounting against Michael. I enjoyed this book so much because most of the action revolved around the White House, which seemed very intriguing to me. The First Daugher Nora was also a great character. She just wanted to live a normal life but had so many flaws. As the book draws to an end, we have to see if Michael can figure out who is trying to frame him and keep from getting killed. We also have to see how Michael and Nora's relationship worked out. I admit that I liked this book because the idea of dating the president's daughter seemed cool to me. The idea of any kind of outsider having access to the White House is intriguing. This is one of those books where getting to the end is half the fun. Meltzer takes the reader on a great ride. The climax is believable and exciting and well written. It has a few twists and also sheds some doubt onto Nora's character and all of her previous actions. I just finished reading the book a few minutes ago, so I haven't yet decided yet what kind of person Nora truly is. Is she a sympathetic victim or an evil manipulator, or both? I've read a few reviews that have criticized this book. Maybe Meltzer's other books aren't as good as this one, but I'm definitely going to read them. I was surprised at how much I became involved with the outcome of the story. I recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: A great read....
Review: This was one of the best audiobook abridgements I've listened to yet. It was four tapes long, so I imagine not a whole lot was left out, and D.B. Sweeney's voice was superb! He really has a talent for accents and voices that don't come across as stereotypes or silly.
The story itself is a solid one, a political/law thriller, with Michael Garrick being the protagonist of the tale. Michael begins dating a gal named Nora Hartson, which seems a simple enough set-up, but Nora is the daughter of the president. Code-named 'Shadow' by her secret service, the date goes wrong from the moment Michael lets her drive, and she loses her security tail. They go to a bar - which turns out to be a gay bar - and there they see Michael's married boss meeting with someone. She is anxious to follow, and Michael and Nora find that Michael's boss leaves a package in the woods. When they open it, it seems Michael's boss is delivering forty thousand dollars... to someone.
From there, the story picks up the pace, and the tension is raised, bit by bit, as more and more of Michael's attempts to figure things out lead him straight to the role of a fall-guy. Can he trust anyone he knows? Can he even trust the girl he is falling in love with? You'll have to listen to find out, but as the story twists from blackmail, to murder, to conspiracy, you'll not be let down by the plot - it's very well handled.
I'll be finding more from Meltzer.
'Nathan
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