Rating: 
Summary: This Zero is a Hero
Review: I had intially started reading this book based on the recommendations of some friends and from his Green Arrow series.I am really glad I did because this book delivers. Meltzer always keeps you guessing with PLAUSABLE plot twists and fleshed out BELIEVABLE characters. I picked up this book on Wednesday and finished Thursday at 2 AM. I just couldn't put it down. Run don't walk to get this book. As Howard Dean said, "YEEEEEEEAAARGHHHHH". Great book.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner
Review: Whether a Washington DC insider or simple lover of political fiction, this book will keep you wrapped in the plot till the very end. It's one of those "hard to put down" books that develops the characters quickly, is an easy read, but throws enough plot twists throughout to keep you from ever possibly getting bored!
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Summary: Another winner from Brad Meltzer.
Review: The zero game is a dangerous game surrounded by secrecy. It is a game of risk, reward, mystery and the thrill of knowing that just being invited to play confirms your status as a Washington power broker.Matthew Mercer and Harris Sandler are two young men playing the zero game, no one knows they are playing, not their friends, not their co-workers and definitely not their bosses who happen to be some of the most powerful senators and congressmen. The game starts off as fun for both men with the reward of some extra cash, until someone they both know turns up dead. As Matthew and Harris try to figure what they have become involved in, they realize the zero game hides a sinister secret and that they both have been marked for death. With a killer tracking their every move, Matthew and Harris must run for their lives and their only chance for survival is to trust the 16 year-old Senate with the know-how to roam the capital undetected. 'The Zero Game' is another great thriller from Brad Meltzer. From page one the story grabs hold and doesn't let go. Complex plot, break-neck pacing, well-drawn characters and shocking twists all blend together to make an unforgettable read complete with an explosive climax. Brad Meltzer's smooth writing style and ingenious plots have earned him the reputation of being a master thriller writer, with 'The Zero Game' he not only confirms the reputation, he proves he is at the top of his game. Expect to see this book dominate the top spot on the bestseller lists. A MUST read! Nick Gonnella
Rating: 
Summary: Zero it out
Review: Meltzer lastest effort leaves you yearning for more. The plot does not have his usual level of development. The main characters in this book are uninteresting and the overall story is convoluted. I would recommend bypassing this book and latch onto some of his earlier works.
Rating: 
Summary: hair-raising Capitol thriller!
Review: THE ZERO GAME is a fine political adventure based on an innocent enough betting game between congressional staffers which turns into murder. It's heavy on the yawn-inducing stuff of political bartering, & lively in the tight spots into which the two surviving heroes are herded by invisible shepherds who have a lot to lose, no scruples & fingers in very high up pies. Rebeccasreads recommends THE ZERO GAME as one bumpy, entertaining ride!
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Summary: Capital Fun at a Thrill a Minute
Review: When I first started listening to this novel on unabridged audio cassette, I admit to being confused and having to rewind the first 45 minutes in order to listen to the opening sequence a second time. But after this bout of fuzzy thinking, the fast pace and non-stop excitement narrated in the intelligent and frat boy confident voice of Washington staffer Harris Sandler. moved me along at breakneck speed, unraveling a mystery as labyrinthine as the old gold mine in one of the novel's most exciting sequences. Bored to an unhealthy cynicism with the Washington CYA scene of political manuevering, Harris and his best bud Matthew have spiced up their otherwise mundane careers by doing the unethical: gambling on Congress in a little wagering fun known only by a select few as the Zero Game. Very early on in the novel, the sure thing turns bad, and Harris finds himself in an unthinkable position: on the run for his life from a maniacal assasin with a black box tool that simulates a heart attack when used on its intended victim, with 17 year old Viv Parker, a senate page from Michigan as his only ally.
As Harris and Viv weave from DC to South Dakota and back attempting to uncover the secret of the Zero Game, the reader unearths vital information about the smooth and clever Harris Sandler whose pin-striped perfection hides a disillusioned knight unhorsed by over ten years of back-stabbing DC wheeling and dealing. The innocent, idealistic and religious Viv plays the light to his shadow and together they make a wonderfully precocious and unforgettable team.
The denouement is not predictable, the science interesting, the Washington insider scenes informative and the thrills lasting until the epilogue. If listening to the audio performance, Scott Brick does a more than admirable job of depicting Harris' fallen angel personality; his Viv is brilliantly bright-eyed and wholesomely winsome.
At the end, the two protagonists part ways, but I would like to see these two reunited in the future, say 10 or 15 years down the road; perhaps difficult for the author to envision a future political climate, but fun nevertheless to imagine what could happen to these two down the road.
I recommend this book highly to all those who like a little espionage with a domestic rather than Ludlem-esque international flavor.
Rating:
Summary: lots of action and suspense !!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book it is a page turner and is very hard to put down. Meltzer is as good a Grisham! The gane "Zero Game" is clever and truns deadly for Matthew and Harris they have been friends since college days. Harris persuades MAtther to join the Zero Game. All is well until Matthew is killed . Harris is on the run for his life and career. This book is a must read !!!
Rating:
Summary: Nothing to write home about...
Review: I bought this book thinking it sounded interesting, and since I'd heard quite a bit about the author but hadn't read anything of his yet, I gave it a whirl. I was extremely disappointed about a quarter of the way through the book, and from there, it only got worse. Meltzer is a gifted writer, I believe, but not gifted enough to break as many conventions of fiction writing as he does with disturbing frequency. I had to grit my teeth to read past the halfway point, and am genuinely surprised at how many positive reviews this novel has received. It's not the worst I've read, but I have to say I expected more. If you can smell bad writing from more than a mile away, look somewhere else. This novel was a page-turner in the sense that I read on only to see if it would improve. It didn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Felt like it was a screenplay
Review: I picked this book up while stuck in an airport during a flight delay. I had read all the other books on the newstand, but this one didn't look that bad. I worked for a Senator for a year and have always been interested in books that deal with DC and the federal government so I thought I was the prime audience for a book like this. While his details and research are pretty good, I just couldn't get over the language and word flow at times. The plot was typical with no real surprises for me, but I felt like I was watching a movie at times with how he worded scenes. It was like Meltzer wrote it so it would catch the attention of some producer as a book easy to translate to film. However, it put me off. It was a good read while waiting for 10 hours in an airport, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to others.
Rating:
Summary: Not a particularly well conceived story.
Review: This book disappoints nearly from the very beginning. The key ingredient of the plot is utterly implausible and since it is introduced at the beginning of the book the reader is forced to forge on despite this egregious weakness. It never stopped nagging at me throughout the book and at the end Meltzer adds insult to injury by disclosing that it was indeed NOT plausible. But our hero, Harris Sandler was bamboozled nonetheless. Despite his political savy and cleverness he was fooled by a transparent ruse that even a high schooler would have detected.
Even accepting the preposterous story line, this book was a pedestrian effort at best. Very predictable. The only redeeming quality of the book was the glimpse into the inner workings of the Congress. I enjoyed that, but wading through this mediocrity was too high a price to pay for what I suspect was not a particularly accurate portrayal. I found myself skimming large sections of the book in order to just get through to the unsatisfactory end.
Ordinarily I would have simply quit reading but the story was just barely interesting enough to keep me going which is why I gave it three instead of one or two stars.
Now, if you are stuck on a transcontinental flight and you find this book beneath your seat cushion AND you have absolutely nothing else productive to do then and only then should you consider reading this book. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and find something more worthwhile to expend your efforts on.
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