Rating: Summary: Ok, but his other books are better Review: I pre-ordered Meltzer's latest because I was thrilled to read his other titles: The Tenth Justice, Dead Even and The First Counsel. The Millionaires has a pretty good story except it lacked the believability that he had in the other three books. I'm sorry to say, I'm not going to spend money on Meltzer's books. I'll read them, sure, but from the library. The bottom line: Read this book but don't expect it to be as good as his others.
Rating: Summary: Another great book by Meltzer! Review: Meltzer has great way of using dialog with his characters that make his books a great read. Great story, good humor and a good ending make this book another Meltzer must read!
Rating: Summary: Whatever you do, don't get the audio version. Review: I made the mistake of getting the unabridged version of this book on tape. Spare yourself the misery.Because the plot is too thin to sustain the book's length, you listen to hours of filler, most of which consists of bickering between the main characters, two clueless, boring brothers. To make matters worse, the guy reading the audio version insists on affecting a faux Jewish accent that, again and again, jars you out of the story and rivets your attention on his ineptitude as a reader.
Rating: Summary: Interesting premise, poor writing Review: Meltzer's premise of bank account theft by way of a clever computer software virus is compelling, but his storytelling is tedious, amateurish, jumpy and confusing. There are really about twenty important pages in the book, and the rest can be skimmed as quickly as your eyes can travel over the silly dialogue of these mostly undeveloped characters. Having seen Meltzer on TV talk shows, I expected more, and was sadly disappointed.
Rating: Summary: Plays to Meltzer's Strengths Review: Brad Meltzer has proved that he can come up with compelling plot lines and write in such a way that the twist and turns of his stories don't get overwhelmed by details or extraneous subplots. In "The Millionaires" he has created a plausible scenario, with believable motivations and characters, resulting in a compelling story. With nearly all of the chapters ending with a minor cliffhanger, the novel was hard to put down. The plots twists, both major and minor, are enjoyable and the ending is not cliche. A laudable effort from this emerging author.
Rating: Summary: just a slow book Review: This book was ok but it seemed to just drag on and on. It was just too unbelievable. I normally like books that are somewhat unbelievable but not this one. I sure would not recommend buying it in hard back. There were a few times that I was real interested but it was just too predictable other than a couple surprises.
Rating: Summary: How the other half lives? Review: Well, this story is about the world of high finance. But it's more about what happens when the The Perfect Crime meets Murphy's Law. Mostly I read for entertainment, and this book was extremely entertaining. Oliver Caruso believes everything he's told, and his brother Charlie believes nothing until it has been proven to his satisfaction. Although both work at the same private bank, their jobs (and personalities) are far from similar. The story takes us from New York City to Disney World with an amazingly solid cast of characters. And it should have a sobering effect on how you view the power of computers.
Rating: Summary: Michael Eisner May Not Like It Review: "The Millionaires", is my first exposure to the work of author Brad Meltzer. It took me a bit longer than usual to get in step with this writer's prose, but once I did, the reward was very much worth the extra time. The financial event that begins as a 3 million dollar sleight of hand is not only believable, it is a small amount of money when compared to actual frauds and thefts that have taken place in recent years. Even when our protagonists find that their 3 million is much more than they presumed, the number that is ultimately used is well away from the real world billion dollar fiascoes that have taken place. The book moves at a brisk pace from the start. Much of the cadence of the book is non-stop repartee between the two principals characters that also happen to be brothers. This was where it took me time to adjust. Initially there is just too much of this sibling banter, but the reader will get used to it, and to be fair much of it is very funny. The only downside the author has created is that much of the humor is based on very recent events, movies, etc, so the material will become dated and perhaps vague to readers in the future. Everyone remember what a NOC List is? This book is of the genre of the average individual who manages to outwit and often outfight players they have no business surviving an encounter with. There are times when you are asked to accept that The Secret Service is fairly inept as the brothers routinely make short work of agents and their skills. If these agents were guarding The President, we would have a revolving door to The Oval Office. The author brings his book to its climax deep within a well known venue. As a very familiar setting, Disney World is as well known a landmark as one could hope to choose, but Brad Meltzer takes us literally under the kingdom of magic, not unlike pulling the curtain away from the famous wizard who lived in Oz. His Disney World is a place of computers that notify the shops when rain is approaching so umbrellas are set out for visitors to buy. And visitors are not so much entertained as they are manipulated. His park is not a cynically savage one; it is one that is shown for the profit machine that it is. For good measure there are some slick high tech toys, and a novel security keypad that I enjoyed, that played a part in solving a series of mysteries. This author has all the tools to become a major player in his chosen genre. For now he appears to still be in the opening acts of what will surely be a long writing career.
Rating: Summary: Blues Brothers and a huge bank Review: Buy this book before they start making the movie! Oliver Caruso, an employee for the VIP-only Greene and Greene Bank, works for the scumbag and crook Henry Lapidus. Charlie-- Oliver's wayward brother-- somehow persuades do-gooder Oliver to pilfer $3 mil from the bank account of a deceased techno wizard. Unfortunately, others in the bank had planned to the same-- and the $3 mil inadvertntly morphs into $300 mil! So bank thugs, the Secret Service, and an assortment of other characters wind up on the Carusos' tail, in a Blues Brothers redux with twice the humor and suspense. A wonderful follow-up to The First Counsel. Cardboard characters but the moral dilemma is interesting-- two Robin Hoods, and you can't help but root for them. Following the Caruso's misadventures is a fun way to spend the weekend.
Rating: Summary: Great Financial Thriller Review: Metzler's latest financial thriller is a superb fast read with interesting characters. The plot is great and as always Metzler delivers a well written and scripted novel. Two brothers conspire to steal $3 million from an exclusive bank that caters to the rich. They think they've got it all figured out, a fool proof plan. But of course they don't, that's were the fun begins. Another well crafted mystery that relies on clues of a financial nature that was also a worthwhile read is MURDER DOESN'T FIGURE. Enjoy them both.
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