Rating: Summary: Read His First Two. Review: Meltzer's First Counsel and Tenth Justice were excellent reads. The same cannot be said for The Millionaires. While it does have its strengths, Meltzer's latest effort doesn't measure up. The characters are interesting, and his descriptions of both private banking and behind the scenes at Disneyworld are first rate, but even so, Millionaire's plotting doesn't match his first two works. Sadly, credibility is strained nearly to the point that I did indeed stop turning the pages. Too many twists and turns, too many unpredictable identities to be fair to the reader. It isn't a bad novel, but neither is it a great one.
Rating: Summary: Not Bad Review: I ordered this book dispite all of the bad reviews written on this site, however, I did keep them in mind before reading the book, preparing myself for the worst. That being said, while The Millionaires may not be a great book it was not a bad book either. The Millionaires is the type of book that you read knowing that it is not exactally going to be War & Peace but you take it for what it is, a light beach read and just enjoy the story, which is exactally what I did and in the end I can honestly say that I did enjoy it.
Rating: Summary: Interesting-but not the greatest Review: A fairly good story with lots of techno/banking and info on financial trials and tribulations. The actual theme seemed to be a chase that lasted forever. The twists and turns added some spark but it never glowed as I like a story to do. The family feeling between the two brothers was shown strongly and well, but communications between them by sight was a little hard to grasp. All in all it was a fairly good but not a outstanding read.
Rating: Summary: Quite a shock Review: I have read 2 Meltzer's book and found them to be excellent. I just couldn't put them down, but this one was for the dogs. It was completely boring and the story just dragged along at a snail's pace. I found it so interesting that the brothers would talk just by the look on their faces. Strange how they would exchange a paragraph of dialogue with just a couple of looks. I found that to very annoying throughout the book. Don't read this unless you enjoy ripping the bandaid off very very slowly.
Rating: Summary: Meltzer recycled Review: Oliver and Charles Caruso are brothers that work at an exclusive New York City bank where you need a minimum of ten million dollars to open an account. According to federal law - at least in the book - if an account has been inactive for more than seven years the money gets transferred and becomes property of the United States government. While performing his job, Oliver finds a three-million-dollar account belonging to a Martin Duckworth. After careful research he discovers that Mr. Duckworth is dead and there are no heirs to be notified. Who is going to miss the money? When he confides to his brother what he found Shep, an agent from the Secret Service, discovers him. Shep agrees not to report them if they give him a cut of the profits.After careful planning to cover their tracks Ollie transfers the money to an offshore account and all hell breaks loose. Rogue Secret Service agents shoot Shep and the Caruso brothers are running for their lives. When Oliver checks the balance in the account he finds there are three hundred and thirteen million dollars stashed instead of three million dollars. The Caruso brothers go to Florida, the last known address for Mr. Duckworth, and try to figure out what happened. Meltzer brings in a ridiculous conspiracy involving computer viruses, fraud, and Disney World. Was it so hard for the author to come up with a fictional theme park? If you have read one Brad Meltzer novel you have read them all. They all have the same formula and except for some slight deviations they all turn out to be the same. A young and naïve professional discovers a conspiracy. Instead of reporting it they decide to investigate and find out that it is something way over their heads. Anyone they get close too gets hurt or dies. Introduce a young woman who tries to help or hinder the hero with his dilemma. At the end of the novel the hero loses or quits his job and loses all traces of his former life. Why even bother?
Rating: Summary: Let Down Review: I have never read a Brad Meltzer book until now. At first, I was gripped and was pleased to find an author similar to Grisham. The first 100 pages were great, but all of a sudden it became very predicatable and silly. How much pain can people take in a day or two? As much action as there was, I felt bored through most of it and just wanted it to end. On a positive note, some of the dialogue between the brothers was very well written and funny, but overall, I felt let down. I AM willing to try another one of his books and give him the benefit of the doubt, but it has challenged me to become a bestselling author. If this is all it takes to become a famous author, I should have it made in the shade!
Rating: Summary: Hardy Boys meet Nancy Drew once again. Review: This is my second Brad Meltzer book and I still don't get it. Just like "The 10th Justice", what could have been a good thriller was once again ruined by pubescent dialog among the main characters. Take out the violence and these two books would be on every ninth-grader's summer reading list. How appropriate for the denouement to take place in the magical world of Mickey and Pluto.
Rating: Summary: Rather rediculous plot twists Review: If you're looking for a "thriller" with little substance that won't tax your brain too extensively, go ahead and give this book a look (I suggest checking it out from your library, so as to avoid buyer's remorse). Meltzer began with a decent premise for this story, but there were so many inane comments made by the characters, so much "facial communication" between the Hardy Boys, so much cliche bad-guy stuff going on that his promising story became a nearly 500-page head-shaker. I can't remember the number of times I read a paragraph and said to myself, "what a convenient plot twist - yeah, that might happen!" For those readers who think Meltzer is one of the great novelists of the day, I suggest you pick up one of Tom Wolfe's novels. Wolfe will show you what results when an author focuses on substance rather than volume, on painstaking research rather than simply putting every neat idea he's come across onto the page.
Rating: Summary: Great out of the blocks, but no endurance. Review: What I liked: The story started out at a riveting pace. The theme was intriguing and believable enough. I could certainly identify with the temptation to swipe $3 million in an abandoned account and transfer it offshore. What I did not like: Any semblance of realism and common sense fizzled away in the second half, and I lost the ability to identify with the characters. The two main characters, brothers Oliver and Charlie, were total weenies. It seems that one of them is constantly on the verge of vomiting from fear. When they wind up with $313 million (instead of only $3 million) in an offshore account, all Oliver can think about is how to give it up and get his old, boring life back. While the general story line is believable, many of the action descriptions are way too immature and unrealistic. I am left wondering whether the author has ever personally been in a real fight or in any other really tight situation. On a minor note, the book is carelessly edited, leaving annoying mistakes. For example, at one point, Oliver (who narrates the story) states that Charlie "says two words that, as long as I have known him, have never left his lips. 'Be careful.'" Never mind that Charlie had told Oliver to "be careful" only 11 pages earlier.
Rating: Summary: First step to becoming a millionaire, skips this one Review: Improbable, implausible are a few words that come to mind. I listened to the tapes (it did pass the time in the car, but if I had had another tape with me, I would have popped this one out) -- the reader/narrator is terrible. His attempt to make the book more suspenseful than it isn't (that's correct -- isn't) was annoying.
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