Dead Even

Rating:
Summary: a page turner
Review: this book was great.it took but 81/2hrs. to read watch thoes last 15 page no interuptions. kept me on my toes and my brain working overtime.

Rating:
Summary: Dead Even is alive and well!!!!
Review: Brad Meltzer does it again with a great book aout a husband and wife who must face off against each other in a life or death case. Brad delves deep into the character development of both husband and wife as they fight for their life and marriage. Brad keeps you on the edge of your seat with the turn of each page. No putting this book down! So, Brad, when is #3 coming out? I am eager to read it!

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: The pace was swift and the twists and turns were non-stop. While some of the dialogue was stiff, most of it rang true and some of the banter was quite witty. The reviewers who have been so critical of the dialogue must not talk to many 20-30-year-olds. This is a very entertaining book. So many reviewers on Amazon are hypercritical and even vicious; I think they expect every book they read to be a literary masterpiece for the ages, an expectation that is ridiculous and unrealistic. I like being entertained by the many books I read, and this book fits the bill.

Rating:
Summary: I don't have to read this book to tell you not to buy!
Review: I never read this book and I never will, because I have already been victumised by TENTH JUSTICE. I bet my bottom dollar that he could do no better this time. I am sorry that it is guilty never proven innocent, but just for writing TENTH JUSTICE he should be handed a sentence of never ever allowed to write again!

Rating:
Summary: If "0" was an option, I would have given it that
Review: This book was one of the worst I've ever read. No hyperbole (unlike Meltzer's absurd use of it). Meltzer's dialogue is not only flat, it leaves you cringing. Like listening to the kid in French class horribly mispronouncing the language. Additionally, Meltzer did little or no research into the actual events of an A.D.A. in New York City. There is no way a defendant and his lawyer would be present in the Grand Jury during the presentation of other witnesses; the defendant would be present only for his own portion. Read Turow for a decent legal thriller. Don't waste a penny on Meltzer (and I actully kinda liked "The Tenth Justice" -- despite having the same implausible dialogue problem!).

Rating:
Summary: Almost reached the Grisham level
Review: This books was great. The role of the characters were obvious thought out and planned. This book reads like a movie, you never want to put it down. I found myself stopping throughout the day wondering what was going to happen. I cannot wait for Meltzer to write his next novel.

Rating:
Summary: Dead Even: Desperate Circumstances and Desperate Measures
Review: As a person who loves legal dramas, I was pleased with this book though courtroom action was limited. It was easy reading full of personality. Characters were believeable. I haven't read a novel in a while and I'm usually too cheap to pay over $6 for one. But this was well worth the $8 I spent. I was gripped by it the moment I read the first chapter while in the grocery store looking for a good novel. I can think of only a few negatives about this intriguing, uncomplicated story but I won't even go into them. I thoroughly disagree with the person who made the comment that the last few chapters were a bore. Last night, I stayed up to 2 A.M. to finish the book, though that would only give me 4 hours of sleep before work. The climax gave you a movie-like rush with people facing things like gunshots, betrayal and desperate decisions. Well worth the $8. Definitely in the league with Grisham. As a writer myself, Meltzer inspired me.

Rating:
Summary: Meltzer's dialogue is dead on
Review: A response to readers who think the language used by Meltzer's characters is unrealistic: these comments must come from people who don't have much contact with anyone under 35, because this is _exactly_ the way we talk. You may not like it, but it's true to life. [And just to prove it] Dead Even kicks butt!!!

Rating:
Summary: Get this book!!!!
Review: In his second novel, Brad Meltzer defies the sophomore slump and produces a great book. I enjoyed the Tenth Justice for its novel take on the legal thriller, but felt the ending pulled a few too many tricks. Dead Even is dead on. The premise is one of the most original in a long time - husband and wife attorneys on opposite sides of a criminal trial where both have been threatened regarding the other's life. This allows Meltzer to follow two parallel plot lines, the case and the relationship, and the result is enthralling. Rather than just throw in a legal cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, sometimes there is a relationship quandary. It was impossible to know not only the likely outcome of the case, but whether the couple would ever be able to rescue their badly damaged marriage. As a lawyer myself, I also appreciated the realism and attention to detail- down to the videophone in ECAB (early crime assessment bureau) at the Manhattan DA's office. I couldn't put this book down and even closed my door at work a few times so I could read "one more chapter" (don't tell the boss). Pick it up, you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: good character development
Review: after reading his first book (and enjoying the preposerous story line), i looked forward to his second effort. this book haas some basis in possibility that #1 lacked. The author develops characters rather well in this effort. the sophomore jinx didn't grab the writer.overall, it was prety enjoyable even from a practicing lawyer's point of view. highly recommended as a clever piece of fiction.