The Zero Game
by Brad Meltzer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Brad MeltzerEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-02-01
ISBN: 0446612111
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of The Zero Game
Book Review: D.C. Confidential
Summary: 3 Stars
There's a twist about 75 pages in to "The Zero Game" that left me furious with author Brad Meltzer for about ten seconds, before I realized how masterful it was and surrendered my scowl for a 10-minute grin. When a writer manages to shock you so effectively, you have to stop and admire it.
But the rest of the book doesn't live up to that early promise, showing off Meltzer's intimate knowledge of Washington and Capitol Hill as a former congressional intern but failing to deliver a taut or believable storyline. We meet interesting characters and plausible characters, though never at the same time, as well as an indomitable villain named Janos who is neither. Not to mention sappy sentimentality, creaky dialogue ("they're setting up shop like that scene from 'E.T.' when the government shows up") and a centerpiece chase through a very deep mine that runs out of steam long before the heroes run out of oxygen.
It's a shame, because the concept of "The Zero Game," a seemingly innocent diversion between bored staffers involving vote counts and meaningless bill attachments suddenly turning deadly, holds a lot of promise. In the first 100 pages, Meltzer sucks the reader in, leading us through the corridors of real power in the U.S. government, then making us dizzy by pulling one startling, paranoid plot-twist after another out of his hat. I'm reluctant to give even these early story bits away, since they are the best parts of the book, but fans of "L.A. Confidential" and "Six Days Of The Condor" (which shares a Washington, D.C. setting) will like what they read here and wish for more.
But then we get to that filibuster-length part inside the mine, where, like the protagonists, I felt in the dark trying to follow what was going on, hobbled by an increasingly inability to care. The two characters, at this point staffer Harris Sandler and a Senate page who comes to regret aligning herself with him, seem to compete over how selfless and heroic they can be under pressure, losing in the process much of their early spark.
I liked the idea of a Senate page being the focal point of this thriller, having been one myself. Meltzer calls them "ghosts in blue blazers" and limns such a vivid picture of these otherwise invisible public servants that I got flashbacks reading details like the giant water fridges and busy assignments desks in the party cloakrooms and the underground tram carrying workers to various Senate and House office buildings.
But you don't need to have been a page to find Viv Parker's actions unbelievable, no more than you need to be a physicist to realize you can't turn lead into gold playing pinball with leptons. Even when Meltzer returns to the Capitol, and recaptures some early momentum, unreal clichés persist as bad guys keep hopping out of nowhere and good guys under attack reach deep inside themselves for hidden reservoirs of strength they never dared guess existed.
Still, Meltzer shows signs at the outset of being a better adventure plotter, and while the writing is largely prosaic, there are nuggets of welcome insight and cleverness I hope he works on mining more from in future novels. Noting the Capitol has four "fronts", i.e. East Front, West Front, etc., Meltzer has Sandler comment: "Four sides of a building, and not one of them is the back. Only in Congress."
Summary of The Zero Game
The New York Times bestselling author of The Millionaires and The First Counsel returns to Wash-ington, D.C., with the story of an insider's game that turns deadly. Matthew Mercer and Harris Sandler are best friends who have plum jobs as senior staffers to well-respected congressmen. But after a decade in Washington, idealism has faded to disillusionment, and they're bored. Then one of them finds out about the clandestine Zero Game. It starts out as good fun-a simple wager between friends. But when someone close to them ends up dead, Harris and Matthew realize the game is far more sinister than they ever imagined-and that they're about to be the game's next victims. On the run, they turn to the only person they can trust: a 16-year-old Senate page who can move around the Capitol undetected. As a ruthless killer creeps closer, this idealistic page not only holds the key to saving their lives, but is also determined to redeem them in the process. Come play The Zero Game-you can bet your life on it.Political Books
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