The Zero Game for which this book is named is explained as a frivolous activity in which Congressional aids find themselves relieving the boredom of their lives. Contestants make book on whether certain small things will or will not get included in final congressional bills. Matthew has been invited by Harris to play the game, which they do … and then along comes a chance for a big killing, when the item up for discussion is the granting of sale government land containing an abandoned gold mine out in the Midwest. This item was added to a bill by the Congressman for whom Matthew works, as a favor to some of his constituents, and Matthew happens to be one of the four aids on the team working out a compromise budget bill; if he can negotiate with his Senate counterparts to leave that tidbit in the final bill, it’s a sure thing, and he and Harris raise the ante until they are the winner of the pool. But then Matthew notices something strange about the page who comes to collect their bet money and decides to follow him. That’s the buildup of the plot for the first 56 pages, and it seemed relatively dull, enlivened only by getting introduced to the behind-the-scenes intricacies of how bills get finalized without being read or even thought about by the politicians who vote on them. The remaining 404 pages, however, are anything but dull, as the protagonist and the heroine (a 16-year-old black girl whose mother got her a job as a Congressional page and who is probably more intelligent than anyone else in Washington) start to unravel the mystery of the real stakes involved in the suddenly dangerous zero game — a pursuit that soon has them fleeing for their lives across the rooftop of the Capital building and even sneaking into that supposedly abandoned mine in the Midwest.I don’t normally give five stars to fictional novels, but I gave five stars to another of Meltzer’s books a few days ago and this one is easily even better, so what else can I do? Meltzer is a fairly prolific writer and also makes a living writing for television shows, such as The West Wing. That experience shows, as his characters get involved in videographic drama and speak with wholly believable dialog. This was another book that kept me reading far into the night; novels just can’t get much better than that.
Some suspense, but uneven pace and preposterous chase scenes spoil indifference-breeding thriller.This was our first Brad Meltzer, the author having been recommended by a friend. We're usually game for any kind of mystery or thriller, but this one fell short of expectations. The "Zero Game" in question turns out to be a silly betting scheme that consumes/wastes the first third of the novel. The incredulous exploits of protagonist Capital staffer Harris, with 17-year-old senate page Viv his somewhat unwilling accomplice, to discover the nature of the real plot which has killed off his best friends takes another 200 pages before the mystery of what's going on in the "Wendell" mine at least heats up some suspense. But the ever-present, hired-hand bad guy Janos gets old; and by the time he gets his, we barely care anymore. While another side character winding up villainous is quite a surprise, the book ends with almost the same anticlimactic feel of its stodgy beginning. Obviously, we weren't that impressed. The uneven pace of the plot left us cold, and the somewhat preposterous nature of first the "game" and then the mining shenanigans, coupled with the many chase scenes that of course all went the right way, just left us wanting all this to get over. While the writing per se was adequate, we want a better story line, characters to really care about, more realistic action and drama, and a twist or two en route to a believable outcome, to entertain and amuse. Despite the success Meltzer enjoys, we found this one lacking. Should we try another?
What do You think about The Zero Game (2005)?
Brad Meltzer- The Zero Game (Coronet Books 2004) 3.75 StarsMatthew and Harris are both senior staffers on the capital. They have both just started in on the secret Zero Game, where they place secret wagers on the capital. Now they have discovered that it is becoming deadly and may just cost them their lives. Now they must redeem themselves and get to the bottom of this while running for their lives.It took me awhile to get into this one; it could have had a better introduction. It did slowly pick up and become faster-paced. I enjoyed the plot and the many twists and turns that it took along the way. The characters were well done and as always were a strong point in his books. It was a little weird how it started out as first person as one person, but the switched to a different person after a little bit. It had a great ending that was action-filled and wrapped things up nicely. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book; I just wished that it had started off better. For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.Tony PetersKids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnappinghttp://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/
—Tony
This book was more exciting and more alluring than your typical "political thriller"...while you get some sense about the politics, and how things happen around Capital Hill, this story is more about a mystery surrounding current scientific studies, and the adventure of a great chase. This book starts with a small idea (the Zero Game) and quickly explodes into the unraveling of a conspiracy. I can easily see inspirations for this book in the likes of John Grisham and Michael Crichton, there is a a heart pounding excitement that carries the story line. The law and science backdrops are not the primary focus, and you don't have to understand those subject to get into this book. However, you might learn a little bit about those subjects as you read, and even if you're never struck with the spark of curiosity to do further reading on your own - you have a great thriller right here for you to enjoy without really needing an in-depth understanding of these backdrops. There is more than one plot twist that caught me off guard, and at one point I was routing for the villain - something I rarely do with this genera. The story keeps you interested throughout, and the pacing is marvelous. I would love to see this become a movie!
—Aaron
Finally! I've had this book for years and I just this summer picked it up to read it. This author won my attention by doing something completely ballsy (killing off the first person POV, present tense narrator in the first section, and then making someone else the first person present narrator, intercut with other third person past chapters). It was a good, fast-paced book with a lot of tension. Surprisingly, I didn't have a problem with the first and third combined POVs, but with the POV shifti
—Sheila
