Brad Meltzer's Dead Even

                First Meltzer asked the uncomfortable question “what if you can’t trust your friends?” Now he is back with another uncomfortable and life altering question, “how far would you go to protect the one you love?” It’s a question that new Assistant District Attorney Sara Tate and husband Defense Attorney Jared Tate have to answer. Sara took a case that she thought would show the DA that she is someone that he would want to keep around. Jared stumbles across a client he thinks might save position in his prestigious law firm. The case and client puts wife against husband.  Both find themselves in a competition for their lives. Sara must win or Jared dies. Jared faces the same threat.

                I guess I really shouldn’t be all that surprised that Meltzer was able to play on basic fears once again.  Or the fact that readers, who had a bird’s eye view of everything going on, still wasn’t sure who they could trust. In a story where nothing is really ever as it seems, it’s a minor miracle that trust was still available to be lost.  There were moments that I found uncomfortable to read; mainly when Jared and Sara were fighting for real. It is one thing to see a couple fight when they are not sure if they still love each other or when they know that they don’t and they both want an out. But to see a couple that still very much loves one another, enough to risk their own lives for the other, is something else entirely.

Secrets that once seemed harmless are revealed only to the devastation of the other.  What was once logical and easily accepted is now questioned and examined for any signs of deception. This is pulse pounding and does an effective job dancing on one’s emotions as the trial looms and both Sara and Jared must give it their all to save the other while they are still not sure if the other can be trusted.  

If you want to know more about what Brad Meltzer is doing or any of his other books, you can visit him on his website: www.bradmeltzer.com or on Facebook. You should also check out his show Decoded which airs on the History Channel. 

Brad Meltzer's The Tenth Justics

Brad Meltzer’s The Tenth Justice

I first heard of Brad Meltzer through his show “Decoded”. After watching an episode that dealt with the secrets of The Grove, I wanted to see what his books were like.

            The Tenth Justice is a story of bad judgment, betrayal and ultimately mind games. Friendships are tested, sanity is questioned and one man finds himself digging a hole for himself and his career that he may not get out of. Four friends, who have moved to Washington to further their careers, find that their lives will soon be changed, for better and for worse.

            Ben Addison lives with his three childhood friends in the political capital of the United States. He has landed a prestigious Supreme Court Clerkship with a feisty young lady who becomes a friend and a confidant.  When the wrong person hears information that is supposed to be confidential, Ben finds his rising star career heading for twists and turns he could never have imagined. His friends join him in his attempts to fix this mistake but soon Ben learns that not everyone close to him can be trusted. Ben is angry that he has been outsmarted and attempts to redeem himself. But this adventure asks more of him and his friends than he intended to give.

            I couldn’t put this book down, each page captivated me as I tried to figure out what was going on and who was to be trusted.  Here is a peek into the life of the Supreme Court and the people that walk its halls.  Meltzer paid great attention to detail, which transformed this story from a simple novel into a glimpse at someone’s bad day that never seems to end. Reading the story, I forgot that Ben Addison was just a creation by an outstanding storyteller.

            Ben goes on an emotional roller coaster as everything he once knew comes into question. He proves to be resourceful and a worthy adversary as he is forced to face the reality of his situation and learn who is to be trusted and who is not.

            You can find out more about Brad Meltzer at www.bradmeltzer.com. His TV show “Decoded” airs Thursdays at 10pm on the History channel. The Inner Circle was released in January. He has written some non-fiction and some comic books. He is well-rounded author and storyteller.