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The First Counsel
The First Counsel
Author: Brad Meltzer
White House lawyer Michael Garrick has a relatively anonymous position at a very public address. That is, until he starts dating Nora Harston (Secret Service code name: Shadow), the sexy and dangerously irresistible daughter of the president. But the confident young attorney -- who starts feeling like the First Counsel -- thinks he can handle th...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780446527286
ISBN-10: 0446527289
Publication Date: 1/2001
Pages: 479
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 50

3.9 stars, based on 50 ratings
Publisher: Warner Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

natalexx avatar reviewed The First Counsel on + 52 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This one totally sucked me in. A book review quoted on the back cover says it's "fast-paced and suspenseful throughout" and that is actually true. This is a guy who knows the economy of words. I have a very low quota for thrillers, and I was reading along (very quickly), thinking this was a simple, toss-away read like any old Grisham or Crichton novel and not really that bothered by it when sometimes the characters seemed to take a sharp left-turn out of nowhere and for no explained reason. Plot points occasionally need to come out of nowhere in a thriller. However, there was one sharp out-of-nowhere twist at the end (meant to explain the entire mystery) that left me feeling slightly nauseated. It was so sudden and random, in fact, that it pretty much wiped out my opinion of the novel up to then. So the casual recommendation I was going to offer "to fans of light thrillers" is now heavily qualified by the bad feeling this book left me with. I kinda resent the way the narrative jerked me around.
SanJoseCa avatar reviewed The First Counsel on + 328 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
An exciting mystery with one compelling cliffhanger after another! If you enjoyed the T.V. hit "THE WEST WING," you will love this! The ending is an absolute shocker!
reviewed The First Counsel on + 50 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Stayed up until 3:00 AM to finish this one. Fast-paced and suspenseful to the last page!
pastordel avatar reviewed The First Counsel on + 43 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
suspense and intrigue. a young lawyer in Legal counsel office at White House gets involved w/president's daughter and more then he can imagine. politics, murder, drugs and much more. Action never ends. Although a little long it is a fast read. I enjoyed it.
reviewed The First Counsel on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I have never been into politics much but this book really held my attention!
Read All 50 Book Reviews of "The First Counsel"

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reviewed The First Counsel on + 40 more book reviews
I just couldn't get into this book. Certainly a first for me when reading Meltzer. He is a great author so don't let this review discourage you from reading his other books
reviewed The First Counsel on + 2 more book reviews
Excellent book. Well written, one of his best works.
sfc95 avatar reviewed The First Counsel on + 686 more book reviews
This begins entirely too slow. I almost gave up on it, the book could easily be 100 pages or so less. But once it got going it was a great thriller.
ixstitch avatar reviewed The First Counsel on + 25 more book reviews
A thriller, but seems highly unbelievable (aren't most of them). No way that one person to avoid Secret Service so many times. Politics can be seedy and this book definitely leaned toward that. There were some redeeming aspects of the characters, and I enjoyed the book, but in the end I felt it went on too long.
reviewed The First Counsel on
Decent read by not very implausible plot. The "inner workings" and description of the White House, especially the residence, was quite interesting - and made the book worth picking up...
reviewed The First Counsel on + 5 more book reviews
I'm glad I stayed with this book as early on, I found the lead character very immature. I did anticipate a strong personality & in fact did see some character growth in that area as the story progressed. Kudos to Brad Meltzer for his excellent insight with respect to the inner workings of the White House & particularly the Secret Service.
GroovyGlitterGirl avatar reviewed The First Counsel on + 45 more book reviews
WOW! Fast paced, page turning, gut wrenching, wonder who is on my side, mystery :) One of his best!
reviewed The First Counsel on + 19 more book reviews
4 cassettes / 6 hours
reviewed The First Counsel on + 40 more book reviews
Abridgment
ladycholla avatar reviewed The First Counsel on + 2081 more book reviews
Interesting story, how close to home we'll never know.
reviewed The First Counsel on + 5 more book reviews
MELTZER HAS ONCE AGAIN DONE A GREAT POLITICAL THRILLER, I DIDN'T WANT TO GET OUT OF THE CAR UNTIL IT WAS OVER!!
reviewed The First Counsel on
This book had some twists and turns that brought the reader along with it. I was pretty sure I knew how this would end and it surprised me. This is the first Brad Meltzer book that I've read and I will be reading more.

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