The Zero Game

By: Brad Meltzer

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Matthew Mercer and Harris Sandler are playing a mysterious game. It's a game almost no one knows about: not their friends, not their coworkers, and certainly not their bosses, who are some of the most powerful senators and congressmen on Capitol Hill.

It's a game that has everything: risk, reward, mystery, and the thrill of knowing that, just by being invited to play, you've confirmed your status as a true power broker in Washington.

But as Matthew and Harris quickly discover, the Zero Game is hiding a secret so explosive that it will shake Washington to its core. And when someone close to them winds up dead, Harris and Matthew realize this game is far more sinister than they ever imagined. As the bull's-eye turns their way, it's clear they're about to become the game's next victims.

In a frenetic chase from the secret tunnels under the Capitol to an abandoned gold mine halfway across the country, the two friends realize they're no longer players in the game; they're pawns. 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 young page not only holds the key to their safety, but is the one person who can redeem them in the process.

Packed with high-octane suspense and heart-pounding action, The Zero Game is Brad Meltzer at his supercharged best.

©2004 Forty-Four Steps, Inc. (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks, a division of the Time Warner Book Group

Critic reviews

"Packed with plenty of backroom D.C. ambience and lots of action, the novel also boasts improved plotting and character development since Meltzer's last high-concept best seller." (Booklist)

Not one of his best efforts

Loved the others I have read. Some areas drug on to long. Will try others but recommend passing on this book.

Fast Paced with a Twist

One of the better books I've listened to. A lot of unexpected twists and turns kept me listening even after I got to my driveway. The only part I was a little disappointed in was the ending. The final few chapters lacked surprise - but maybe that's because I was so keyed up by the rest of the book. Definitely a "keeper".

worth the listen. not his best work

kept me interested throughout. great narration as always. it was a bit sad from the beginning.

Edge of the seat!

This was a real ‘page turner’ after the beginning. I was worried there was too much idle chit-chat at the beginning, but it quickly turned into an exciting, fast-paced thriller. And Scott Brick was his usual awesome self in the narrator’s department.

Awesome!

One of the best audiobooks from a great thriller writer!

A SUPER listen A+++++

Scott Brick makes any text great but this book is a real "cliff hanger" / "page turner" / couldn't tear myself away from it. I happen to like the lengthy descriptions in unabridged versions and Scott Brick has a talent for putting the listener right in the scenes. I didn't agree with other reviews as I thought the answer became very clear at the conclusion.

Good, but long winded...

This is a good book, but it's the first time I wish I would have chosen the "abridged" version of any audible novel. The problem is simply that it's too long winded. There are passages of action that should be describable in a minute or two, yet take 10 minutes. This is meant, I assume, to build suspense, but the net result is that it just becomes a little boring in these sections.

Overall, the book is quite good and entertaining... not so much a political thriiller as it merely uses the guise of politics as an introduction to the novel rather than for the plotline. My only other complaint is that it left me with one unanswered question -- unfortunately, that question pertains to an event that happens that starts the roller coaster ride of a story. Without an answer as to why things were done they way they were (I don't want to give away anything), I'm left not understanding why there was ever a story to begin with.

Another good story narrated by Scott Brick

I enjoy listening to Scott Brick narrating a book so I picked this one up and was not disappointed. Brad Meltzer's Zero Game was a little slow at the very beginning but looking back at it now, it needed that time to develop some characters and added to the plot. Once the action got started it was a wild ride that ended with unexpected turns. Listening to this book would make me look into other Brad Meltzer books.

The Zero Game

Exciting, non-stop suspense. Not hard to imagine a game like this in Washington.

A game with odds Vegas cant imagine

Scott Brick again Narrated another suspensful story By Brad Meltzer wonderfully. His interpretation of the characters, his pace and cadence all supplemented the storyline as if it were the accompanying music in a movie.

Meltzer takes you on a journey where a simple and mostly innocent game played by staff personnel during the hum drum of the American political processes. They say that curiosity killed the cat, and it is vindicated in this story succinctly. Following cues of coincidence or just plain weird clues, one character ends up dead. And the once innocent games is a foot on a series of other characters being killed to cover up the deeply hidden reality of the game and why it was a game at all. In Washington, everything is not real, even betting on events that were a sure thing. In the reveal of the end the story tells you how there are no odds on a zero game except for only a select few.