Review of "The Zero Game" by Brad Meltzer

Tight, exciting and an altogether delightful read, especially if you like a touch of intelligence in your mysteries. The setting is Washington DC where the aides to Senators are playing a game the call Quot;The Zero Game." The idea is to follow a set of instructions that are sent to the players from an unknown source. There are a few choices that the aides can pick from. They choose the one they think might actually come true. It has to do with betting what Congress will or will not pass. No one in the game knows any other game player. No one playing the game knows who the inventors are, or where their bets are received.

Matthew Mercer and Harris Sandler are among the players, and one game contains a sure thing for Matthew. The two players bet the farm on one of the choices. Then the trouble begins. The option they selected to bet on is the sale of a useless old mine to a company who has bid on it.

I cannot go any further without spoiling the mystery. You have to find out the truth of the game and worth of the old mine by traveling through the exciting mystery and the unbelievable "old mine," which turns out to be some 8,000 feet deep with elevators that take you all the way into the depths of the mysteries to be solved.

This may be the best of the Meltzer best-sellers.