Michael Garrick is working at the White House as a lawyer and he has a girlfriend. However, this is a girlfriend with a difference - she's the First Daughter, the daughter of the President of the United States. One evening, they both see something they shouldn't which quickly spirals out of control and becomes a major threat.

Like all of Brad Meltzer's thrillers, 'The First Counsel' is an exciting read. It is quite long, but Meltzer puts in enough excitement to keep the reader's attention throughout. His characters are well-crafted, although the strange behaviour of Nora, the First Daughter, makes her somewhat hard to understand.

Meltzer takes the intricate workings of the White House and tries hard to give us a thrilling, contemporary view of life within its legal department. He manages to include a lot of surprises and the ending is certainly unexpected, due to the number of false clues and tricks within.

Overall, 'The First Counsel' is another success for Meltzer and proof that his success is deserved and will hopefully continue into the future. He is capable of writing great thrillers and should undoubtedly be considered a rising star in this genre.