"Government secrets fuel Meltzer’s exciting Lightning Rod ...a rip-roaring, energetic thriller that begins on a high note and only accelerates….Meltzer… strikes gold again." — Sun Sentinel (Florida)
“The Lightning Rod is my favorite Brad Meltzer novel—so far—and that’s high, high praise. The book is a one-of-a-kind thrill ride with half a dozen memorable characters. My personal favorite is Zig, but Waggs, Roddy and Nola aren’t far behind.” — James Patterson
“Enigmatic and mysterious, Nola is a force. Great plotting. Great characters. The Lightning Rod is Meltzer at his finest.” — Karin Slaughter
“[A] character-rich adventure… With entangled family tragedies that go back several years and childhood traumas that extend into the present, the plot of The Lightning Rod overflows—and thrills.” — Wall Street Journal
“Zig and Nola are back in this fast-moving thriller laced with blood and wit… The characters are delightful… There’s plenty of clever dialogue and details... A smart crime package, both funny and serious.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Nola Brown is one of recent fiction's all-time great characters, and Meltzer's subtle pacing and narrative charm mean we can't take our eyes off her for a single moment—trust me, this is a terrific, compelling, unputdownable thriller." — Lee Child
“Meltzer is back with another twisting, suspense-filled story, and so too is his prized protagonist, Nola, who remains as fascinating as ever…[Meltzer’s plot] moves at breakneck speed…Bottom line: this is Meltzer’s best work to date, and the sky is the limit for this series moving forward.” — Real Book Spy
“[An] exciting sequel. . . . Meltzer makes his leads emotionally plausible. One hopes Zig and Nola will be back soon.” — Publishers Weekly
“There are few authors who do dialogue that is as sharp and witty as Brad Meltzer does in The Lightning Rod ... The characters, plot, pace, and premise work together like a well-rehearsed orchestra. Meltzer is a master storyteller and a superb wordsmith.” — Nelson DeMille
“No other A+ author whips up better dialogue... But it’s his characters who most excite and engage. Nola and Zig will pull you into a story as entertaining as any by David Baldacci. And Nola is the most accomplished kicker of ass since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .” — A. J. Finn
“As close to perfect as a thriller can get. Nola and Zig make for an appealing, polished pairing, a key component in making The Lightning Rod terrific in all respects.” — Providence Journal
“Meltzer likes his conspiracy stories, and he puts a lot of work into them, but he seems to love his characters just as much. Zig and Nola are two of his strongest characters, and it feels like there are plenty more stories to be told about them.” — Booklist
"Meltzer is a master and this is his best. Not since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo have you seen a character like this. Get ready to meet Nola. If you've never tried Meltzer, this is the one." — Harlan Coben on The Escape Artist
"This novel is like a launched torpedo slashing through 400 pages of deep water before reaching impact. Enjoy one of the best thriller rides ever." — David Baldacci on The Escape Artist
"The Escape Artist has a magic trick up its sleeve. Part Lisbeth Salander, part Homeland 's Carrie Mathison. One of the most memorable characters I've read in years. Look out—Nola's coming. This is Meltzer in peak form." — Lisa Scottoline
"Highly entertaining... Meltzer keeps the action crackling... There's no escaping the solid storytelling of The Escape Artist ." — Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"The Escape Artist is Brad Meltzer's best book in years... Meltzer weaves a stellar tale of history, government-insider knowledge, and thrills... the rare novel that one wants to read fast while also needing to go slow to savor every word." — Jeff Ayers, Associated Press
"Brad Meltzer has done it again! The Escape Artist is an exciting, cutting-edge thriller you will not be able to put down. If you love twists, tension, and tons of amazing characters, treat yourself to this gripping tale by one of the absolute best in the business." — Brad Thor
"The Escape Artist is a slingshot of a novel. Brad Meltzer expertly pulls it back and lets it go, propelling the unlikeliest of heroes forward in a high stakes, high tension thriller that never lets you catch your breath. My advice: Buckle up!" — Michael Connelly
"A throat-clenching masterpiece of suspense-and damned ingenious to boot. My jaw dropped once moreand so will yours." — James Rollins on The Escape Artist
"Stellar...With its remarkable plot and complex characters, this page-turner not only entertains but also provides a fascinating glimpse into American history." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Escape Artist
"Gripping... a true page-turner." — Library Journal (starred review) on The Escape Artist
There are few authors who do dialogue that is as sharp and witty as Brad Meltzer does in The Lightning Rod ... The characters, plot, pace, and premise work together like a well-rehearsed orchestra. Meltzer is a master storyteller and a superb wordsmith.
As close to perfect as a thriller can get. Nola and Zig make for an appealing, polished pairing, a key component in making The Lightning Rod terrific in all respects.”
There’s an abundance of incident contained in this character-rich adventure… With entangled family tragedies that go back several years and childhood traumas that extend into the present, the plot of The Lightning Rod overflows—and thrills.
Meltzer is back with another twisting, suspense-filled story, and so too is his prized protagonist, Nola, who remains as fascinating as ever…[Meltzer’s plot] moves at breakneck speed…Bottom line: this is Meltzer’s best work to date, and the sky is the limit for this series moving forward.
Enigmatic and mysterious, Nola is a force. Great plotting. Great characters. The Lightning Rod is Meltzer at his finest.”
There’s an abundance of incident contained in this character-rich adventure… With entangled family tragedies that go back several years and childhood traumas that extend into the present, the plot of The Lightning Rod overflows—and thrills.
"The Escape Artist is a slingshot of a novel. Brad Meltzer expertly pulls it back and lets it go, propelling the unlikeliest of heroes forward in a high stakes, high tension thriller that never lets you catch your breath. My advice: Buckle up!"
Enigmatic and mysterious, Nola is a force. Great plotting. Great characters. The Lightning Rod is Meltzer at his finest.”
"Nola Brown is one of recent fiction's all-time great characters, and Meltzer's subtle pacing and narrative charm mean we can't take our eyes off her for a single moment—trust me, this is a terrific, compelling, unputdownable thriller."
No other A+ author whips up better dialogue... But it’s his characters who most excite and engage. Nola and Zig will pull you into a story as entertaining as any by David Baldacci. And Nola is the most accomplished kicker of ass since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .
The Lightning Rod is my favorite Brad Meltzer novel—so far—and that’s high, high praise. The book is a one-of-a-kind thrill ride with half a dozen memorable characters. My personal favorite is Zig, but Waggs, Roddy and Nola aren’t far behind.
"Government secrets fuel Meltzer’s exciting Lightning Rod ...a rip-roaring, energetic thriller that begins on a high note and only accelerates….Meltzer… strikes gold again."
"This novel is like a launched torpedo slashing through 400 pages of deep water before reaching impact. Enjoy one of the best thriller rides ever."
David Baldacci on The Escape Artist
"Brad Meltzer has done it again! The Escape Artist is an exciting, cutting-edge thriller you will not be able to put down. If you love twists, tension, and tons of amazing characters, treat yourself to this gripping tale by one of the absolute best in the business."
"The Escape Artist is Brad Meltzer's best book in years... Meltzer weaves a stellar tale of history, government-insider knowledge, and thrills... the rare novel that one wants to read fast while also needing to go slow to savor every word."
"The Escape Artist has a magic trick up its sleeve. Part Lisbeth Salander, part Homeland 's Carrie Mathison. One of the most memorable characters I've read in years. Look out—Nola's coming. This is Meltzer in peak form."
"Meltzer is a master and this is his best. Not since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo have you seen a character like this. Get ready to meet Nola. If you've never tried Meltzer, this is the one."
Harlan Coben on The Escape Artist
Meltzer likes his conspiracy stories, and he puts a lot of work into them, but he seems to love his characters just as much. Zig and Nola are two of his strongest characters, and it feels like there are plenty more stories to be told about them.
Meltzer likes his conspiracy stories, and he puts a lot of work into them, but he seems to love his characters just as much. Zig and Nola are two of his strongest characters, and it feels like there are plenty more stories to be told about them.
★ 2022-04-12 Zig and Nola are back in this fast-moving thriller laced with blood and wit.
In “the last fourteen minutes of his life,” Wojo the valet steals Archie Mint’s BMW and drives it to the Mint family home, led there by the car’s GPS. It's a robbery scheme that's worked before, but this time both the valet and Mint—who followed him—end up dead, shot by someone waiting in the house. Jim “Zig” Zigarowski works at Calta’s Funeral Home and is an artist in making the dead look their very best. One woman “hasn’t looked this good since Reagan was President,” he’s told. Before Calta’s, he’d been a mortician at Dover Air Force Base, which houses “America’s most secretive funeral home,” for two decades. Zig’s gift is to be able to repair any body, no matter how badly damaged. Now he’s called back to Dover to take care of murdered veteran Lt. Col. Archie Mint. He has no idea what the government is up to, and he just wants to show the greatest respect for the dead. As he works, he always talks to the deceased as though to comfort them—he’s odd but obviously decent. He’s also a beekeeper who converses with the hive. Then, at the funeral home in Dover, he sees the Army's Artist-in-Residence, Sgt. Nola Brown, the lightning rod who attracts so much trouble. She’d not only saved Zig’s daughter’s life when they were Girl Scouts, but two years ago she’d shot her own foster father in the head to save Zig’s life. “Nola didn’t walk; she lurked,” and her “sheer intensity…radiated off her, like plutonium.” Zig and Nola discover something “fishy” about Mint's death. He'd been about to take secrets of criminal activity to his grave, and Zig and Nola might get killed trying to uncover them. The plot carries the story to a government facility called Grandma’s Pantry, apparently a real place where the feds once stored supplies for the aftermath of nuclear war. The characters are mostly delightful, including Nola’s cop brother, Roddy, who is trying not to be the monster he’d apparently been as a kid. “We each have a little monster inside us,” as he was told. Not so delightful are the Reds, two redheaded killers who aren’t above sawing tracheas. There’s plenty of clever dialogue and details like the woman with the rhinestoned oxygen tank.
A smart crime package, both funny and serious.