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WHO IS NOLA BROWN? Nola is a mystery Nola is trouble. And Nola is supposed to be dead. Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she's dead. The US government confirms it. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski has just found out the truth: Nola is still alive. And on the run. Zig works at Dover Air Force Base, helping put to rest the bodies of those who die on top-secret missions. Nola was a childhood friend of Zig's daughter and someone who once saved his daughter's life. So when Zig realizes Nola is still alive, he's determined to find her. Yet as Zig digs into Nola's past, he learns that trouble follows Nola everywhere she goes. Nola is the U.S. Army's artist-in-residence-a painter and trained soldier who rushes into battle, making art from war's aftermath and sharing observations about today's wars that would otherwise go overlooked. On her last mission, Nola saw something nobody was supposed to see, earning her an enemy unlike any other, one who will do whatever it takes to keep Nola quiet. Together, Nola and Zig will either reveal a sleight of hand being played at the highest levels of power or die trying to uncover the US Army's most mysterious secret-a centuries-old conspiracy that traces back through history to the greatest escape artist of all: Harry Houdini.… (more)
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A plane crashes in Alaska, killing everyone on board, including the Librarian of Congress, his assistants, and the Army’s Artist-in-Residence, Nola Brown.
But when her body arrives at Dover
Determined to find the answers and locate Nola, Zig begins an informal investigation of his own, uncovering some unsettling information about the young woman he hasn’t seen in years. But the more he discovers, the more danger he faces. Someone is willing to do anything to keep Nola from telling what she has seen, causing both Zig to fear for his life.
The unfolding of Nola’s backstory reveals the secrets of her tortured past, providing an added dimension for the feisty, resourceful, mysterious woman while Zig, committed to doing the right thing, brings honesty and vulnerability to the narrative. Believable, well-developed characters, a whip-smart, tension-filled plot, surprising reveals, and unexpected twists and turns combine to create a captivating, pulse-pounding narrative readers will find completely unputdownable.
Highly recommended.
Author: Brad Meltzer
Pages: 434
Year: 2018
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
My rating is 5+ out of 5 stars.
When a friend told me about the latest novel that was coming soon written by Brad Meltzer, I quickly read a synopsis found online. Ok, I was totally hooked! I just
As I read the last chapter and page, I knew that the wait was worth it! The author delivered one of his absolute best thrillers in a long time! While magicians may use slight of hand, Brad uses his pen in the same way throughout each page and through each character. Sometimes I was taken aback that what I thought was happening wasn’t and/or a totally unanticipated turn in the plot took place.
When you get a copy, be prepared to spend time in pure enjoyment, entertainment, and sharing of knowledge by the tale. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting your friends or family reading their own copy of the book as soon as possible, because you won’t want to share yours! 😊
*I received The Escape Artist from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
The two major plot holes is that one of the hooks for the novel is the note that Nola’s substitute on the plane crash writes and is found on her body by Zig, who is the coroner for her death and the novel’s co-main protagonist. The contents of the note made no sense upon reading the story. There is no conceivable way that the character would have written this message. It was a cool, compelling message that made me want to keep on reading, but it was almost like cheating the audience since their was never a viable explanation as to why she would write it. The other major plot hole is the crazy level of coincidence that brought Nola and her foster father together, especially since the man seemed like a complete imbecile not capable of doing what he was ascribed to do. Although those things were downers, the novel is still very much worth reading. I was certainly entertained by it and on balance would give it a thumbs up.
Carl Alves – author of The Invocation
Nola's career in the military seems unlikely--if she's as much a troublemaker as her boss
Others have indicated that Nola was considered Meltzer's main character but honestly, I thought Zig was as much a main character as Nola. Meltzer does contrast the two a bit. Zig starts out as a sympathetic character while with Nola, we need to learn her backstory before understanding who she is and why she is as she is. I'm still not sure I like her or want to read more about her.
I was captivated by the story as the opening pages began in Copper Center, Alaska. As a retired librarian I know librarians have much more interesting lives then generally portrayed in films but as I learned the head of the Library of Congress had been on the flight out of Alaska I thought perhaps my "need to know" might have topped Zig's as he seemed more interested in Nola. WoW! I also was never aware of the U.S. Army's Artist-in-Residence program. The Houdini connections of the storyline are magical as used by Meltzer.
Some individuals may begin reading this novel and think it's about death but it's steeped with powerful messages for those that know what it is to grieve and using that grief to live. I think it's a tribute to the humanity of the author to have embraced all of life experiences to bring readers this exceptional work.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zigarowski is a mortician at the most top-secret mortuary in the United States. When ‘Nola Brown’ arrives at the morgue, Zig is all set to honor the woman who once saved his daughter’s life when they were
That must mean the real Nola Brown is still alive. He soon learns Nola is on the run and because he feels like he owes her one, Zig starts investigating, never dreaming he would uncover a conspiracy directly related to Houdini himself…
It's been a long time since I read one of Brad Meltzer’s books. Somehow, I lost track of him over the years. I would like to get reacquainted with his work and wanted to get in on the ground floor of this series before the next installment drops.
This is a fast paced, adventurous conspiracy-based thriller, with an interesting premise, one that piqued my interest because of the link to Houdini, who has always fascinated me.
This story has some highs and lows- Zig’s throwing all caution to the wind for Nola without knowing what she was really into, and Nola’s over the top volatile behavior wasn’t always believable, but, as with all conspiracies, if one has the presence of mind to view them ‘for entertainment purposes only’, they can be fun to dissect and theorize over.
Meltzer has carved out a small niche surrounding conspiracies, and they are still as popular as ever, as Zig and Nola are about to make an encore performance soon.
I’m willing to see how the pair manages to cross paths again and what adventures they will embark on next.
Overall, this was a solid beginning to the series, and was entertaining for the most part. I wouldn’t say this was one of Meltzer’s best efforts, but I’m willing to see where it takes me.
3.5 stars
This is the first in a series about Zig and Nola. I am not really a fan of political/spy thrillers, but I had to read book 2 for a book club, and thought I should read the first book to gain some background into the characters.
The Escape Artist is an intricate mystery that raises numerous questions. We know almost immediately that the airplane was sabotaged. But who wanted Nola Brown dead, and why? What was going on in the remote Alaska military base that prompted such a drastic action to keep it secret? What was the Librarian of Congress doing at that remote base? Who were the three men accompanying him under false names?
Zig and Nola work to unravel the mystery but, despite the accumulating information, readers are most likely in the dark and chasing red herrings. The critical piece of information is provided two-thirds of the way through the book when the reason for the sabotage is revealed, providing a plausible explanation for all our questions in a satisfactory manner.
Nola’s backstory is told skillfully throughout the story in 2-3 page chapters that gradually expand our understanding of her background and set the stage for the surprising resolution. Unfortunately, several problems lessen the overall quality of this magnificent mystery. Zig is a rather depressing protagonist who becomes increasingly difficult to respect. He is repeatedly outsmarted by Nola and outsmarted and beat up by the villains. The space devoted to his character could have reduced without significant loss. Once the mystery is resolved, the remaining third of the book is an unimaginative and somewhat uninteresting account of how Nola and Zig work to bring the saboteur to justice. A critical element of that resolution is the unrealistic premise that Zig, a civilian, could convince a military crew to disobey their orders to fly to Alaska and return to Dover. Finally, the last 30 pages are an account of Zig’s and Nola’s recovery from the injuries they suffered in the final battle and the life-altering changes that occur in their lives. I wish Meltzer had omitted this part entirely.
I did not put it down from the time I started.
It is riveting and exiting and I would highly recommend it.
Brad Meltzer loads up the story with distinct and interesting characters and keeps up a magician's patter of interesting facts to distract you as he spins a
Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.