Publication
New York : William Morrow, 2022
Collection
Call number
Fiction M
Physical description
481 p.; 24 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. HTML: "Nola is the most accomplished kicker of ass since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." �??A. J. Finn Zig and Nola are back�??in the hugely entertaining, highly anticipated follow-up to Brad Meltzer's #1 New York Times bestselling thriller The Escape Artist. What's the one secret no one knows about you? Archie Mint has a secret. He's led a charmed life�??he's got a beautiful wife, two impressive kids, and a successful military career. But when he's killed while trying to stop a robbery in his own home, his family is shattered�??and then shocked when the other shoe drops. Mint's been hiding criminal secrets none of them could have imagined. While working on Mint's body before his funeral, mortician "Zig" Zigarowski discovers something he was never meant to see. That telling detail leads him to Mint's former top secret military unit and his connection to artist Nola Brown. Two years ago, Nola saved Zig's life�??so he knows better than most that she's as volatile and dangerous as a bolt of lightning. Following Nola's trail, he uncovers one of the U.S. government's most intensely guarded secrets�??an undisclosed military facility that dates back to the Cold War and holds the key to something far more sinister: a hidden group willing to compromise the very safety and security of America itself. Trouble always finds her... She's the l… (more)
Series
Genres
User reviews
LibraryThing member gpangel
The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer is a 2022 William Morrow publication.
When career military man, Archie Mint, is murdered, a special request is sent to Zig, who has been working in the private sector for a couple of years, to return to Dover to ‘take care of’ Mint. Without much hesitation, Zig
While there, he spies Nola Brown! What was she doing there? Obviously, something was up and once more Zig feels compelled to get involved, for Nola’s sake. Zig is also surprised to meet Nola’s twin brother, a cop, who is also hoping to help Nola, while fighting his darker impulses.
The investigation turns tense, instantly, as Zig and Nola discover that Archie Mint wasn’t the saint everyone thought he was….
The first book in this series was a solid debut- but not as complex as some of Meltzer’s other offerings. Still, I enjoyed it enough to want to check out this second offering in the series. I am very glad that I did!
The plot is centered around a secret facility, the purpose of which is certainly hair raising!
Nola knows too much about this facility, and Mint's possible connection to it. Now she’s on the run… But who is the real enemy?
There was some very significant character development in this installment- and while I was skeptical of Nola’s near robotic behavior in the first installment, this second book dials that back a little and makes her character more human without taking away her deadly edge.
I found I was very involved in this book and thought it was smart, with complex, but easy to follow, plot. The characterizations are well-drawn, and the human touches will go a long way towards drawing me into the third installment, should there be one- and I hope there will be.
Overall, if you like an intelligent, suspenseful, fast-paced thriller, with some heart, this is a series you might want to look at.
4+ stars
When career military man, Archie Mint, is murdered, a special request is sent to Zig, who has been working in the private sector for a couple of years, to return to Dover to ‘take care of’ Mint. Without much hesitation, Zig
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agrees.While there, he spies Nola Brown! What was she doing there? Obviously, something was up and once more Zig feels compelled to get involved, for Nola’s sake. Zig is also surprised to meet Nola’s twin brother, a cop, who is also hoping to help Nola, while fighting his darker impulses.
The investigation turns tense, instantly, as Zig and Nola discover that Archie Mint wasn’t the saint everyone thought he was….
The first book in this series was a solid debut- but not as complex as some of Meltzer’s other offerings. Still, I enjoyed it enough to want to check out this second offering in the series. I am very glad that I did!
The plot is centered around a secret facility, the purpose of which is certainly hair raising!
Nola knows too much about this facility, and Mint's possible connection to it. Now she’s on the run… But who is the real enemy?
There was some very significant character development in this installment- and while I was skeptical of Nola’s near robotic behavior in the first installment, this second book dials that back a little and makes her character more human without taking away her deadly edge.
I found I was very involved in this book and thought it was smart, with complex, but easy to follow, plot. The characterizations are well-drawn, and the human touches will go a long way towards drawing me into the third installment, should there be one- and I hope there will be.
Overall, if you like an intelligent, suspenseful, fast-paced thriller, with some heart, this is a series you might want to look at.
4+ stars
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LibraryThing member Ronrose1
The Lightning Rod, by Brad Meltzer is electrifying. The action, set in and around Dover Air Force Base, Delaware comes fast and powerful. Jim Zigarowski, better known as Zig, has moved on from his job as a mortician at Dover AFB. He is trying to settle in working for a small town funeral home in
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Pennsylvania. He still practices his art with care and feeling on the departed, but he is far from the pressure and government regulations at the mortuary on the Air Base. Or so he thought. He is pulled back by special request to do his best to make an Air Force officer presentable to a grieving family. It turns out that the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death here in the states were sudden and violent. Zig glimpses a familiar face at the viewing. The young girl, Nola Brown, was a friend of his daughter’s before his young daughter died. He hasn’t seen this girl since she got him involved in a life and death struggle that the two of them narrowly escaped. Where ever she shows up trouble seems to follow. Or is she following the trouble? Nothing about this funeral or the death of the officer adds up to Zig. Why was he specifically requested to work on the body? Why has she shown up at the viewing? What is her connection to with the death of the officer? Was she involved or is she trying to find out who killed him? Zig attempts to talk to her but she avoids him at every turn. It’s as though she is running from the authorities or perhaps someone else? Is she wanted for this murder or is there a deeper plot going on? Zig is warned by the military and law enforcement to stay out of it. Those pursuing Nola leave a trail of dead bodies that Zig cannot ignore. Tis book provided for review by the publisher, William Morrow. Show Less
LibraryThing member jtsolakos
Another fascinating story by Brad Meltzer. Many twists and turns. Surprising outcome. A must read.
LibraryThing member lbswiener
The Lightning Rod is a very long drawn out book with a lot of people having different scenarios which intertwine in the end. There is too much blood and gore as well as too much description. The book just went on too long. This is not one of Brad Meltzer's better stories. Consequently only three
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stars were awarded to this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member grumpydan
Brad Metzler does it again. With this second book in the Escape Artist series, mortician “Zig” Zigarowski is brought in to take care of the body of Colonel Archie Mint who was murdered during a burglary at his home. While there, he spots Nola Brown, the woman who saved his life a few years
I couldn’t put this book down. So much going on, it is so complex, detailed and intriguing. It is more than a rollercoaster ride of a thriller. I look forward to the next installment.
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back. Things didn’t sit well witrh Zig at this hero’s funeral and he starts to investigate. Things become more intense and more complicated and complicated. On top if this, he ex-wife contacts him regarding their dead daughter.I couldn’t put this book down. So much going on, it is so complex, detailed and intriguing. It is more than a rollercoaster ride of a thriller. I look forward to the next installment.
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LibraryThing member JHSColloquium
At long last, bestselling author Brad Meltzer has followed up The Escape Artist! Meltzer says that when he pens a thriller, he starts with his own fears. Thus, the action begins on the very first page with a brazen robbery attempt by a valet who has a man's car keys and, instead of parking the car,
The body of Lieutenant Colonel Archie Mint, forty-eight years old, needs to be prepped so that his wife can have an open casket at the funeral service that is being held in the gymnasium of the elementary school that Zig's deceased daughter, Maggie, attended. In this volume, Meltzer digs deeper into what happened to Maggie and how her death impacted Zig and Maggie's mother, Charmaine, as well as how and why their marriage imploded in the aftermath. They've been divorced nearly fifteen years and Charmaine has made a new life for herself, teaching yoga and getting engaged to her boyfriend, Warren. She's done a much better job of moving on than Zig has. But in an emotionally resonant sub-plot, Zig and Charmaine work to solve a mystery concerning Maggie. Perhaps finding the answer will lead Zig one step closer to peace and acceptance of the loss of his beloved daughter.
As soon as Zig opens Mint's coffin, he realizes why his particular talents are needed. Mint was shot in the face and a mortician at Dover did an admirable job reconstructing his features, but the heat has caused the molding clay to melt. Mint's wife reveals that he was in the reserves only -- he never worked at Dover, as Zig was led to believe. And there are scratches on the back of Mint's hand that were not noted in the report. Zig senses something is wrong, but he doesn't know what it is, nor did he realize that he was followed from his home that morning. He decides to stay for the funeral service. And as he is standing in the back of the gymnasium where he can maintain a view of the gathered mourners, he observes a woman. It's Nola Brown, the woman who once saved Maggie's life at Girl Scout Camp and, two years ago, saved Zig's life, as well. What is she doing at the funeral for Mint? As she slips out of the building, she is followed. Why?
The Lightning Rod is another propulsive, suspenseful thriller full of twists and shocking plot developments. Zig is the empathetic, principled, and highly trained mortician Meltzer introduced in The Escape Artist who talks to the corpses he works on and, because of his ability to spot clues others might miss, gets pulled into another mystery. Zig has spent the past two years rebuilding his life, seeking solace, and Nola's reappearance jeopardizes his safety, as well as the normalcy and routines he has established. He soon figures out that Mint was actually part of a top-secret military unit and had a connection to Nola, who has been living off the grid for the past two years. Nola is stealthy, resourceful, and resilient. Nola is the lightning rod: trouble finds her. And she does not want to be found, but Zig knows how to lure her, using her twin brother, Roddy LaPointe, a police officer. They haven't seen each other since they were seven years old, twenty-one years ago. In this installment, Meltzer reveals more about the endlessly fascinating Nola's background and history, as well as the ways she navigates to keep herself safe and untraceable. She served as the Army's Artist-in-Residence and creates drawings for the same reasons others take notes. Her observational skills enable her to include details in her sketches, into which she channels her "exquisite rage," that can be used to track down answers. She spots Zig at Mint's funeral and, like him, wonders what he is doing there, drawing everything she saw in order to puzzle out answers. She never liked Zig, who "always looked at her with pity in his eyes, like she was someone he was there to rescue," making her feel twelve years old again. Roddy's presence confirms for Nola that he knows the truth about Mint, but Meltzer keeps readers guessing about Roddy's character, motives, and alliances. "We all have a person we were and a person we are. It's never a straight line between the two -- and it's certainly never a predictable one. Just because you read the first few chapters doesn't mean you know everything that's coming. Keep an open mind. If you're lucky, there's a plot twist."
Meltzer keeps the action moving at a rapid-fire, unrelenting pace as the story careens toward its unpredictable conclusion. He is known for the extensive and meticulous research he conducts in order to draft his novels. He learned that the U.S. government maintains a dozen secret warehouses around the country to deal with bioterrorism. They are all situated in locations near airports so that, in case of an attack, antidotes can be transported within a couple of hours. Meltzer uses that information to concoct a complex yet believable story involving Grandma's Pantry, a Cold War-era campaign that was designed to convince American families that, in case of nuclear attack, they should store up at least seven days' worth of food and water. In the late 1990's, the focus switched to pharmaceuticals when bioterrorism became the dominant threat. Zig discovers that something happened in one of those secret warehouses five years ago, and Meltzer sets a final harrowing sequence of events in one of them.
Sharp, clever dialogue, fully developed characters, a tautly-constructed plot in which nothing turns out to be as it initially seemed, and nonstop action make The Lightning Rod an entertainingly worthy follow-up to The Escape Artist. A jaw-dropping final discovery and development leave the door open for more adventures featuring Zig and Nola that Meltzer is, happily, already drafting.
Thanks to Net Galley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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uses the GPS to make his way to the man's home. The valet's plan goes horribly wrong and two men end up dead. Meanwhile, in Wonderly Square, Pennsylvania, Jim "Zig" Zigarowski, a highly skilled mortician, has spent the past two years working at Calta's Funeral Home after leaving his position at America's most secretive funeral home: Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. "There was too much pain -- too many old scars torn open from spending every day with dead young soldiers." But when his old boss, Wil-with-one-L, calls and asks Zig to work on a special case involving a lieutenant colonel who also worked at Dover, he agrees. The body of Lieutenant Colonel Archie Mint, forty-eight years old, needs to be prepped so that his wife can have an open casket at the funeral service that is being held in the gymnasium of the elementary school that Zig's deceased daughter, Maggie, attended. In this volume, Meltzer digs deeper into what happened to Maggie and how her death impacted Zig and Maggie's mother, Charmaine, as well as how and why their marriage imploded in the aftermath. They've been divorced nearly fifteen years and Charmaine has made a new life for herself, teaching yoga and getting engaged to her boyfriend, Warren. She's done a much better job of moving on than Zig has. But in an emotionally resonant sub-plot, Zig and Charmaine work to solve a mystery concerning Maggie. Perhaps finding the answer will lead Zig one step closer to peace and acceptance of the loss of his beloved daughter.
As soon as Zig opens Mint's coffin, he realizes why his particular talents are needed. Mint was shot in the face and a mortician at Dover did an admirable job reconstructing his features, but the heat has caused the molding clay to melt. Mint's wife reveals that he was in the reserves only -- he never worked at Dover, as Zig was led to believe. And there are scratches on the back of Mint's hand that were not noted in the report. Zig senses something is wrong, but he doesn't know what it is, nor did he realize that he was followed from his home that morning. He decides to stay for the funeral service. And as he is standing in the back of the gymnasium where he can maintain a view of the gathered mourners, he observes a woman. It's Nola Brown, the woman who once saved Maggie's life at Girl Scout Camp and, two years ago, saved Zig's life, as well. What is she doing at the funeral for Mint? As she slips out of the building, she is followed. Why?
The Lightning Rod is another propulsive, suspenseful thriller full of twists and shocking plot developments. Zig is the empathetic, principled, and highly trained mortician Meltzer introduced in The Escape Artist who talks to the corpses he works on and, because of his ability to spot clues others might miss, gets pulled into another mystery. Zig has spent the past two years rebuilding his life, seeking solace, and Nola's reappearance jeopardizes his safety, as well as the normalcy and routines he has established. He soon figures out that Mint was actually part of a top-secret military unit and had a connection to Nola, who has been living off the grid for the past two years. Nola is stealthy, resourceful, and resilient. Nola is the lightning rod: trouble finds her. And she does not want to be found, but Zig knows how to lure her, using her twin brother, Roddy LaPointe, a police officer. They haven't seen each other since they were seven years old, twenty-one years ago. In this installment, Meltzer reveals more about the endlessly fascinating Nola's background and history, as well as the ways she navigates to keep herself safe and untraceable. She served as the Army's Artist-in-Residence and creates drawings for the same reasons others take notes. Her observational skills enable her to include details in her sketches, into which she channels her "exquisite rage," that can be used to track down answers. She spots Zig at Mint's funeral and, like him, wonders what he is doing there, drawing everything she saw in order to puzzle out answers. She never liked Zig, who "always looked at her with pity in his eyes, like she was someone he was there to rescue," making her feel twelve years old again. Roddy's presence confirms for Nola that he knows the truth about Mint, but Meltzer keeps readers guessing about Roddy's character, motives, and alliances. "We all have a person we were and a person we are. It's never a straight line between the two -- and it's certainly never a predictable one. Just because you read the first few chapters doesn't mean you know everything that's coming. Keep an open mind. If you're lucky, there's a plot twist."
Meltzer keeps the action moving at a rapid-fire, unrelenting pace as the story careens toward its unpredictable conclusion. He is known for the extensive and meticulous research he conducts in order to draft his novels. He learned that the U.S. government maintains a dozen secret warehouses around the country to deal with bioterrorism. They are all situated in locations near airports so that, in case of an attack, antidotes can be transported within a couple of hours. Meltzer uses that information to concoct a complex yet believable story involving Grandma's Pantry, a Cold War-era campaign that was designed to convince American families that, in case of nuclear attack, they should store up at least seven days' worth of food and water. In the late 1990's, the focus switched to pharmaceuticals when bioterrorism became the dominant threat. Zig discovers that something happened in one of those secret warehouses five years ago, and Meltzer sets a final harrowing sequence of events in one of them.
Sharp, clever dialogue, fully developed characters, a tautly-constructed plot in which nothing turns out to be as it initially seemed, and nonstop action make The Lightning Rod an entertainingly worthy follow-up to The Escape Artist. A jaw-dropping final discovery and development leave the door open for more adventures featuring Zig and Nola that Meltzer is, happily, already drafting.
Thanks to Net Galley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rmarcin
The second installment in the Zig and Nola series is 2 years after the last book. Zig realizes that he owes Nola his life, since she saved him last time they saw each other. Now, in this new book, Archie Mint is killed in his own home, and Zig and Nola are sucked into a deep secret that he was
As Nola and Zig chase down this mystery, their lives are once again put in danger, and they are not sure who they can trust. The surprising truth about Archie Mint and his family comes clear.
This is a thriller with a lot of killing. I would like the books more if there wasn't as much violence, and if they could be about 50 pages shorter!
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hiding. Additionally, there is more to be discovered about Nola's past life. Her twin brother, Roddy, makes an appearance, and of course, her nasty adoptive father, Royall. As Nola and Zig chase down this mystery, their lives are once again put in danger, and they are not sure who they can trust. The surprising truth about Archie Mint and his family comes clear.
This is a thriller with a lot of killing. I would like the books more if there wasn't as much violence, and if they could be about 50 pages shorter!
Show Less
Language
ISBN
9780062892409