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The Lightning Rod

A Zig & Nola Novel

#2 in series

Audiobook
5 of 8 copies available
5 of 8 copies available

"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 lightning rod.

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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Here's another winning performance by Scott Brick, who gives resonance to the complicated characters Zig and Nola as they try to make sense of conspiracies and murder. Nola is a skilled warrior so driven by her personal demons that she is unable to trust anyone, even Zig, who once saved her life. Brick's breathy delivery underscores the danger that follows the two as they work separately to solve Archie Mint's murder. There are few normal people in the book. Even Mint, who served on an elite task force with Nola, had a secret past, which Nola slowly uncovers. In the process she learns about her own murky past. The thriller also contains nuggets of well-guarded military secrets that the author uncovered in his exhaustive research for the story. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from September 1, 2022

      Meltzer follows his New York Times best-selling 2018 book The Escape Artist with another thrilling Zig and Nola novel. When military mortician Jim "Zig" Zigarowski, of Dover Air Force Base, is called in to ready Lieutenant Colonel Archie Mint's body for his funeral, he encounters a shocking series of unexplained--and dangerous--facts about the dead man. In order to find out more, Zig must locate Nola, which is no easy task. Sergeant Nola Brown, the former U.S. Army artist-in-residence who figured so prominently in Meltzer's earlier work, has many people trying to figure out who she is, where she is, and how they can find her. While Zig and Nola share a tragic history, they are uniquely situated to unravel the disparate threads that tie this mystery together. Scott Brick's narration, delivered in his rich tenor voice, is enthralling, capturing the energy and momentum of this exciting book. VERDICT This exceptional audio will have listeners wanting more and hoping that the next installation won't take long. Highly recommended.--Scott DiMarco

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 13, 2021
      At the start of bestseller Meltzer’s exciting sequel to 2018’s The Escape Artist, a masked gunman fatally shoots Lt. Col. Archie Mint along with the thief who by chance was trying to rob Mint’s house in Elmswood, Pa. Mortician Jim “Zig” Zigarowski, who’s still grieving for his 12-year-old daughter who died in an accident a year earlier, has left the Air Force to work privately in Pennsylvania. A former colleague from Dover Air Force Base persuades him to prepare Mint’s body for an open casket. Zig is surprised on meeting the widow before the funeral that she was unaware her husband worked at Dover. Zig later learns Mint was involved in a top-secret military unit. Zig’s search for answers reunites him with Nola Brown, who was once the Army’s artist-in-residence and whose resourcefulness and kick-ass style help the pair decipher the links between the murders and dark government secrets. While the action overshadows characterizations, Meltzer makes his leads emotionally plausible. One hopes Zig and Nola will be back soon. Agent: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, WME.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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