“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)
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 US 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.
Another Great Meltzer Read! I have read EVERYTHING that Brad Meltzer has written, from his first (and still best) “The Tenth Justice”. Brad scores again with “The Escape Artist”, which I would recommend to Brad’s loyal readers as well as to anyone who hasn’t experienced his great writing. Please read it; you will have a great appreciation for the history that goes into all of Brad’s novels. Having met Brad several times, he is as genuine as writers get!Thanks for another great read!
I Don’t Read Thrillers, but I Loved This I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but I read the ones Brad Meltzer writes. I find myself drawn to his books because his plots keep me guessing, and because his protagonists tend to be unlikely heroes, like bankers, or librarians, or here, a mortician. I feel like I can identify with them more than I can a two-fisted action hero like a former (or current) Navy SEAL or a cop or a marine or whatever. Here, Meltzer juxtaposes the story of military mortician Jim “Zig” Zigarowski with that of…
Absolutely loved it! I couldn’t put this book down. I literally stayed up until 3 AM to finish it. So many cool facts and government secrets (some I still can’t believe are true (and I looked them up…they’re true!). Nola is a character you won’t forget. Run — don’t walk — and get this book!