The Escape Artist
by Brad Meltzer
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Nola Brown, the U.S. Army's artist-in-residence--a painter and trained soldier--sees something nobody was supposed to see and earns a dangerous enemy in this novel as powerful as "a launched torpedo slashing through 400 pages of deep water before reaching impact...one of the best thrill rides ever" (David Baldacci).
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.
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.
"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
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781455559527
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Brad Meltzer
- Publisher
- Grand Central Publishing
- Published Date
- March 6, 2018
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 434
- Physical Info
- 1.7 in H x 9.1 in L x 5.9 in W (1.4 lb)
Having read the second book in the series, I decided to read a book #1 to establish background for #2. That was partially satisfying. The interweaving of the 2 main characters explains their complex relationship and each has a background that had intense difficulty and is well described. I felt empathy for Nola’s life experiences. To me, there was a troubling loose end that lacked resolution. It was the outcome/handling of one of the crash victims. If there are further the books in this series, I do not expect to read them.
Nothing terribly original here other than a military mortuary employee as a protagonist and the army’s artist-in-residence character the main heroine. Neither character was terribly interesting or accessible.
A little slow to start, but fun once it got going. Mostly suspense with some action at times. Will look for more.
"The Escape Artist" is a well-paced, really well-researched and provocative story filled with understandable if not relatable characters. I'm sure it was subconscious, or perhaps a homage, but when reading I couldn't help thinking that somehow Lisbeth Salander had assumed the identity of Nola Brown and Mikael Blomkvist had been reincarnated as Jim "Zig" Zigarowski. This is meant as a total compliment to Brad Meltzer, not that he needs any accolades from the likes of me. The relationship between Nola and Zig adds rocket fuel to the storyline. If you're a fan of great writing don't miss this one.
The relationship between the main protagonists was complex and unusual. It made the story more interesting than the typical mystery. If I had to criticize one thing it would be that the final outcome felt forced, and less satisfying than the story itself. However, I always appreciate it when a story teaches me new things. I learned a few facts about a rarely talked about and rather sad topic - mortuary practices.
