Thriller

The Lightning Rod

The Lightning Rod

  • Downloads：7250
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-22 10:51:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Brad Meltzer
  • ISBN：0063252163
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The highly anticipated follow-up to Brad Meltzer's #1 New York Times bestselling thriller。 The Escape Artist featuring Nola and Zig， the most charismatic new crime-solving duo we've seen in decades。

Archie Mint has led a charmed life--he's got a beautiful wife， two impressive kids， and a successful military career。 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 charmed life， so perfect on the surface， held 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 Dover Air Force Base， where he uncovers Mint's involvement in a top-secret military unit and his connection to military artist and Sergeant First Class 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。

Everyone wants to talk to Nola， but she's not cooperating--and indeed doesn't want to be found。 In order to track her down， Zig teams with Nola's long missing brother， who's just as combustible as she is。 As they follow Nola's trail， they discover 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。

Download

Reviews

Morgan Blomstedt ，

Love Brad Meltzer， did not disappoint。 Was a great read。

David Williams ，

Fantastic book。 Recommend reading 1st book in series first。 Its a book that you think you know whats going to happen but then you find out you dont。 Highly recommended。

Don Gorman ，

（1 1/2）。 I would have thought， according to the accolades from Lee Child， James Patterson， Nelson DeMille and others on the back cover of this book， that this was going to be a really wonderful read。 Instead， I am left wondering if they read the same 400+ pages that I did。 I would say 80 or so of which were really that interesting。 I have been a Meltzer fan for many years， and this is probably the weakest effort of his I have ever encountered。 Two protagonists， one sort of good， the other way to （1 1/2）。 I would have thought， according to the accolades from Lee Child， James Patterson， Nelson DeMille and others on the back cover of this book， that this was going to be a really wonderful read。 Instead， I am left wondering if they read the same 400+ pages that I did。 I would say 80 or so of which were really that interesting。 I have been a Meltzer fan for many years， and this is probably the weakest effort of his I have ever encountered。 Two protagonists， one sort of good， the other way too mysterious to even figure， a couple of fun bad guys， and a screwed up set up that takes over half of the book。 Thanks goodness there were several really nice twists at the end that brought me back to keep from knocking it down to one star。 Very， very medium stuff。 。。。more

Debra Berding ，

I didn't read the first one in this series， but I don't feel like it detracted from this story。 You knew that the main characters knew each other before， but it didn't really matter。 I really liked the twists at the end。 I didn't even come close to guessing "who did it"， and that's just the way I like it。 I would read more books by this author。 I didn't read the first one in this series， but I don't feel like it detracted from this story。 You knew that the main characters knew each other before， but it didn't really matter。 I really liked the twists at the end。 I didn't even come close to guessing "who did it"， and that's just the way I like it。 I would read more books by this author。 。。。more

Pam ，

The second book in this complex series！ I love Zig and Nola and hope to read more。

Susanne Leist ，

The sequel to Escape Artist is as good as the first book。 Still， I'm not too fond of Nola: I find her selfish and annoying。 This book delves deeper into her character and Zig's， even introducing a new character， Roddy， Nola's brother。 His character is an excellent addition to the book， making me root more for him and his quest to be a better man than I did for Nola。 I understand why Nola is the way she is， and her destructive personality makes her more of an anti-hero。I enjoy twists and turns in The sequel to Escape Artist is as good as the first book。 Still， I'm not too fond of Nola: I find her selfish and annoying。 This book delves deeper into her character and Zig's， even introducing a new character， Roddy， Nola's brother。 His character is an excellent addition to the book， making me root more for him and his quest to be a better man than I did for Nola。 I understand why Nola is the way she is， and her destructive personality makes her more of an anti-hero。I enjoy twists and turns in a story， and this one had a few good ones。 There was even a twist on a twist that I didn't expect。 。。。more

Beverley Albright ，

Meltzer has done it again。 Engaging， action packed and full of more facts about the US government。 Mr。 Meltzer probably knows more than any other average citizen about the workings of our government。 It is good to try to figure out fact from fiction。 He makes everything seem plausible。His returning characters of Zip and Nola are still interesting， and you feel like you want to know more。 At least， three good twists to this story。 And none of them I really saw coming。Another great read from Mr。 M Meltzer has done it again。 Engaging， action packed and full of more facts about the US government。 Mr。 Meltzer probably knows more than any other average citizen about the workings of our government。 It is good to try to figure out fact from fiction。 He makes everything seem plausible。His returning characters of Zip and Nola are still interesting， and you feel like you want to know more。 At least， three good twists to this story。 And none of them I really saw coming。Another great read from Mr。 Meltzer。 Ready for more！ 。。。more

Terri ，

The first in this series didn't do a whole lot for me。 But now #2 was great from the first chapter and just got more action filled。 The first in this series didn't do a whole lot for me。 But now #2 was great from the first chapter and just got more action filled。 。。。more

Dave ，

3 stars because I finished。 Not as good as the first。 Plot was all over the place。 Characters were ok。 You have multiple story threads that are resolved in very convenient ways。 Meltzer is amazing， a truly great historian， author and entertainer。 This book felt like he's been focusing on other things and threw in a mystery novel for good measure。 3 stars because I finished。 Not as good as the first。 Plot was all over the place。 Characters were ok。 You have multiple story threads that are resolved in very convenient ways。 Meltzer is amazing， a truly great historian， author and entertainer。 This book felt like he's been focusing on other things and threw in a mystery novel for good measure。 。。。more

Bobmanning ，

nicee continuation of the series。 I fopund some slow parts， which just rehash same info。 However I am glad I stuck around for the ending。 Things came togeather in the last 100 pages

Linda Armstrong ，

4。5

Steve Thomas ，

Once again Brad Meltzer proves that he is one of the very best thriller writers in the genre with The Lightning Rod。 The 2nd book in the Escape Artist series， Meltzer weaves a superb story around murder， personal loss， relationship struggles， and past histories and does it all spectacularly。 I was mesmerized and couldn’t put the book down！ I have never been disappointed reading a Meltzer book - this is a MUST read if you love the thriller genre！

Joel ，

This was a good one。。。I almost gave it 5 stars， but the same things that make it so good kept me from doing it。 The story line is complicated and full of twists with extraordinarily strange major characters with motivations that are difficult to understand。 However， through it all is their common basic goodness despite having histories that would justify anger and distrust。 I won't try to go through the plot line as it is just too complicated。 Suffice to say its complicated and includes violence This was a good one。。。I almost gave it 5 stars， but the same things that make it so good kept me from doing it。 The story line is complicated and full of twists with extraordinarily strange major characters with motivations that are difficult to understand。 However， through it all is their common basic goodness despite having histories that would justify anger and distrust。 I won't try to go through the plot line as it is just too complicated。 Suffice to say its complicated and includes violence and many， many twists。Nola is the primary protagonist with an assist from "Zig" who has his own history。 They are both stubborn but basically good。 They drive the story。 Its a good series that got better in the second installment and I hope Meltzer continues it。 。。。more

Jennifer Landy ，

DNF

Jeff ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 First Meltzer book I couldn't finish First Meltzer book I couldn't finish 。。。more

D。 Norman ，

DNF。 It reads like a movie that skips frames every few seconds， making it unwatchable。 Just couldn’t take it anymore。 As an aside， do the people who’s quotes of praise are on the back cover actually read the book？ Or are they just paid for their endorsement？

Richard West ，

There are some writers who don't write enough books。 Brad Meltzer is one of them。 It seems like it's been forever since he came out with an adult novel and he doesn't disappoint those of us who waited forever for it to see the light of day。Full of plot twists and turns， it's a long time before the identity of the "bad guy" is revealed and that is the mark of a good writer at the top of his game。 There's murder， theft， the FBI， the military， secret military installations， survivalist supplies， ol There are some writers who don't write enough books。 Brad Meltzer is one of them。 It seems like it's been forever since he came out with an adult novel and he doesn't disappoint those of us who waited forever for it to see the light of day。Full of plot twists and turns， it's a long time before the identity of the "bad guy" is revealed and that is the mark of a good writer at the top of his game。 There's murder， theft， the FBI， the military， secret military installations， survivalist supplies， old familiar characters， and a lot more in this one， which is a page-turner and keeps you guessing right up to the end。Without giving anything away， since it's not nearly as much fun reading a book if plot details are outlined， let's just say that if you mix all the ingredients together outlined earlier， you've got an excellent read and one which you hate to put down。If you're a Meltzer fan， this is， of course， a must-read that will be enjoyed immensely。 Now， if he'd just write more and not keep us waiting several years for his next book。。。。。。。 。。。more

Janis ，

My first Brad Meltzer is a pleasant surprise。 I realized after I finished it that it is the second in the Zig and Nola stories。 Now I will read the first one to fill in what I missed。 Zig， the coroner/detective， has left Dover Air force base in Wilmington， Delaware and is now in a private mortuary in the Philadelphia area。 He receives a call from a former colleague at Dover who asks him "if he is up for them pulling him back in。" He agrees。 When he arrives at Dover， he learns that the person he My first Brad Meltzer is a pleasant surprise。 I realized after I finished it that it is the second in the Zig and Nola stories。 Now I will read the first one to fill in what I missed。 Zig， the coroner/detective， has left Dover Air force base in Wilmington， Delaware and is now in a private mortuary in the Philadelphia area。 He receives a call from a former colleague at Dover who asks him "if he is up for them pulling him back in。" He agrees。 When he arrives at Dover， he learns that the person he is to prepare for an open casket funeral isa deceased and decorated Army Colonel， Archie Mint， who was shot in his driveway。 His curiosity forces him to attend the funeral to see who else will pay Colonel Mint respect。 As he stands at the bak of the crowd， he notices Nola， an old acquaintance and brilliant Army artist who saved his life two years before this story begins。 He also notices that an obvious and most likely an undercover FBI agent is also interested in her appearance。 When he tries to follow her outside， he finds the FBI agent unconscious in a hallway， a New Jersey policeman examining the body， and no sight of Nola anywhere。 This page-turner will keep the reader's interest as more sub plots are introduced， especially Zig's ex wife and Archie's secret life。 Zig's detective work will unearth a drug king pin in New Jersey， will solve a five year old government mystery， and fill in gaps in Nola's life。 It will expose highly secretive government facilities of which the highest echelons of defense are aware that if breached could cause massive destruction。 My only complaint is that Meltzer writes extremely short chapters and introduces new characters suddenly without background information。 As I read a good mystery， I turn pages quickly and read fast。 I found myself asking frequently， "Who is this character？ Where is this happening？" Despite those little annoyance to me， I do recommend this book to those who like mysteries involving the government or espionage and advise the reader to expect a very surprising ending。 。。。more

Donna Merriweather ，

Loved it！Loved the characters in this book。 It had twists and turns I did not expect。 The detail about the mortuary service is spot on。

Amy Heron ，

Lucky me。。。won this book in Goodreads giveaways。。。。Fast paced and a great story。 Memorable characters。 Definitely recommend for readers looking for thrillers。

Delores Thomas ，

Zig and Nola are back。 While Zig is embalming Archie Mint he discovers a a military secret that could protect or destroy the United States and the world。 Nola seems to know something about it but refuses to discuss it。 Zig teams with her brother to find her and prevent the problems from being revealed。

Derek Dupuis ，

I loved this continuation of the series。 Intrigue。 Drama。 Thrills and twists。 A lot more Zig than the previous book， but he’s a bad mamma jamma。

Mike ，

Another great thriller by Brad Meltzer。 Engaging and clever dialogue。

Ricki ，

It's a lot to ask a reader to remember the first in a series （Zig & Nola） when the first book was published in 2018。 I had to go back and reread a synopsis in order to remember the characters and their backgrounds。Maybe when there is a four year gap a few paragraphs of background might be in order。 Instead we are dropped straight into a murder mystery of Nola's old commander （there is a surprise here near the end）。 Nola and Zig are separately investigating for different reasons and only get toge It's a lot to ask a reader to remember the first in a series （Zig & Nola） when the first book was published in 2018。 I had to go back and reread a synopsis in order to remember the characters and their backgrounds。Maybe when there is a four year gap a few paragraphs of background might be in order。 Instead we are dropped straight into a murder mystery of Nola's old commander （there is a surprise here near the end）。 Nola and Zig are separately investigating for different reasons and only get together a few times in the book。 There is also a bit more of Nola's background and we get an indepth look at her twin brother who is actually helping Zig （cause he wants to find Nola）。 It becomes a bit convoluted chasing "leads" separately。 。。。more

David Berkley ，

Always interesting！Always an incredible storyline when you read one of this author's books。 Strong plot and character development keeps you interested。 Always interesting！Always an incredible storyline when you read one of this author's books。 Strong plot and character development keeps you interested。 。。。more

Wayne ，

A complex story requiring a lot of patience and understanding。 With the number of characters and flashbacks， the reader must keep alert in order to understand exactly what is going on。 It is exciting and very different。 For me， it was not as good as The Escape Artist， a powerful， well-told story。You still have the two most interesting characters， Zig， （a top-notch mortician） and Nola， a strange， difficult-to-read young lady who mesmerizes Zig。 There is plenty of excitement in the story along wit A complex story requiring a lot of patience and understanding。 With the number of characters and flashbacks， the reader must keep alert in order to understand exactly what is going on。 It is exciting and very different。 For me， it was not as good as The Escape Artist， a powerful， well-told story。You still have the two most interesting characters， Zig， （a top-notch mortician） and Nola， a strange， difficult-to-read young lady who mesmerizes Zig。 There is plenty of excitement in the story along with a number or murders， the most important being that of Lt。Col。 Mint， whose death creates a mystery that both Zig， Nola， and Nola's brother Roddy spend days trying to solve。 Brad Meltzer creates an atmosphere using current events and witty sayings。 （Even President Biden is mentioned）！ For example， "Since his earliest days as a mortician， Zig knew that there are people you carry with you your entire life。 They either help you or haunt you。 But as the saying goes， you know you're on the right path when you stop looking back。" This was said while thinking about his strange relationship with the mysterious Nola。 Another Zig witticism: Happiness can be found， even in the darkest of times， if one only remembers to run on the light。" 。。。more

Bonnie ，

Loved seeing Zig and Nola back。 Excellent storyline， lots of suspense。

Phillip Marquart ，

I just didn't enjoy this story。。。 wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't paid for it。。。 I just didn't enjoy this story。。。 wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't paid for it。。。 。。。more

Larry J ，

It was hard for me to keep everything and everyone straight in this book。 I think it would have helped if I had read The Escape Artist。 I liked it well enough to now get the prequel。

Patrick ，

I thought this was an interesting， but somewhat confusing book at times。 I certainly did not follow or expect who did what when it was finally revealed。 There is a lot of action and that makes it interesting。 Read it and see what you think。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Lightning Rod

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Lightning Rod&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Lightning Rod&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0