Brad Meltzer's The Escape Artist has been on my to-read list for quite some time. I've enjoyed reading his Culper Ring series and expected this title to be a thrilling, high energy read with a nugget of American history that makes the reader wonder what other conspiracies our government could be hiding. The Escape Artist did not disappoint.
The Escape Artist introduces us to a civilian mortician, Jim Zigarowski BKA Zig. Zig gets word that a body has been shipped to the morgue bearing the same name of a young girl from his past. A young girl that saved his daughter's life at a Girls' Scout meeting. Feeling it's his duty to make her look perfect in death after her plunge from a crashing plane, he suddenly realizes the girl he once knew is not the corpse. The note he find in the body of the fallen checks his concern into high-gear. Determined to find her, Zig embarks on a dangerous mission that no mortician is equipped to handle.
Enter Nola Brown. Once upon a time she was the young girl who saved Zig's daughter. Today she stands as a hard-ass, killing machine that's determined to find the answers to why the plane went down that was carrying her friend, as well as who's behind the conspiracy. Eventually she and Zig join forces to see what's what.
So...
The Escape Artist was what I hoped it would be. Fast paced, unrelenting, engaging, and interesting... at least for a while hence my 3 star rating. Initially finding out the mystery of Nola and what is really going on is gripping. The pages couldn't turn fast enough for me. I had to know who Nola was and who she was running from. What is the mystery. And what the hell does Harry Houdini have to do with it?
As the novel unfolds and more revelations of their pasts are revealed, I still felt a bit unsatisfied. Both Zig and Nola have such rich stories that deserved to be expounded on a bit more. Especially Nola's. The mystery of the plane crash couldn't hold a candle to her home life. Yes Meltzer shifts between the girl Nola once was and the woman she's become, I couldn't help being more interested in the former. Even with adolescent Nola being as paper-thin as she was, I couldn't help but want a little more development.
Overall, The Escape Artist fits the bill for anyone who's looking for a fast read. Despite the 3-star rating Brad Metlzer doesn't disappoint. All the boxes are checked for a high-octane thriller. I'm definitely looking forward to his next read. ***
Copy provided by Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley
No comments:
Post a Comment