mattdsteele@bookwyrm.social reviewed The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer
Brad Meltzer? More like Dad Meltzer
3 stars
Continuing to enjoy this series. Meltzer does an excellent job keeping the plot propulsive and making you want to read just one more chapter. Which is convenient, as many of the chapters are 3 to 4 pages long. He also spends time to flesh out his characters more; the flashbacks on Nola continue to form who she is but it doesn't just feel like a snuff film in this book.
In an interview Meltzer once said that since every 80's thriller could be undone with a cell phone nowadays, he has to find new and interesting ways to have characters keep secrets, or share information clandestinely. Where the book is more hit or miss is in how this plays out; some of the ideas work well (like a valet pressing "Go Home" in a car's navigation system to immediately track where you live), but others (developing a mobile "do everything" …
Continuing to enjoy this series. Meltzer does an excellent job keeping the plot propulsive and making you want to read just one more chapter. Which is convenient, as many of the chapters are 3 to 4 pages long. He also spends time to flesh out his characters more; the flashbacks on Nola continue to form who she is but it doesn't just feel like a snuff film in this book.
In an interview Meltzer once said that since every 80's thriller could be undone with a cell phone nowadays, he has to find new and interesting ways to have characters keep secrets, or share information clandestinely. Where the book is more hit or miss is in how this plays out; some of the ideas work well (like a valet pressing "Go Home" in a car's navigation system to immediately track where you live), but others (developing a mobile "do everything" app for secret rendezvous) feel like a stretch too far. I appreciate the effort; and he still does it better than most.
Book 3 is out now so I will likely continue to rip through the series, which is a testament to its stickiness.