#1 Bestselling Author Brad Meltzer Shares His Latest Thriller At St. Louis County Library

Press release from the St. Louis County Library:

March 4, 2022

The St. Louis County Library Foundation is pleased to present internationally bestselling author Brad Meltzer for a discussion and signing of “The Lightning Rod,” a sequel to the #1 bestseller “The Escape Artist.” The event will take place on Friday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd.

The program is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase at the event from Left Bank Books. Face masks will be required for all attendees.

Always an audience favorite, Brad Meltzer returns to SLCL to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his publishing debut. In his latest thriller, “The Lightning Rod,” a sequel to Meltzer’s critically acclaimed #1 bestseller “The Escape Artist,” two of his most unforgettable characters, Zig and Nola, must track down the killers of a military officer with hidden ties to an ultra-secret unit, while confronting the past traumas that continue to haunt them both.

When Col. Archie Mint is killed outside his suburban Pennsylvania home, it looks at first like a botched robbery. Jim “Zig” Zigarowski, a military mortician, is called in to conceal Mint’s injuries for the sake of his family. But as Zig soon discovers, Mint was connected to a hidden military facility where the government prepares for the end of the world. Most important, the other members of Mint’s unit are now dying in unusual circumstances.

When Nola Brown shows up at Mint’s funeral, the mystery only deepens. As a former military artist, Nola was called upon not only to paint historic events, but to spot critical things that others missed. Now, for unknown reasons, she’s hunting the people who killed Mint.

Zig has his own complicated relationship with Nola. 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. Following Nola’s trail, Zig uncovers one of the U.S. government’s most intensely guarded secrets and a hidden group willing to compromise the very safety and security of America itself.

Over the course of his 25-year career, Meltzer has become known for his meticulous research. Now, in “The Lightning Rod,” Meltzer explores one of the best secrets he’s ever found: the dozen top-secret warehouses the U.S. government has all across the country to deal with chemical and biological attacks. As a result, Meltzer will take you into a place no one gets to go—and show you just what went wrong during the beginning of the pandemic.

Brad Meltzer is the #1 bestselling author of 12 previous thrillers, including “The Inner Circle,” “The Book of Fate,” and “The Escape Artist,” with more than 11 million copies sold. He is also the host of the television shows “Brad Meltzer’s Lost History” and “Brad Meltzer's Decoded” on the History Channel. In addition, he is the author of the nonfiction bestsellers “The First Conspiracy” and “The Lincoln Conspiracy”, as well as the blockbuster children’s history book series “Ordinary People Change the World.”

Program sites are accessible. Upon two weeks’ notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Contact St. Louis County Library by phone 314-994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org.

This press release was produced by the St. Louis County Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.