⭐⭐⭐
I thought I would love this book. Brad Meltzer knows how to spin a good government thriller, but The Lightning Rod didn’t maintain my interest the way I expected it to. The premise—an ex-military man murdered after dropping off his car—starts strong, but the story quickly gets bogged down in convoluted twists and uneven pacing.
Nola Brown, a standout character in the first book, is back, but this time she feels underused. Her sharp edge and emotional complexity take a backseat to a busy plot that never quite finds its rhythm. The short chapters move things along, but I often found myself tuning out.
The pacing is fast, with Meltzer’s signature short chapters, but even that couldn’t hold my attention. I found myself drifting, not really invested in what happened next. The detailed autopsy scenes didn’t help—they felt more gross than gripping and pulled me out of the story instead of adding realism.
Nola is still a strong character, but she didn’t get the spotlight she deserved. There was emotional potential here, but it never really landed.
That said, I’m clearly an outlier. A lot of readers loved this book. If you’re into high-concept thrillers and don’t mind a little confusion along the way, it might be for you. For me, though, The Lightning Rod was more of a fizzle than a flash.
** Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a comp. Opinions are my own.