The Viper: A Zig & Nola Novel

Meltzer’s high-octane third thriller featuring mortician Jim “Zig” Zigarowski and military artist Nola LaPointe (after The Lightning Rod) starts strong and never takes its foot off the gas. At the outset, a terminally ill man named Andrew Fechmeier conceals an unidentified, ultravaluable object in the lining of an old suit, then asks a Maryland funeral home to hold onto the suit until he’s buried in it. That day comes sooner than Andrew expects when, shortly thereafter, he’s gunned down by an unseen assailant. As Nola’s twin, New Jersey cop Roddy LaPointe, investigates, he comes to believe that Fechmeier’s murder may be tied to the decades-old death of Roddy and Nola’s mother, who was killed in front of the three-year-old siblings by someone seeking a similar object. To help his inquiry, Roddy recruits his friend Zig, who in turn involves Nola in the proceedings, despite her reluctance to dig up the trauma of her mother’s murder. As usual, Meltzer infuses the action with an embarrassment of jaw-dropping plot twists. The author’s fans will be more than satisfied. Agent: Jay Mandel, WME. (Jan.)