A Book A Week

Jim "Zig" Zigarowski's job is one of great responsibility, honor, and skill. As a mortician at Dover Air Force Base, Zig is the last person to come into contact with fallen soldiers before they're sent to their final resting places. He meticulously prepares the bodies, sometimes performing unbelievable restorations, ensuring each of the deceased gets the honorable treatment they deserve. He's had his fair share of loss, so he works diligently to ensure each family gets one last moment with the person they love.

Zig normally manages to keep a professional distance between himself and the people he prepares. When a group of deceased passengers from a downed military plane arrive at the base, he expects business as usual. One name, however, catches his eye. US Army Artist in Residence Nola Brown was among the group aboard the ill-fated flight. Zig immediately is taken to a time years ago when a girl named Nola Brown saved his daughter's life. Now the heroic girl lays on Zig's cold steel table providing him with one last look at the person who gave him some precious extra time with his only daughter. There's just one small problem. The woman on his table isn't Nola Brown!

The Escape Artist sees Brad Meltzer combine the intrigue of a deeply hidden government conspiracy with a nuanced story of human loyalty and respect to the ones who've passed away. Meltzer alternates between the present day plot of Zig seeking to find the missing Nola with flashback scenes of Nola's unusual childhood. At first, I found myself struggling to connect with the scenes of the past. Nola's childhood seemed to have little to do with the captivating drama surrounding Zig's quest. Fortunately, the past and present narratives soon began to have more and more to do with each other, creating a richly-drawn plot that kept the pages easily turning.

Meltzer weaves a connection between the ongoing fictional conspiracy and the real-life history of famed magician Harry Houdini. These touches of historical fact help to ground the events of the novel in a reality that would be otherwise unbelievable. Each element of the novel adds to the overall appeal, but it is the characters that truly captured my attention. Meltzer writes each of them, from the main characters to supporting cast, with genuine care. Even the candy restocker at the base is given a backstory that adds life to the world of the book. The Escape Artist does everything right, making me eager to dive into another book by Brad Meltzer.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2019, 2)

"The only easy day was yesterday."

In No Easy Day, Mark Owen recounts his role in the top secret mission to locate and exterminate Osama Bin Laden. By the time he was handpicked to join the team for this risky covert operation, Owens was no stranger to these high stakes undertakings. As a 10 year member of the Navy SEALs, high pressure situations were almost second nature. Still, the chance to finally bring justice to the man who concocted the 9/11 attacks brought an anxiety that was almost palpable.

Prior to the section on the fateful raid of Bin Laden's compound, Owen expounds upon his career. Most of this book is comprised of these recollections of intense training and exciting missions. I was especially surprised to learn that Owen took part in the operation to rescue Captain Phillips from the Somalian pirates who had hijacked his ship. Throughout these missions Owen and his team functioned with the high focus and precision of a well oiled machine. With human lives and national security at risk, they controlled their emotion by relying on their detailed drills and training.

While the tactical details of the raid are fascinating to relive, especially in this first-hand account, they are not the most important takeaways from this book. Rather, the two things that stuck with me were the almost embarrassing ways that politics gets in the way of day to day military activity and Owen's unwavering sense of duty to his team and his country despite this political impediment. Owen describes how he sometimes had a lack of supplies or had to make do with gear that was not suited to the tasks at hand. While it is easy to see that the political bureaucracy that dictates funding for the military can cause some unintended obstructions, this should not be an excuse for leaving the men and women who make great sacrifice ill prepared. Owen also comments on how this raid was used by politicians of both parties to further their own careers. Thankfully men and women like Owen exist with the goal of living their lives for the greater good. He puts it best in saying, "Don't just live, but live for a purpose bigger that yourself. Be an asset to your family, community and country."

For more information, visit Amazon and Goodreads.

(2016, 35)

In the early 90's a group of high ranking officials from the Russian and American governments came together to form a highly classified initiative that could potentially lead to the death of millions of people. To ensure the security of the agreement, all involved parties sign a document that allows an international assassin to be ordered to eliminate anyone who leaks the information.

Fast forward to the present day, and the information has been stolen. With the threat of the horrific details of the plan being revealed, various entities begin to search for the documents, and the person who they believe could be responsible. Will Cochrane, an MI6 operative leads a team, in cooperation with the CIA, to attempt to find the man responsible for the missing papers. But the mission soon becomes far more personal. Someone has discovered Will's true identity, and threatens to release the information and to harm his sister, the only person on the earth who he truly cares about. The story quickly becomes an international tale of intrigue in which Will grapples with the implications of the released documents, faces the highly dangerous assassin, and attempts to discover the person or people who threaten to blow his cover.

The complexity of this novel makes it quite difficult to explain the plot without spoiling the twists and details that make it so compelling. Author Matthew Dunn is a former MI6 operative himself, so he brings a unique understanding of the inner workings of the secretive organizations that are explored in this book. This is the third novel to feature Will Cochrane, but the story itself stands alone as a completely realized narrative. It took me a bit of time to acclimate myself to all of the military jargon used throughout the novel, but the plot is intriguing enough that I was quickly able to work through it.

The character of Will Cochrane could have easily been a cold, one-dimensional man, especially given the secretive nature of his work. Where Dunn really excels is in extracting the emotions of this man who has essentially been trained to show none. It was fascinating to read about Will's internal battle of dealing with his inner feelings while never letting them betray the complex mission at hand. Overall, this is a fast paced, complex, international conspiracy novel that easily sets itself as a top example of the genre. Dunn is able to successfully combine his own personal experience as an MI6 operative with the conventions of modern thriller novels to create a unique and nearly flawless book.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

I have always been fascinated with any and all things to do with World War II. From the rise of Hitler, to the bombing of Hiroshima, this is perhaps the richest time in the history of the world. Due to the staggering scale of this time period, most books, both fiction and nonfiction, choose to focus on specific events or characters. In this hugely ambitious work, Antony Beevor attempts to provide a narrative overview of the entire war.