A mystery lover’s honest take on Brad Meltzer’s latest Zig and Nola thriller.
By Maria Antokas
I hadn’t read Brad Meltzer in quite a while, so when I picked up The Viper, I was genuinely excited. I couldn’t even remember whether I had read anything from the Zig and Nola series before, but the premise sounded promising enough to dive in.
The story begins with Zig – short for Zigarowski – returning to Dover Air Force Base to reclaim his former position as a mortician after a few years away. (Fair warning: this is not a cozy setting. You’ll need to keep your squeamish tendencies firmly in check.) On his very first day back, he’s pulled into a murder mystery by Roddy, the estranged brother of Nola, which naturally drags her back into the chaos as well.
Nola and Roddy were orphaned at the age of three and later separated during adoption, which explains – but does not entirely excuse – their lifelong emotional frostiness. Nola herself is portrayed as a hardened, hyper-capable fighter who can shoot, strategize, and apparently spot clues invisible to the rest of humanity. She first met Zig when she heroically saved his daughter during an explosion at a Girl Scout retreat, an event that cemented their long-standing friendship and his eternal gratitude.
Unfortunately, The Viper never quite sinks its teeth into the reader. Zig spends much of the novel brooding, getting into trouble, and wandering into danger with the energy of someone who misplaced his personality somewhere around chapter two. He does occasionally show up at exactly the right moment to help Roddy, but these moments feel more convenient than impressive. As for Nola, she remains stubbornly unfun. Yes, she’s tough. Yes, she’s observant. Yes, she has a tragic backstory. But she is also relentlessly crabby, emotionally distant, and about as engaging as a locked filing cabinet.
The mystery itself unfolds at a determinedly leisurely pace before Meltzer finally remembers that thrillers are supposed to thrill and delivers a series of clever twists near the end. The resolution is satisfying enough on paper, but by that point I found myself more relieved than excited.
In the end, The Viper is not a bad book – it’s just not a particularly enjoyable one. I wanted sharper momentum, more charisma, and characters I actually wanted to spend time with. Instead, I got a slow burn with very little warmth.
The Bookaholic Blog 