Government intrigue drives action

Novels by Brad Meltzer come with certain expectations — namely, a plot filled with carefully researched but often-obscure bits of American history and the government.

The facts might seem far-fetched but are true — and they elevate the characters’ adventures.

“The Escape Artist,” which marks Meltzer’s 20th anniversary as an author, is highly entertaining as it follows his formula with aplomb.

Readers will learn about the Army’s artist-in-residence position; Dover Air Force Base, where fallen troops and some highprofile figures are prepared for burial; and the legacy of magicians in government, which dates back to Abraham Lincoln. • “The Escape Artist” (Grand Central, 432 pages, $28) by Brad Meltzer

Although these tidbits are prominent in the plot, Meltzer doesn’t allow his research to overwhelm the action-packed novel.

“The Escape Artist” introduces mortician Jim “Zig” Zigarowski, destined to be one of Meltzer’s most fully formed heroes in this series.

Zig handles the U.S. government’s most-top-secret cases at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Dealing with so much death and treating each deceased person with sensitivity and respect helps Zig deal with the grief he continues to suffer over the death more than a decade earlier of his daughter.

Zig’s personal and professional worlds combine when he is preparing the body of soldier Nola Brown, who, along with seven others, died in an Alaskan plane crash. As a child, Nola saved Zig’s daughter at a Girl Scout camp — an act he hasn’t forgotten.

As he inspects the body, though, he realizes that it isn’t Nola’s because the corpse lacks the scars he knows she has. A note found on the body piques his curiosity.

As a tribute to his daughter, Zig vows to find out what happened to Nola and, if possible, help her.

Meltzer keeps the action crackling as he delves into the background and motives of both Zig and Nola, each a complicated character.

Zig has isolated himself from relationships since his daughter’s death, his grief palpable. “The most profound pain that death delivered: the utter numbness that comes from when you can’t get over it but somehow get used to it.”

Nola, readers learn, grew up in an abusive foster home, learning both inner strength and how to spot weaknesses in others. She has created a solitary life because she fears attachments to anyone or anything.

Meltzer, who makes readers care deeply about both characters, plans for both to return in his next novel.

Meanwhile, the solid storytelling of “The Escape Artist” is inescapable.