It has been a minute since the last Zig & Nola novel, THE LIGHTNING ROD, which released in 2022. Brad Meltzer typically alternates between writing fiction and nonfiction. However, THE VIPER is stylistically different from anything he has penned previously.

I found the first half of the book to be wildly disjointed and darkly comic, with often eccentric small-town characters being introduced and a timeline that constantly bounced around. It felt like the literary version of a Coen Brothers film. But then details on a conspiracy involving a priceless stolen object is revealed. Jim “Zig” Zigarowski and Nola Brown are just two of the individuals seeking to retrieve it. Of course, several of those in pursuit of it are ruthless killers, making the case extremely deadly for our protagonists.

"What truly won me over was the finale.... The ending is moving and cathartic, making the entire slow burn worth wading through to get to the touching conclusion."

It all begins with the man now known as Harry Smith, originally Andrew “Fetch” Fechmeier, during the last 16 minutes of his life. The terminally ill man knows enough to walk into a funeral parlor to select his coffin, make final arrangements, and, most importantly, provide the suit in which he wishes to be buried. The assassin who will end his life in mere moments is never aware that his most important possession is stitched into the lining of the double-breasted suit and out of the reach of those who so desire it.

Zig was also a mortician of sorts whose skills had been used by both military and government bodies. When he receives a message from New Jersey cop Roddy LaPointe, Nola’s twin brother, an offer is made to team up on an interesting and very personal case.

Nola and Roddy’s mother belonged to a group in high school with the nickname The Breakfast Club (inspired by the John Hughes film), which also included the now-deceased Fetch. Nola and Roddy had never gotten over the fact that she was killed just weeks after their birth in what the authorities called a suicide, but they knew better. This was an opportunity not only to get justice for Fetch but to learn what really happened to their mother and why.

When they get to the small town of Arrow Rock, Maryland, where everything went down, Zig and Roddy are confronted by Melinda, the district attorney who also happens to be the daughter of the local sheriff. It turns out that Melinda and her father were extremely interested in the exploits of The Breakfast Club, which allegedly took part in the theft of top-secret information that may have pertained to Iran-Contra figure Oliver North.

Clues are dripped off very slowly in this story, making the actual revelation of what the group may have done back in the day a point of secrecy until the finale. What we do know is that Fetch and one other member had to spend decades in witness protection. It was only when he came back to the scene of the crime as Harry Smith that he was able to set up the last laugh of being buried with the group’s secret cache.

Once Nola eventually arrives, the story really takes off, and the last third of the novel is a wild ride. Zig, Nola and Roddy are in constant danger but willing to risk it all to get the answers that have dogged them their entire lives, as well as seeking to clear Fetch’s good name. Many characters we meet along the way are not who they claim to be, making for some big surprises in the final act.

What truly won me over was the finale. It is filled with revelations and surprises, most importantly naming the identity of the title character. Meltzer calls THE VIPER a novel about dealing with the past, which he himself has aptly learned to do as he has become older and wiser. The ending is moving and cathartic, making the entire slow burn worth wading through to get to the touching conclusion.