The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a good day.

I told you that my dad worked at a facility that took government contracts for various things, and that my dad had a high security clearance.  Actually, I worked there too.  No, nothing as exciting as my dad but I had a job there as an intern one summer.  I was shocked by the security I saw, which was obviously only a tiny portion.  I remember them insisting that typewriter ribbons be locked up at night, fearing someone could read them.  Yes, I said typewriter...look junior there was a world before you and your fancy laptop...youngster.  Phew, okay, feeling a bit better about having to admit I used the infamous Selectric.  Also surprising, was that every bit of trash was shredded, unless it was your sandwich wrapper from lunch it was cut into unreadable bits.  I thought I was the new female James Bond, all that typing and mail (yes, real mail) delivering I did. It's so funny, I had no idea what I was right in the middle of, I suspect secret stuff is often like that

I recently read The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer.  This is the second in a series.  Honestly, it's going to be better if you read the first book, The Escape Artist, but if you are stubborn and have an odd aversion to great books then skip it, The Lightning Rod will still be enjoyable.  Basically, the whole series revolves around Zig who is a mortician at Dover Air Force base and Nola who is a young military artist. Sounds not so great, I mean a mortician, ick.  Wait, don't go by your first instincts.  This series is fantastic.  Both books are thrillers, not like "gosh, my neighbor looks shady" thriller, I mean like looking around each corner, on the run, heart pounding, page flipping so fast you create a breeze thriller.  I could go on and on about the plots of both books, but honestly, they are so involved and constantly changing. There are government and personal secrets that the reader discovers, each feeding on the other.  Trust me, just get them...both.  AND, if you have a man in your life that won't read, these are male chest pounding enough to really hold his interest.  However, they aren't so shoot'em up-ish that women won't like them.  Yep, boys and girls, these books are for thriller lovers everywhere.

I have to go put chicken wings in the oven, I'm sure James Bond does that all the time!

The Minders by John Marrs

Hello everyone.  I hope all is well with you. 

Would you like to know all your government's secrets? Not me, I'm chicken, yep blissful ignorance for me. My dad, however, held top secret clearance. He would go on a business trip and not be able to tell anyone where he was going.  He worked for a major computer company that put systems in various types of vehicles for the federal government.  Funny thing is, my dad was the least tech savvy person I've ever seen, if you asked him: windows were to look out of, apples were to eat and a c prompt was the latest laxative in tv commercials. Yet my mild mannered dad helped negotiate to price for selling and installing these systems.  He went to "areas" that, until recently, the government said didn't exist. He only told me about it after it was declassified, probably good thing... my ignorance is comforting and had my mother known she would have had to have been sedated!

I recently read The Minders by John Marrs. I'm not a fan of fantasy or science fiction but Marrs has just a hint of them in his books but in general they are intense thrillers, which I love. The Minders is about the stealing of government secrets and how to prevent it from happening. The United Kingdom has tried many things which haven't worked so now they are implanting all their secrets into the brain of five people, these are the Minders.  This book is about what happens to these people while trying to protect these secrets and what happens when those people have secrets of their own.  This story is exactly the kind of pace I like, where the author doesn't let you catch your breath with twist after shocking twist.  The book references two of his earlier books The Passengers and The One but they are absolutely not necessary to completely understand and enjoy this book but fans of Marrs will find it amusing. If you love fast paced thrillers, this is for you!

My husband always jokes about my dad going to buy a new car, a normal, everyday customer and the poor salesman who had no idea what Dad did for a living.