Special Agent Pendergast-one of the most original, compelling characters in all of contemporary fiction-returns in Preston and Child’s new exhilarating novel BLUE LABYRINTH A long-buried family secret has come back to haunt Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. It begins with murder. One of Pendergast’s most implacable, most feared enemies is found on his doorstep, dead. Pendergast has no idea who … has no idea who is responsible for the killing, or why the body was brought to his home. The mystery has all the hallmarks of the perfect crime, save for an enigmatic clue: a piece of turquoise lodged in the stomach of the deceased.
The gem leads Pendergast to an abandoned mine on the shore of California’s Salton Sea, which in turn propels him on a journey of discovery deep into his own family’s sinister past. But Pendergast learns there is more at work than a ghastly episode of family history: he is being stalked by a subtle killer bent on vengeance over an ancient transgression. And he soon becomes caught in a wickedly clever plot, which leaves him stricken in mind and body, and propels him toward a reckoning beyond anything he could ever have imagined….
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The Pendergast novels are always great fun—excellent suspense, settings that range from monasteries in Tibet to the moors of Scotland, and filled with enough erudition (nerdy information about history, science, and the supernatural) to make you feel like you gain a few IQ points in the process. Plus you have to applaud a pair of writers who can pull off a hero that looks like an undertaker—for 14 books! I must have read eight or nine in this series (Still Life with Crows still being my favorite; best villain of all time).
Blue Labyrinth deviates from the typical set up for the series as Pendergast is incapacitated for most of the novel and has to rely on his friends to save his life. This allows some welcome fleshing out of the “supporting cast” who have remained perhaps a little too nebulous in the other books, most notably Constance Green, Pendergast’s ward. While the story of her unnatural longevity is still not revealed (alas), it was fun to see her outsmarting the bad guys and wrecking havoc. Which brings up another staple of the series—just the right amount of gore! Constance offs quite a few of the villain’s henchmen by pouring concentrated acid on them, something which Preston and Child delight in describing in graphic detail.
I also liked the theme of Pendergast’s past catching up with him—he is poisoned by the same toxic elixir that his great-great grandfather Hezekiah created in the 1800s and which brought the family immense wealth. That he has to relinquish his ill-gotten booty (or is that “ill booten gotty”?), seems fitting, although I suspect he’ll still have the financial resources to continue his globe-trotting adventures. (Perhaps in the next book when he needs to travel halfway around the globe to find a killer, he’ll discover himself stranded at LaGuardia because he’s maxed out his American Express from eating too much steak tartare).
While this book requires a few more leaps of faith than some of the previous novels in the series, it’s still great fun.
If you like audio books, I strongly recommend you listen to this and the other Pendergast novels as read by Rene Auberjonois. He is my favorite.
I really enjoy the Pendergast series and have read all that are available. Looking forward to the next one in the series.
A LITTLE SLOW IN PLACES BUT OVERALL I ENJOYED IT.
A real page turner! I received this book in my Bookcase.box club, and I loved it. But when I was about 1/4 of the way through, I discovered it’s #14 in the series. So, I did a little checking and found out it’s fine as a stand alone. I agree with that because I enjoyed it and never felt like I was missing something.
Pendergast’s (the main character) personality reminds me of Sherlock Holmes, and I’m a big Sherlock Holmes fan. He is by no means a copy, but he has a similar quirky personality.
This book hit the floor running. There was stuff going on right at the start, and it kept me interested. It has all the elements that I look for in a mystery and plenty of content to be a thriller. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that I enjoyed this much. I’m off to start book number one in the series.
AGENT PENDERGAST IN GREAT FORM.