An FBI agent, rotting away in a high-security prison for a murder he did not commit…His brilliant, psychotic brother, about to perpetrate a horrific crime…A young woman with an extrodinary past, on th edge of a violent breakdown…An ancient Egyptian tomb with an enigmatic curse, about to be unveiled at a celebrity-studded New York gala…Memento Mori
If you know Preston and Child and Inspector Pendergrast, this book is another page turner. From the top of the world to the depths of life and death. Every time I read one of their books, Preston and Child seem to come up with an amazing way to keep turning the page
I’ve always been a fan of action adventure books where multiple, alternating storylines converge at critical points. If the background tosses in historical fiction, religious secrets, and save-the-world themes, I’m hooked. The Pendergast series written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is no exception, and truthfully, since it’s mostly set in New York City, I’m even more enamored with the entire collection. In their 7th book, the third in the Diogenes arc, The Book of the Dead, we have the revival of a Egyptian tomb that when last opened a century ago led to a curse being summoned, plus we have the shocking aftermath of the last book – the imprisonment of our hero, Aloysius Pendergast. What intensity!
Loved it, like I have all the previous ones. Every time I pick up the next book, I think… ‘oh, 600 pages, that’s gonna take a few days.’ But I am mesmerized by the attention to detail, fabrication of strange and shocking connections between storylines, and the beauty of the minds of these two authors. Truly, they take simple ideas and toss in a grenade that makes the plot unique and unbelievable, in a good way. Pendergast is hands down the most brilliant man in the world, and I want to be him when I grow up. Wait, I am grown up. Okay, I just want to be him now.
The writing is fantastic. It’s not meant to be literary fiction. It’s meant to push the envelope on reality, educate readers on history and science, provide laughter and shock value, and it does all these things with ease and shine… perhaps not during the writing process, as it must take them intense collaboration to get everything just perfect. Which they almost always do. I adored this arc, and Diogenes is a horrible yet admirable character – like a car wreck you can’t take your eyes off of. All in all, this was a fantastic installment. A remarkable 5 stars in many aspects. But… I was disappointed in the ending… not because it wasn’t intelligent and powerful… but because it wasn’t right for the story.
The climax occurs at the museum, where it should… but without revealing any spoilers, the battle between the brothers did not meet my expectations based on their history. Also, it quickly rushes away from NYC to a hidden island somewhere, and we are so caught up in the Egyptian themes that when we get to this island and try to understand the history and connection, readers are a bit lost. Then it ends with a conclusion to the story, albeit a strange one. Won’t spoil more, and I know there’s a future piece of this arc from seeing the titles of the books left in the series (another 12) which I will definitely be reading! Yet it left me a bit frustrated, so only 4 stars.
These two gentlemen have made many a day happy for me. Pendergast is marvelous. So complex I have read everything they have written about, randomly saw their book at Sam’s Club, ran to library got my first, then started on all the others. I have even read Lincoln Childs other books too. If you want a great read start with RELIC, and read on from there, You will get caught up in Special Agent Pendergast and keep reading all these great books. What an adventure you are in for.
The book that turned me on to Preston & Child and their brainchild Pendergast.
Pendergast.
Anything by these authors is an automatic read for me and I have only been disappointed once. Yet I will continue to read anything published by either or both. Thank you gentlemen for years of treasured stories.
Pendergast Series is tops!