Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lee Child

May 28, 2024

Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lee Child

The continuation of the previous Agent Pendergast book, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng. Quick synopsis: Constance Greene, Pendergast's ward (and possible love interest), has time-traveled and crossed into a parallel universe in the year 1880, to save her brother and sister from the clutches of evil Dr. Leng. Unbeknownst to Constance, Pendergast and New York homicide detective Vincent D'Agosta followed her; unbeknownst to all of them, Pendergast's brother Diogenes has also time-traveled back to 1880 (even though he supposedly is dead). Diogenes was following a man named Gaspard Ferenc, time travel scientist, who was planning on buying 20 $1.00 gold coins, then returning to the 21st century and selling the rare coins for a fotune. But even if they are able to rescue Constance's siblings, the time machine has been destroyed, and if Pendergast's associate Proctor can't fix it, they may all be trapped in 1881.

Well, Preston and Child, it took you long enough. I waited over a year for the conclusion to the previous Pendergast novel. Fortunately it does not disappoint. We still don't know for sure if Pendergast and Constance are an item, but there are signs that they are getting it on. Highly recommended, but read the previous book first. Really, start and the beginning and read the whole series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Longacre, now known as Times Square, where much of the action in the novel takes place

The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

April 10, 2023

The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Constance Green, Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast's ward, has traveled back in time to 19th century New York City, to save her siblings Joe and Mary, and also her younger self. Not only has Constance gone back in time, she is in a parallel universe, so she is able to encounter herself as a child. When Pendergast realizes what Constance has done, he has the time machine reassembled (it was destroyed at the end of the previous book) by an eccentric scientist named Gaspard Ferenc. Enlisting the help of his old friend Vincent D'Agosta of the NYPD, Pendy follows Constance back to 19th c. New York, because although he knows Constance is deadly, he also knows that his ancestor Dr. Leng is absolutely a match for her.

Meanwhile, Special Agent Armstrong Coldmoon, Pendy's sometime partner, is tracking down a killer who has been trafficking in Native American artifacts, substituting fakes for the real thing (like Sitting Bull's peace pipe). His investigation takes him to New York, where he learns that his case is tied to a murder case that Vincent is working on. He traces the artifacts to a Colombian drug lord living in Ecuador and sets up a sting operation to draw the man back to the U.S. The sting goes off without a hitch, but there's something not sitting right with Coldmoon. 

And then the book ended.

Damn. So this is only the first half of the story, and the conclusion will be another book (this one was close to 600 pages). I was really irritated when I got to the end, and there's this semi-apology from Douglas saying they're writing the conclusion as fast as they can. Not nice, Douglas and Lincoln. I put that in my Goodreads review so that other readers are aware that they're going to be left hanging, probably for another year. Also, Pendy still hasn't gotten around to telling Constance that he loves her - maybe at the end of the next book. Although considering that Constance has killed several people, it might be prudent to review the situation first.

Blackwell Island, New York, now Roosevelt Island - prison, workhouse, and insane asylum

Crooked River by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

November 9, 2022

Crooked River by Douglas Preston and Lincoln

Captiva Island in Florida is a vacation paradise, with beautiful beaches where visitors enjoy collecting a wide variety of shells. But one morning, dozens of amputated feet wash up instead. The case is strange enough that the FBI's most unusual agent, Special Agent Pendergast, along with his sometime-partner Armstrong Coldmoon, is assigned to investigate. Pendergast's ward, Constance Green, is along for the ride and manages to find her own mystery to solve when she's not working with the two agents.

This is #19 in the Agent Pendergast series. Agent Pendergast is mysterious and has a number of quirks, but his ward Constance Green (who has quite a backstory of her own) and Agent Coldmoon aren't far behind in the quirky/mysterious category. Very enjoyable series, looking forward to the next release. I would suggest reading the books in order so that you get the full narrative. I listened to the audiobook - the narrator gets the inflections exactly right.

Captiva Island

Crooked River State Park, Florida

Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs

September 18, 2022

Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs

On their way back to New York following the successful completion of a case, FBI Special Agents Aloysius Pendergast and Armstrong Coldmoon are diverted to Savannah to investigate an unusual death. The body of a hotel manager has been found completely drained of blood with no rational explanation how it was done. When a second body, a college student, is found a short time later in the same condition, the media quickly dub the killer The Savannah Vampire. Yet there seems to be a connection to the FBI's oldest unsolved case. The investigation takes the two agents and Constance Green, Pendergast's mysterious ward, on a desperate hunt through Savannah's landmark buildings and cemeteries.

This is the 20th book in the Agent Pendergast series (I missed #19 somehow and have it on order at the library). I always enjoy the Pendergast novels, especially the audiobooks. The narrator gets Pendergast's intonations just right. Although the books are classified as mysteries, there are frequently supernatural overtones, and this one leans pretty far into the paranormal. It sounds like the next book may involve time trave back to the 19th century.

Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, where some of the action takes place

The statue of the girl with the birds that two of the characters are trying to find at Bonaventure. The statue graced the cover of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," one of my all-time favorite nonfiction books. The statue was moved out of Bonaventure over 20 years ago.

Verses for the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

March 19, 2020

Verses for the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Early in the morning, an elderly Florida woman and her dog visit the local cemetery where the dog finds an unusual object on a grave, which turns out to be a human heart.  The FBI is called in to investigate the gruesome discovery, more hearts are discovered on graves (all old suicides), and it soon becomes evident that a serial killer, who calls himself Mr. Brokenhearts, is at work.

There has been a reorganization at the FBI and Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast finds himself with (gasp!) a partner.  It’s that, or leave the FBI (or maybe get shipped to a remote FBI office out west).  Agent Coldmoon is a Native American junior agent who is the polar opposite of Pendergast, specifically chosen by Pendergast’s boss Pickett to be Pendergast’s partner and keep an eye on him.  Pendergast follows a hunch that the new murders are somehow connected to the graves where the hearts are found.  His hunch leads him and his new partner from Florida to Maine. 

Agent Pendergast is the main character in one of my favorite mystery series.  This is a strong entry in the series which could be read as a stand-alone title, although I missed hearing more about some of the regulars like Constance and Vincent.  Agent Coldmoon is quite an interesting character on his own, and I hope we see  more of him.  It was interesting that the late William Smithback’s brother Roger Smithback makes an appearance as a whiny Miami journalist.

Preston and Child write other books together in addition to the Agent Pendergast series, and for some reason, their other books are never as good.  I don’t know if that’s because they put so much into the Pendergast series that they just use leftover ideas for the other books or what. 

The library is still open but will be limiting hours next week.  Stay well and keep reading!