The Book of the Dead

"The Book of the Dead" is everything a thriller fan could hope for - a page-turning, unputdownable, thrilling, decadently readable, thoroughly entertaining, slam bang finale to a colourful, imaginative trilogy! The basic plot premise is simplicity itself! FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast's younger brother Diogenes has announced his plan to execute a mysteriously undefined perfect crime. As a result of intense psychological examination, Pendergast has determined that this crime is to be Diogenes' revenge for a childhood sin perpetrated against his younger brother, the nature of which has been completely suppressed in Pendergast's unconscious memories! The dastardly crime must be prevented at all costs despite Pendergast not knowing even the tiniest detail of Diogenes' actual intentions! The story gallops at breakneck speed from crisis to crisis as the life or death clash between Pendergast and his psychopathic megalomaniacal brother escalates to a thrilling climax but we are privileged to watch it being played out with masterful attention to character building, dialogue, detail, pacing and clever ratcheting or release of tension! As we have come to expect from their previous work, Preston and Child have once again packed their tale with a dazzling myriad of mini-plots that have afforded them a number of stages from which they could also deliver a series of wildly entertaining and informative lectures - the politics and history of Egyptian archeology; the religious beliefs and burial practices of the ancient Egyptians; the nature of security in a modern maximum security prison built for incorrigible offenders; the logistical details of mounting a world class exhibit in a modern museum; the potential for neurological damage caused by intense light and high volume sound bombardment; the trivia of diamond classification, colour, cut and value; and, arcane details of forensic evidence examination such as the study of knots or cloth; to name only a few examples. Readers who have observed Pendergast's growing resemblance to Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes in the novels which preceded "The Book of the Dead" will shiver with a frisson of delight at the tumultuous Reichenbach Falls style climax which takes place on the very flanks of Mount Stromboli in Sicily. When Pendergast announced his intentions to retire to a period of solitude and contemplation at a Tibetan monastery, I quietly sent up a short prayer to the writing gods with the fervent hope that Lincoln and Child bring Pendergast back for a 21st century version of "The Final Problem"! Quiet retirement or beekeeping would not suit Pendergast any better than it did Holmes. And, by the way, be very, very sure that you read this novel right to the very last sentence ... and what a last sentence it is! Oh yeah ... did I say that I enjoyed the novel? Paul Weiss

As usual, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child confirm their great ability in writing cool, well-conceived page turners. In this book in particular, a lot of details about some of the characters are unveiled, and the "Pendergast Trilogy" featuring Aloysius vs. Diogenes finally comes to an end... and what an end! Apart from the praises for the writing style and action scenes, for the characters and the mood, another point I found particularly strong in this book was the obvious amount of research the authors did. I am Italian, and the small details, for example the streets of Florence, or the cuss exclamation of a Carabiniere, or even the cell number of a bus driver (which uses a correct prefix for an Italian cell phone, no fake "555" number) all prove that they really went into research for the book. Also, the frequent sentences in Italian are correct and do make sense this time (unlike some of their previous books where the sentences were dictionary-translated and light-years from what a "real" Italian would say). The only quirk I found was with the audio book itself - while the guy who reads the book has a fantastic voice and a clear, perfect tone, it's also very clear he is not at ease with the Italian language. Some accents he uses while reading Italian words range from mildly amusing to utterly ludicrous, but then I guess it's something only a native Italian speaker would notice. All in all, a fantastic book, definitely well worth it! If you appreciate Preston and Child's novels, don't miss this one, with a single caveat: for maximum enjoyment you will need previous knowledge of facts and characters, so reading the other books (at the very least Brimstone and Dance of Death, ideally quite a few others) is *strongly* advised.

Book of the Dead is the third book in what Preston & Child call their "Pendergast Trilogy," which began two years ago with Brimstone. Secrets are revealed, including "the Event" which transformed Pendergast's brother Diogenes into a sociopathic killer. Characters from previous novels, inlcuding The Ice Limit, Relic, Thunderhead, and Cabinet of Curiosities make notable appearances. Pendergast's mysterious ward, Constance (who has done very little in the earlier books,) takes a lead role with spectacular results. There's action, violence, a scheme to murder millions, some twists, and the best prison scene since Silence of the Lambs. If you've been waiting for this book, you won't be disappointed. If you're new to the series, you might miss out on a lot of the references to previous stories, and you'll enjoy this more if you read those earlier books first. I read it in one sitting, staying up all night, and I'm tired but happy. Congrats on another winner, Mr. Preston and Mr. Child.

The board members of the New York Museum of Natural History just don't seem to learn. After experiencing the terrors of THE RELIC and THE RELIQUARY, one would think they would be concerned about reopening the Tomb of Senef, particularly since two men have experienced unexplained neurological damage while working on the project. However, the board is determined to pursue the project to deflect attention from their attempts to cover up the return of their entire stolen diamond collection- returned as diamond grit, that is. Diogenes Pendergast has put into motion the perfectly orchestrated crime. This crime is an attempt to recreate the work of his ancestor, Comstock Pendergast, and will affect all who enter the Tomb. Nora Kelly, William Smithback, Viola Maskelene, Margo Green, and Constance Greene are all returning characters from previous Preston and Child books and they too are part of Diogenes' diabolic plan. Meanwhile, former Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast is incarcerated at Herkmoor Penitentiary, as part of Diogenes' twisted plan (see DANCE OF DEATH for details). Herkmoor Penitentiary is considered impossible to escape but that is before Eli Glinn employs his agency's technical expertise. Pendergast, Vincent D'Agosta, and Captain Laura Hayward will have to work together yet again to stop Diogenes from wreaking destruction on their friends and the entire city of New York. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child demonstrate once again why they are the masters of this genre. THE BOOK OF THE DEAD is a cleverly crafted thriller with enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages well into the night. While the returning characters provide a sense of familiarity, Preston and Child do not sacrifice the plot by any means. THE BOOK OF THE DEAD draws the reader in from the first sentence and doesn't let go until the very end. This is not a novel you will want to put down as Lincoln and Child continually keep you guessing as to how the characters will thwart Diogenes. THE BOOK OF THE DEAD can be read as a stand alone novel as the authors provide the necessary background to understand the basic plot. However, readers will miss the intricate details that make this series so successful if they do not read the earlier novels. At a minimum, this reviewer recommends reading DANCE OF DEATH prior to THE BOOK OF THE DEAD if only to provide the full complexity of Diogenes' deviousness. Part of what makes the Preston and Child novels so addictive is the authors' innate ability to weave together numerous plotlines from various books into a cohesive format. Readers familiar to the series will recognize details and characters from previous books and will be impressed at the sheer brilliance of Preston and Child at combining all of these elements into one book. THE BOOK OF THE DEAD is one thriller you do not want to miss reading!! COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES