Cabinet of Curiosities- I love the plot of the hunt for an "immortal" serial killer. If memory serves, this was the first book that brought Pendergast, Smithback, and Nora Kelly together. I loved the mix of thriller, mystery, history, and the occult.Riptide- I was always fascinated by the Oak Island mystery, and this story is clearly inspired by that tale.
Relic- This is more of a straight-up action adventure story than the other Pendergast novels, but it's perhaps the purest adrenaline rush of all the Preston-Child books. Loved it!
Dance of Death- Pendergast is playing a cat-and-mouse game with brother Diogenese, who just might be his match. The only negative about this book is Diogenes is such a worthy adversary that I don't think I'll ever be able to take another Pendergast opponent as seriously. Diogenes understands Pendergast in a way no one else does.
Thunderhead- Not a Pendergast story, but Smithback and Kelly caught up in another of my favorite mysteries- the disappearance of the Anasazi.
Still Life with Crows- The first really creepy Pendergast novel. Most thrillers go for exotic settings, but Preston and Child plop their hero down in a small town in Kansas, and pull it off masterfully. Book of the Dead- Another Pendergast vs Diogenese story with shades of Relic.
Brimstone- Hints of the occult and a trek to Italy make this an intriguing tale.
Fever Dream- I loved the twisting plot and the surprises along the way.
Reliquary- A cool plot with forays into underground New York into the kingdom of the "Mole People." The ending is memorable, if a bit over the top.
Cemetery Dance- No spoilers here, but this would be higher if they hadn't killed off a favorite character.
Cold Vengeance- Reviewed this recently. A good book, but it definitely felt like the middle of a story, rather than a stand-alone book in a linked series of three.
The Ice Limit- A good book, but very different from the Pendergast books. Reminiscent in some ways of a Crichton novel. It's near the bottom for me because I didn't connect with any of the characters.
Mount Dragon- I remember nothing at all about this book. I take that back- I think I remember something about a virtual reality world. Maybe I'll go back and read it, but it doesn't bode well that nothing about it stuck with me.
Wheel of Darkness- Pendergast almost got his butt kicked by a weird pattern woven into a rug. I'm not kidding. Like the others in the series, I enjoyed it, but it's far from my favorite.Gideon's Sword- A good book, but I'll have to wait and see if Gideon grows on me.
I'll sum up by saying that the worst Preston/Child book is better than 90% of the books published in the genre today, so being at or near the bottom of this list isn't a slam. It's all relative.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours?
2 comments:
I would agree with your #1 and 3 - Cabinet of Curiosities is just an awesome thriller and Relic is great. I'm not crazy about Riptide. I liked the mystery but I wasn't crazy about the hero (who is responsible for a number of the deaths that occur) or the resolution.
I would switch the first two with riptide first and Cabinet second. and the last two, I really dislike wheel. Other than that I agree with the rankings.
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