CITY OF ENDLESS NIGHT

5 stars out of 5

Love this series; loved this book. From the first page on, I didn't want to put it down and, for the record, I read the whole thing in record time. 

While there's no shortage of action, though, this one - the 17th - focuses far less on the almost otherworldly side of FBI Special Agent A.X.L. (Aloysius) Pendergast. Maybe that's because his beloved ward, Constance Greene, isn't part of his life now; she's retreated to a monastery, apparently with no plans to return any time soon - and understandably, he's in a bit of a personal funk. But by the end of the book, he's picked up investigative steam - finding clues, digesting them and spitting out spot-on conclusions.

The saga begins with the murder of the daughter of a ruthless, much-hated technology billionaire. It's a killing with a gruesome twist: There's a body, but no head. The case falls under the purview of Lt. Vincent D'Agosta, who's less than thrilled that it landed in his lap in large part because he knows the whole thing will turn into a media circus. So it is, then, that he's not unhappy when his rather eccentric friend Pendergast turns up at the crime scene. 

A shortage of clues leaves both men scratching their heads - Pendergast less so, of course - and the situation slides downhill fast. Not only does another victim turn up (well, most of him, anyway; he, too, is headless), but a nosy newspaper reporter got a whiff of a Pulitzer and starts sharpening his pencil - to the point of coining the phrase to describe New York City that became the title of the book. 

Still, law enforcement folks try hard to squelch the rumor that a deranged serial killer is on the loose, but those efforts take a nosedive as more heads roll (literally). Now, there's little doubt that the murders are the work of one person (perhaps with a cohort); and it's up to Pendergast and D'Agosta to discover the why and, of course, the who - the sooner the better.

Meanwhile, the reporter's articles continue to rile up the general public (as well as spark a sub-plot scenario that, as an aside, to me seemed totally out of joint with the rest of the story). Near the end, the action takes a very serious turn toward the worst-case scenario, leading Pendergast on a not-so-merry chase that could result in no possibility of an 18th book.

If there is one, though, it's a sure bet I'll be chomping at the bit to get my hands on it. As for this one, three cheers to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advance copy (via NetGalley). 

City of Endless Night by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, January 2018); 368 pp.