BADLANDS

4.5 stars out of 5

Make no mistake: this is one of my favorite series, and even if it weren't, if I've ever passed up an opportunity to read anything written by either (or both) of these super-talented authors it was an accident. So why only four-and-a-half stars? Simply because the subject matter, while extremely interesting (I can't imagine the amount of research it must have taken to write the book) it crosses just a hair over the line of credibility for someone like me who is certain my late parents lied and I really was born in Missouri.

Still, except maybe for that one part that encompassed only a couple of pages, I loved it. And I'm pretty sure other fans of the series will love it as well. If nothing else, it once again brings together New Mexico FBI Agent Corrie Swanson and archaeologist Nora Kelly - both interesting yet very different characters. That happens following the discovery of a female skeleton in a remote section of the Navajo Nation badlands - a woman who appears to have been there all alone of her own volition. She'd inexplicably shed her clothing in the terrible desert heat, but she had with her a pair of extremely rare stones Knowing Nora likely would know more about them, Corrie solicits her advice; as it turns out, Nora is more than intrigued - and at that point, let the adventure begin.

Intrigued by the stones, Nora takes her younger brother Skip to meet Edison Nash, the wealthy dude who owns the two known stones. They take an immediate liking to one another - and bottles of expensive tequila - but Nora worries that Nash may have acquired some of his extensive collection of artifacts by not-so-legitimate means and could be a negative influence on Skip. While that's going on, Corrie's team identifies the woman's body and finds a connection to a local university professor and his loyal group of accolytes - most definitely worth checking out, especially since the professor seems to have disappeared. To confuse matters even more, yet another body is found in the badlands - another female who died under almost identical circumstances.

Many more strange discoveries later, everything comes crashing together as Skip and his new best bud go missing and Nora and Corrie head out to find them. Needless to say, everything from that point on I read from the edge of my seat - until I lugged my Kindle to bed just because I wasn't about to wait till morning to finish and that seat edge was getting uncomfortable. It was definitely worth the loss of a little sleep, though, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to tag along on this latest ride. I'm ready for next adventure, in fact, so bring it on soon, please!

Badlands by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, June 2025); 368 pp.

ANGEL OF VENGEANCE

5 stars out of 5

Right up front I'll say this: if you haven't read at least a couple of other recent books in this series, it's likely you won't "get' much of this one. If what I've read is correct, it closes the books, so to speak, on the efforts of FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, to defeat the evil Dr. Enoch Leng - this time on the doctor's own turf, New York City, in the late 1880s. But those who have been following the action will, I think, agree that it's a zinger.

There has been, you see, a "portal" that leads from the present to that 19th century past; in the previous book, Constance - partly for personal reasons and mostly to save her family (including herself as a child) from certain torture and death at the hands of Leng - made her way through. She was followed by Pendergast and Vincent D'Agosta, after which - whoops - the portal slammed shut, perhaps never to open again. The questions at the start are many: Will Constance get Leng before he gets her? Will Pendergast be able to save her (if, in fact, he finds her at all)? If any or all survive, will they find a way to get back to the present? 

Those questions, as well as some readers won't even think to ask, will be answered as the protagonists plot their moves through the underbelly of a city in which Uber's pick-up and delivery vehicles have four legs. There are many twists, turns and narrow escapes, but there's no escaping that it's a riveting adventure. But to get the details, you'll just have to read it for yourself. As for me, I'll just say Wow! and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the privilege of reading a pre-release copy. 

Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, August 2024); 346 pp.

THE CABINET OF DR. LENG

5 stars out of 5

Spoiler that's not a spoiler: Prepare yourself for a doozy of a cliffhanger. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy a ride that will take you - together with mysterious FBI agent A.X.L. Pendergast, his beautiful ward, Constance Green and his occasional investigative partner Lt. Vincent D'Agosta - back to a time, and a deadly nemesis, they'd all prefer to forget.

Actually, there are two other stories here, broadening the appeal and giving extra page time to D'Agosta and Special Agent Armstrong Coldmoon, both of whom will be familiar to followers of this series (of which this is the 21st). D'Agosta finds himself cooling his heels in a New York museum, where a body was found frozen in one of the preservation rooms - clearly not an accident. Coldmoon, who transfers to the Denver office, gets called in to investigate the murder of a prominant Lakota artist on the Rosebud Reservation. Pendergast, understandably, is distraught that Constance has left him - faithful readers will recall her exit in the previous book, Bloodless - and he's painfully aware of where she's gone and why. She hasn't asked for his help - in fact, she would be irrevocably upset if he gave it - so he must proceed with caution if he proceeds at all.

The whole thing is, obviously, very other-worldly, but I'm sure those who have been following the stories will "get" it. Providing more details on what happens and how wouldn't be prudent on my part, so I'll just say it's well-thought-out and a delight to read. And oh, did I mention a doozy of a cliffhanger? Extra thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this pre-release copy. Next, please? And soon?

The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, January 2023); 416 pp.

DIABLO MESA

5 stars out of 5

When I first realized the direction this book was taking, I admit my first reaction was, "Aww, c'mon, guys, you're really not going to go there, are you?" Well, yes - yes they did - and guess what? It was a heck of a ride.

This is the third in the series starring archaeologist Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson, an FBI agent. I've been following the two since the beginning, and this entry certainly doesn't disappoint. When billionaire Lucas Tappan (think: a more affable but no less filthy rich version of Elon Musk) asks the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute to take on a scientific excavation of the Roswell Incident site on his dime, the Institute head and Nora's nemesis assigns Nora to the project. Nora refuses - after all, the UFO crash theory was debunked years ago. When the boss insists, Nora walks out.

As it turns out, so does Tappan - right to the parking lot, where he turns on his charm and opens his wallet to convince Nora to head up what now will be their private project. To her surprise, she learns that her brother Skip, who lives with her and works at the Institute, has accepted a job with Tappan's new venture. After much cajoling - and a closer look at the crash site - Nora agrees (well, it's not like she has a job to go back to, and besides, there's no one else to keep an eye on her brother). 

The dig site is at a remote spot called Diablo Mesa, the spot where an alien spaceship is believed by some to have crashed - an event the government has tried to cover up ever since. When a pair of not so well-buried bodies turns up early on and it seems great pains have been taken to hide their identities, Nora gets suspicious. She calls in her friend Corrie, who through a nasty turn of events has just been assigned a new FBI mentor (readers get a glimpse of what he's up to in previous chapters). The dig resumes, unearthing clues that lead to more questions than answers. Neither Nora nor Corrie are about to quit, at least until things start to happen that could force that issue and possibly even bring their careers to a permanent end.

Honestly, I can't say I've ever bought into the conspiracy theories of a Roswell cover-up, but this tale certainly put a new, and at least somewhat plausible, spin on it. Besides that, I was so intrigued by the cologne that Tappan favored - called "Creed Santal" - that I just had to look it up. At roughly $300 for a relatively small bottle of the stuff, though, guess I'll have to settle for popping in an upscale department store to see if I can find a salesperson who'll let me sniff a sample. Meantime, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this book. It was a dandy!

Diablo Mesa by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, February 2022); 400 pp.

BLOODLESS

 5 stars out of 5

Wow - this one sure took a turn for the bizarre! And the ending? Well, I'm still in shock. The ending, of course, I can't reveal. As for the bizarre, with this series - this is the 20th book - it's pretty much to be expected, although maybe not quite this much.

The story begins with the 1971 disappearance of D.B. Cooper, who, threatening the flight crew with what turned out to be a fake bomb, collected a ransom of $200,000 and parachuted from Flight 305 that started in Portland headed for Seattle (which is, for the record, a true story). Readers may (should) suspect that this has some bearing on the tale that follows, when FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his partner, Agent Armstrong Coldmoon, are ordered to Savannah, Georgia. There, a couple of bodies have been found totally drained of blood - either a blessing or a bane, depending on who's looking to get rich or famous - in a city that's known for its ghosts and vampires.

Special interests also are at work here, in the form of a group looking to capture paranormal activity on film and a man looking to do an expose on the paranormal-filming group. While a couple of blood-let bodies may boost or hinder their causes one way or another, the same can be said of how their activities impact Pendergast's investigation. Throw in a couple more bloodless bodies, a sinister cemetery and some futuristic technology, and Pendergast and company definitely have their hands and thinking caps full.

As usual, Pendergast gets a lot of assistance from his ward with the mysterious background, Constance Greene; this time, her help not only is crucial to solving the case, but ultimately brings into question the direction future books in this series will take. For sure I'm one who will be waiting on pins and needles for the next one. As for this, well, nothing left to say but bravo (and please, please, don't waste any time getting the next installment ready).

Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, August 2021); 400 pp.

THE SCORPION'S TAIL

5 stars out of 5

For a plain old whodunit-when-how story, this series offers a refreshing new direction. If you're a history buff, you'll like it even better. If it matters, I read the first one, Old Bones, and I loved it as well. The stars of the show are archeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, both stationed in the Santa Fe area of New Mexico. Here, Carrie is fresh off a case in which one of her skills was put to the test - with an outcome that's left her (and possibly her superior officer) uncertain of her future at the FBI.

When a new case comes along - the discovery of a mummified corpse in High Lonesome, a ghost town near White Sands, where the atomic bomb was tested in 1945 - Corrie gets the assignment (mostly, she suspects, to keep her mind off recent events). She's not thrilled, but given her degree in forensic anthropology, she quickly realizes she needs professional help. She and Nora are the kind of friends who hold hands to keep from fighting, but Nora's expertise - and proximity to the mummy's burial site - mean Corrie must put aside any personal misgivings and ask Nora to make an examination. Nora isn't pleased either - she's working another important case and hoping for a big promotion - but Corrie's persistence wears her down and off she goes.

Two things are striking right from the start: the manner in which the victim was poisoned and how the dead man came to be holding tight to an extremely valuable, centuries-old artifact. That brings up questions about the nearby Army base and unearths interesting history of the people who once inhabited the lands.

All told, it's another great adventure from a pair of writers who never disappoint. It's not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but it's always a good idea to start at the beginning - especially when that one is equally delicious.

The Scorpion's Tail by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, January 2021); 309 pp.

CROOKED RIVER

5 stars out of 5

Plots that border the implausible and characters who do the impossible make this series especially appealing to me. The star of the show, FBI special agent Aloysius Pendergast, and his young, mysterious ward, Constance Greene, are so intriguing that I simply can't get enough. In this one, it's clear from the outset that something grisly is afoot - literally; but while Pendergast performs his usual feats of mental brilliance, it is Constance who steals the action scenes this time around.

Enjoying some rare downtime, Pendergast is annoyed to get a call ordering him to a crime scene on Florida's Sanibel Island. There, he learns that dozens of identical green sneakers are floating ashore with the tide - all containing human feet. But from whence did they come? Are the rest of the bodies still intact and alive, and if so, where?

Other police and Coast Guard officers and FBI agents (the latter including Assistant Director Walter Pickett, with whom I developed an immediate affinity given that Pickett is my maiden name) are there to help. Theories run all over the map, for a time centering on a Cuban prison. But only when Pendergast commandeer's the research boat of a Dr. Gladstone and her capable tech-savvy assistant do they discover the true origin - and it's too close to home for comfort. Meanwhile, a local hot-shot reporter finds a clue and sets off on his own to get the scoop - putting his own life in peril - and Pendergast calls on another of his cohorts, Agent Coldmoon (a Native American who will be familiar to readers of previous books), to kick in his special brand of assistance.

But the more the investigation gets a leg-up on the truth, the more the powers-that-be insist that Pendergast and his team to toe the official line. Needless to say, stay the course has never been part of Pendergast's crime-solving strategy, and it certainly rankles him this time around. But this case just might the one to do him in; and it will be up to Constance, with some help from Coldmoon - to keep this, the 19th book, from becoming the end of the series. But no, I never really believed that was a possibility, and a cliffhanger at the end assured me there will be a 20th. Bring it on!

Crooked River by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, February 2020); 416 pp.

OLD BONES

5 stars out of 5


For a second or two, I considered giving this book - the start of a new series by the authors of one of my other favorite series - four stars with the expectation that the next one will be better. But then I remembered when, as a student, how much I hated teachers who refused to give papers an A because that "doesn't leave room for improvement" (fortunately, those nitwits were few and far between). So here's my take: No matter what comes next, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and give it top marks.

Featured here is Nora Kelly, an archeologist curator who works for a nonprofit institute and is working amid the remains of a former Pueblo Indian site. She's approached by Dr. Clive Benton (interestingly, in the official book description, the visit is by historian Guy Porter, so now I'm curious about the reason for the name change in the finished product). At any rate, he shares a story relating to the 1847 Donner Party, almost all of whom were lost to bad weather, murder and even cannibalism (and of which he claims to be a descendant). To entice the institute to fund an expedition, he dangles the real possibility of finding gold coins valued at about $20 million in today's market - a third of which would go to the institute.

The lure of much-needed funding sways Nora's boss in Benton's favor, and off they go to the Sierra Nevadas - aided by a journal Benton found that supposedly was documented by another relative. Led to the wilderness by a team of local guides, it doesn't take long to unearth two of the Donner camps, but it is in the third - not yet found - that the gold is likely to be.

As all this is taking place, newly minted FBI agent Corrine Swanson is earning her bones, so to speak, mostly with boring desk work. Corrie, some readers may recall, is a protoge of Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast - the main character in that favorite series of mine mentioned above. Then, she gets a case in which a very old grave is robbed of half its contents, after which the robber is unceremoniously murdered execution style. Because that happened on federal land, the feds are in charge - and the investigation puts Corrie in the general vicinity of Nora's excavations.

Needless to say, the two professionals end up meeting - and bumping heads - as the two storylines begin to merge and Corrie begins to suspect a connection between her case and Nora's work. Also needless to say, danger follows close behind; more suspicious deaths (and near deaths) happen before the book ends with a flurry of excitement and an appearance by a very special person.

All in all, very well done - and certainly an enticement to read about Nora's next adventure. I shall be eagerly waiting!

Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, August 2019); 385 pp.

VERSES FOR THE DEAD

5 stars out of 5

What a joy it is to enjoy a book so much that you're sad when you reach the end! Over the years, I've become a fan of several series, including this one - never (or rarely) missing a new installment. And over those same years, I've watched way too many of them become rather stale; characters I'd come to love fall off their professional games, take on lesser roles in their own stories and even, in one instance, continue to act like a silly pre-teenager well into what should be grown-up years. Not so here; although I admit to wishing for a bit more interaction between FBI agent A.X.L. Pendergast and his ward, Constance, his remarkable sleuthing powers and clever repartee haven't faded one whit.

But while many things remain the same, others have changed; most notably, a new chief at the FBI's New York field office, who isn't pleased with Pendergast's think-outside-the-box tendencies, no matter how many cases he solves as a result. As such, he gives Pendergast an ultimatum: Henceforth, he must work with a partner. That turns out to be junior agent Coldmoon, a  Native American from the Lakota tribe who's very intriguing in his own right (in fact, he's interesting enough that I can see him with a series of his own (are you listening, Messieurs Preston and Child)? For now, though, they're a dynamic duo - and watching two very capable characters who really don't want to work together work together is a treat.

As the story begins, a very fresh human heart is found in Miami on the grave of Elise Baxter, who died 11 years earlier - her death deemed suicide by hanging. A note announcing the "gift" is signed "Mister Brokenhearts," so the search begins to identify the writer as well as the former owner of the heart. When the rest of her is found, Pendergast and Coldmoon are assigned to the case (in fact, Coldmoon gets another concurrent assignment, but the nature of that one isn't for me to reveal).

The two detectives head first to Maine, where Baxter died, but clues or ties to the heart-deprived woman are nonexistent. Meanwhile, another fresh heart turns up in a mausoleum in Miami - on the container holding the remains of a woman who reportedly committed suicide in a manner eerily similar to Baxter. By this time, Pendergast's supervisor is plenty riled up, and his anger only escalates when Pendergast insists that exhumation of the long-ago suicide victims' bodies is highly advisable. Ultimately, though, he gets his way, and when an especially capable medical examiner does her thing, clues start falling into place that lead Pendergast and Coolmoon to uncharted territory and a fight to the death (who bites the dust is yet another tidbit that's for me to know and other readers to find out).

All told, it's quite an exciting adventure, and I'm sorry it's over. I have confidence that another installment is in the works, of course - but hey, fellas, could you please hurry it up just a little bit?

Verses for the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, December 2018); 353 pp.

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.

THE OBSIDIAN CHAMBER

5 stars out of 5


The most recent book in the long-running series featuring Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast, Crimson Shore, ended with the eccentric, almost other-worldly agent missing and presumed dead. This one, not surprisingly, picks up where that one left off. And because it's the next in a series, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Pendergast somehow survived his ordeal on the shores of Exmouth, Massachusetts. 

Admittedly, the previous book didn't thrill me as much as I'd hoped; still, when I got a chance to read an advance copy of this one in exchange for an honest review, I jumped at it. And boy, am I glad I did; any shortcomings in that last one are made up for here in spades. It's not a short book at 560 pages, but I polished it off in three days just because it was too hard to put down.

It begins two weeks after Pendergast is lost, and his ward, the ageless Constance Greene, is beside herself with grief. She retreats to the catacombs beneath the house she shares with the agent, thinking life as she'd come to know it is over. Suddenly, she's apparently taken captive by someone familiar with the Pendergast mansion on Riverside Drive - someone thought to have been killed by Constance almost three years earlier. As Pendergast's "man" Proctor begins to track her down, he's attacked as well; when he picks up the chase once again, he follows "clues" that could lead him to Constance or, more likely, to meet his maker. 

As always, though, nothing is written in stone (well, actually, some of it is; the "obsidian" referred to in the book title is a glass-like volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava without crystallization). Needless to say, it plays a central part in the story, which takes the characters and readers halfway around the world and back before coming to an end - with the requisite cliffhanger, of course. I wish I offer more details, but doing so undoubtedly would spoil things for those familiar with the series. 

For those who haven't yet had the pleasure, I'll say this can be read as a standalone, but your enjoyment will be enhanced if you read at least a few of the books that came before it (this is, I believe, the 16th in the series). In any event, kudos to the authors for dreaming up yet another intricate, intriguing plot!

The Obsidian Chamber by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, October 2016); 560 pp.

CRIMSON SHORE

3.5 stars out of 5

Reading about the adventures of FBI Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, always is a treat. This latest installment, though, doesn't quite measure up to its predecessors. The first two-thirds of the book is outstanding; thinking it was finished at that point, I said to myself, "Well done," only to discover that the plot veers off in another direction. That final part is where I lost interest; the whole scenario, which ended in a major cliffhanger that more than anything else smacked of future sales enticement somehow seemed disjointed and implausible even by Pendergast standards. 

The adventure begins as the duo come to Exmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the theft of a very expensive wine collection (Pendergast agrees to take the case only because he insisted that the client give him a bottle of extremely rare wine from a case that was left behind for a fee). Early on, they discover that the wine cellar has a much darker secret; a chamber hidden behind the wine racks in which a man was chained and most likely tortured many years ago (with a nod to Edgar Allen Poe). That discovery leads to another secret: That the fishing village harbors an even darker history that includes pillaging, covens of witches who escaped the 1692 trials in Salem and, of course, murder. 

All that history might have remained the subject of conjecture, but then a newly murdered body - carved with demonic symbols, no less - is found in the salt marshes that leads Pendergast and Greene - a la Holmes and Watson - to start connecting dots to the past. That's followed by another body that's unearthed under similar circumstances, and the links to history turn even more sinister. 

Along the way, readers get in-depth looks at the personalities of the main characters; and although much of their appeal is that they're quirky to say the least, they seem to veer off the deep end here. Tossing perfectly good lobster rolls in the trash simply because they couldn't figure out how to get them to their mouths? Prim, proper and disdainful of "modern" ways I understand, but for gosh sake, if they're intelligent enough to solve complex murders (and, presumably, are hungry), surely one of them could have dredged up the intestinal fortitude to ask for a fork.

Make no mistake, though, I'm still a fan of this series (and of the authors, both individually and as a team); Pendergast and Greene's eccentricities and peccadilloes in and of themselves are enough to keep the books on my must-read list.

Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, November 2015); 337 pp.

THE LOST ISLAND

4 stars out of 5

There's no shortage of action in this, the third in the series featuring Dr. Gideon Crew - a thief turned scientist with a terminal illness that could take his life at any given moment. As one might expect, that means he's got nothing much to lose, so he's willing to go where no man has gone before.

And man, he does exactly that. I enjoyed it thoroughly - in some ways even more than the first two - but I warn that you'll need more than a modicum of creative imagination to get through it; some parts (make that most parts) cross over to the realm of fantasy. Still, it's fun, moves along quickly and, all in all, didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the series in the slightest.

This one begins as Gideon is brought in to steal a page from the Book of Kells, which is on display in New York City under seemingly impenetrable security. Of course, he pulls it off - only to deliver it to his "boss," the invalid Eli Glinn, who promptly dunks it in something to remove the text and drawings to reveal an ancient treasure map. But all that glitters isn't gold; rather, it's a long-hidden secret that could change the course of both Gideon and Glinn.

Together with a young, beautiful woman named Amy (with whom he was ordered to partner up), he sets off on a journey that traces those of ancient Greeks and takes them to never-before-seen territory. There, they discover - well, you'll just have to read the book to find out what - but suffice it to say the adventure nearly costs them their lives.

I wasn't sure whether a fourth book will be forthcoming, but after finishing this one, it's pretty clear there's one in the works. Count me among those on the waiting list!

The Lost Island by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, August 2014); 368 pp.

GIDEON'S CORPSE

3 stars out of 5

This is the second in the series featuring Dr. Gideon Crew, whose talents range from fine art theft to a Ph.D. in something akin to nuclear physics to physical prowess that surpass just about any human I've ever known. And while the esteemed Dr. Crew comes across in this one as a man who may have a heart behind his shoulder holster, it's just not believable enough for me to ante up more than 3 stars - the same as I gave the first book, Gideon's Sword.

This one takes off with a bang - literally- when a nuclear scientist apparently goes off the deep end, holding a family hostage and killing one of them. Turns out he's been done in by radiation, and the powers-that-be conclude that he was involved in building a nuclear bomb that will be detonated in a major American city in ten days. Of course, Gideon, a special agent when he's called upon (albeit a reluctant her  - he'd much rather be fishing), is coerced into investigating, finding the culprits and preventing a disaster so big the United States might never recover.

I don't think it's a spoiler to say Crew cuts to the chase and saves the day - there's a third book in the series, after all - but the investigation takes him across the country and back to places like a religious fanatic's commune in the wild and a big-city Islamic mosque. There's plenty of action, of course, with guns blasting, fists flying and objects that go boom in the day and night. In the midst of trying to identify the bad guys and fighting them off, there's even a hint of romance. As I said before, the action parts in particular aren't very believable, but at the same time, it makes for never a dull moment.

As far as I can tell at this point, there's one more book left in the series, The Lost Island. I do plan to read it, hoping that a couple of issues left dangling in this one will be resolved (and also hoping it will be at least a cut above the first two).

Gideon's Corpse by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, January 2012); 371 pp.

GIDEON'S SWORD

3 stars out of 5

This is the first book featuring Dr. Gideon Crew, whose mission in life is to avenge the murder of his father, who was made a scapegoat by the U.S. government as a result of an unsuccessful intelligence project. Because I'm a fan of both authors (singularly and collectively), when I got a chance to get all three books in the series at a super price, I jumped on it - even though of the 440 reviews of the first one at Amazon.com (at the time of this writing), 213 were one and/or two stars. 

Here's the deal: A renegade through and through, Crew is offered a job with a private contractor that involves finding a Chinese scientist who is supposedly sneaking plans for a deadly weapon into the United States. Apparently, someone else wants what the scientist has as well, and in an early-on melee, the scientist ends up dead. But that's not before he passes on a string of numbers to Crew, who tries to save him. Now, the race is on to find out what those numbers mean. 

Now that I've finished the book, I understand why many of the ratings are so low. The action is almost nonstop - with gruesome murders happening at every turn. But that's not necessarily a good thing; much of the action involves such super-human efforts that it's just not believable. Perhaps worse, speed seems to have replaced quality; the characters aren't very well developed. Crew himself fares a little better in that regard, though I won't go so far as to call him likable.

All those issues aside, it really wasn't that bad; the ending set up a scenario for the next one, Gideon's Corpse, and yes, I still plan to read it - if only to see if the characters are better fleshed out and some of the over-the-top wild action gets tamed.

Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, February 2011); 356 pp.

BLUE LABYRINTH

4 stars out of 5

This is, I believe, the 14th book in the series featuring FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, who loves what he does so much - and is so independently wealthy - that he accepts a "salary" of only $1 a year. Not insignificantly, this also allows him far greater latitude as he conducts crime investigations and helps him remain more than a little bit of a mysterious streak.

For the record, I've read only one other in this series - White Fire - which is the 13th. I enjoyed it very much as well, and I remain steadfast in my belief that someday - really - I'll get around to reading a few of the earlier editions. That said, the two I've read stand alone well enough that while having a more in-depth knowledge of character development over the years would be helpful, it's certainly not necessary.

This book, too, was hard to put down, resulting in much daily grousing when other chores loomed between me and my Kindle Fire. I will, however, offer my only criticism - such as it is - that the ending is a bit over-dramatic and implausible (hence 4 stars instead of 5). But when I think about it, that's to be expected in a Pendergast book.

It begins as Pendergast opens his front door to find a body "standing" there. It's not just your average old body, though - it's the body of his worse-than-evil estranged son. There are no apparent clues until an atopsy reveals an unusual piece of turquoise in his stomach; after uncovering the probable source of the stone, Pendergast travels to an abandoned mine even though he's sure the whole thing is a set-up.

A set-up it is, and what happens to him there leads him, his close friends and FBI co-workers to a long-ago Pendergast family secret that's gone seriously awry and threatens the agent's very life. More explanation would reveal too much of the story, so I'll simply say this: Another outstanding piece of work, guys!

Blue Labyrinth by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, November 2014); 408 pp.

FACEOFF

5 stars out of 5

This book, a compilation of short stories, gets 5 stars from me not so much because of enjoyability, but rather because it's such a unique work. Where else - except for previous versions featuring different authors - could you possibly find so many top-notch thriller writers in the same book, not to mention with characters paired up as never before and probably never again?

Edited by equally well-known author David Baldacci, sales from the book benefit the group International Thriller Writers, to which all these guys and gals belong. The anthology includes 11 stories, all co-written by two writers (in one case, three). Now that I've finished them all, I'll say up front that they're not equally good; in fact, only four of the 11 would get more than 3 stars were I to rate them individually. But as I implied at the beginning, this book is truly a Gestalt: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I'll also acknowledge the possibility that my subconscious was helping to sway my opinions; when I took a closer look at my four favorites, it turns out all four are by authors whose characters (and writing styles) are quite familiar to me. Hopefully that's not the case; but even if it was, a few characters in other stories intrigued me enough that I intend to look for books by that author with an eye toward reading them. And (beyond beefing up the writers' group coffers), isn't that really the name of the game?

For the record, my very favorite story, "Rhymes with Prey," pitted Jeffery Deaver with John Sandford (John Camp in real life), with Deaver's Lincoln Rhymes meeting up with Sandford's Lucas Davenport. And therein began my suspicion that familiarity breeds familiarity; just recently, I finished Sandford's new Field of Prey and Deaver's The Skin Collector - so maybe, just maybe, those were still on my mind when I made my choice. 

Other noteworthy (to me) collaborations here are "The Devil's Bones" by Steve Berry and James Rollins, featuring characters Cotton Malone and Gray Pierce; "Good and Valuable Consideration" by Lee Child and Joseph Finder with characters Jack Reacher (thankfully, with Tom Cruise nowhere in sight) and Nick Heller; and "Gaslighted" by primarily children's book author R.L. Stine and the team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child with characters Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy and Aloysius Pendergast. 

And for the record, the other stories are:

"Red Eye," by Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly (characters Patrick Kenzie and Harry Bosch

"In the Nick of Time" by Ian Rankin and Peter James (John Rebus and Roy Grace)

"The Laughing Budda" by M.J. Rose and Lisa Gardner (Malachai Samuels and D.D. Warren)

"Surfing the Panther" by Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein (Paul Madriani and Alexandra Cooper)

"Infernal Night" by Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson (Michael Quinn and Repairman Jack)

"Pit Stop" by Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay (Sean Reilly and Glen Garber)

"Silent Hunt" by John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker (Wyatt Hunt and Joe Trona)

Author biographies are at the end, and an introduction to each story provides some background as to how and why the story was developed (all very interesting, BTW). In short (pun intended), this is an excellent effort all-around and I hope the group continues to publish others now and again.

FaceOff by Lee Child, Michael Connelly and others (Simon & Schuster, June 2014); 384 pp.