The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

The Book of the Dead (Pendergast #7)
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Suspense, Thriller
640 pages, softcover
Target Reader: Adult

Grand Central Publishing
978-0446576987
Release Date: May 30, 2006



From the Publisher:

An FBI agent, rotting away in a high-security prison for a murder he did not commit... His brilliant psychotic brother, about to perpetrate a horrific crime... A young woman with an extraordinary past, on the edge of a violent breakdown... An ancient tomb with an enigmatic curse, about to be unveiled at a celebrity-studded New York gala...

The New York Museum of Natural History receives their pilfered gem collection back...ground down to dust. Diogenes, the psychotic killer who stole them in Dance of Death, is throwing down the gauntlet to both the city and to his brother, FBI Agent Pendergast, who is currently incarcerated in a maximum security prison.

To quell the PR nightmare of the gem fiasco, the museum decides to reopen the Tomb of Senef. An astounding Egyptian temple, it was a popular museum exhibit until the 1930s, when it was quietly closed. But when the tomb is unsealed in preparation for its gala reopening, the killings--and whispers of an ancient curse--begin again. And the catastrophic opening itself sets the stage for the final battle between the two brothers: an epic clash from which only one will emerge alive.

Read Chapter 1.

I picked this book totally at random from the airport bookstore because I ran out of reading material due to a long flight delay. I chose this one over the others because my teenage daughter said her friend had read it three times and liked it.

Ummm...I have some concerns about her friend.

This book was okay. My biggest gripe is that nowhere on the cover or in the introductory pages does it say that this is book #7 in a series of thrillers centering around FBI Agent Pendergast. Several of the Pendergast books are stand alone, but this one is the last of a story arc spread over three books. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous ones.

My second gripe is this is one of those books where new characters are introduced so fast and their parts in the overall plot are so complex that you feel like you need to take notes to keep them all straight.

A museum decides to re-open a long closed exhibit of an Egyptian tomb where mysterious deaths occurred in the past. A diabolical killer is manipulating this opening with the intent to kill and/or drive insane as many people as possible. The one man who can stop him (Agent Pendergast) is locked away in a prison known to be escape-proof. Pendergast's friends develop a very complex plot to break him loose in an attempt to save the day. There is also a sub-plot concerning a mysterious and creepy backstory (developed in the previous books) about a young woman who is much older than she seems.

I liked this book okay, even not knowing what had happened in the earlier books, but I definitely think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the books in order. There was quite a bit of serious swearing by a few of the characters. Some graphic violence during the prison escape and some blood and guts gore resulting from a few murders. There was some implied sex and sensuality, but nothing very graphic.

As far as thrillers go, this one was pretty good. It kept me guessing through most of it. If I get a chance, I might go back and read the earlier books, but they won't be a top priority—and I'll check them out from the library instead of buying them.


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Content Ratings

Language: Lots of swearing by some characters.

Violence: Murder. Blood, gore, graphic violence happening in real time.

Drugs/Alcohol: Several of the characters drink.

Immorality: Sensuality; implied sex. Minimally graphic.

Values/Themes: Lots of evil happening in this book; dark and kind of depressing.

Age Appropriate: Definitely for adults; not teens.

Writing Mechanics: A little disjointed at times and hard to follow in places.

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