"The latest novel in Preston & Child's Pendergast series picks up from the cliffhanger-ending of CRIMSON SHORE and doesn't let up. The authors keep readers guessing... The crisp writing and exemplary stories are still in abundance in this consistently exciting and never predictable series."—Jeff Ayers, Associated Press
"As any reader of suspense knows, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child write a series of books featuring one of the best characters in the history of suspense literature: Aloysius Pendergast. [THE OBSIDIAN CHAMBER is] an excellent story by these two unbelievably talented authors. A page-turner, a deluxe suspense, a perfect mystery—Preston & Child remain the best of the best and never let their huge fan base down!"—Suspense Magazine
"Rivetingly superb ... great fun ... thriller-writing of the highest order. A lavish, brilliantly conceived puzzle that pieces together neo-gothic plotting with splendidly rich tones."—Jon Land, Providence Journal
"Keep[s] the excitement meter pegged ... Action-adventure with a macabre, sometimes-fantastical flair."—Kirkus Reviews
"It's like Christmas for lovers of suspense when the words Preston & Child once again appear on a book cover. It's a truly great Christmas when the main character of that novel is Aloysius X.L. Pendergast. For those who have read these books voraciously, it's not a surprise to learn that this latest tale is one that will keep you riveted until the very end...Preston & Child continue to make these books the absolute best there is in the suspense realm."—Suspense Magazine on Crimson Shore
"New readers will be hooked...Die-hard fans will add this to their must-read lists."—Library Journal (Starred Review) of Crimson Shore - November 2015 LibraryReads Pick
"Fast-moving, sophisticated and bursting with surprises... If you're willing to surrender to Preston and Child's fiendish imaginations, you might devour the Pendergast books the way kids do Halloween candy...There's nothing else like them."—The Washington Post on Blue Labyrinth
"Preston & Child once again bring A.X.L. Pendergast to life and offer up a host of thrills, heart-pumping action, and an intricate plot that pits a vengeful killer against (still) the most interesting character in fiction."—Suspense Magazine on Blue Labyrinth
"These dynamic authors' best thriller to date."—White Fire was one of Library Journal's Top 10 Thrillers of 2013
"The best Pendergast book yet - a collision between past and present that will leave you breathless."—Lee Child on White Fire
"A mile-a-minute thriller with a deeply entertaining plot and marvelous characters, in a setting that will chill your blood, and not only because it's 10 degrees below zero and covered with snow. My copy is full of crumbs because I couldn't put it down long enough to eat."—Diana Gabaldon on White Fire
2016-08-22
Aloysius Pendergast, an enormously wealthy FBI special agent with a go-it-alone, 007–like brief, is presumed dead at sea after helping a Massachusetts friend. Gloom prevails at his fabulous mansion on New York City’s Riverside Drive.Preston and Child (Crimson Shore, 2015, etc.) find Pendergast’s factotum extraordinaire, Proctor, keeping a stiff upper lip. Pendergast’s beautiful ward, Constance Greene, is doubly depressed: her mentor’s apparent death was preceded by his rejection of her declaration of love. Then Proctor believes he sees Constance being kidnapped. There are clues, and Proctor’s emergency go-bag contains a major stash of cash, so he charters jets and pursues the kidnappers to Namibia. There, the bad guys hack his SUV's computer, stranding him in the desolation of the Kalahari Desert. As this transpires, Pendergast is being held captive at sea after being rescued by a drug runner’s fishing boat. The crew decides to ransom their wily prisoner; he objects and sends the craft and crew to the bottom. Meanwhile, Proctor's protection lured away, Constance is approached by Pendergast’s murderous brother, Diogenes, also presumed dead (volcano, not ocean). Declaring his own rehabilitation and undying true love, Diogenes takes a reluctant Constance to a paradise refuge on Florida’s Halcyon Key. Returning to New York, Pendergast finds the mansion empty, gathers clues, and begins pursuit. Once again the plot further pushes probability’s limits while keeping the excitement meter pegged. Those new to the Pendergast world may stumble over references to the Gsalrig Chongg monastery (refuge of Constance’s son by Diogenes) and the machinations of Pendergast ancestor Enoch Leng, inventor of an immortality potion made from "cauda equina—the bundle of nerves at the base of the spine," which must be harvested from the newly dead. Dialogue sometimes arrives as staged pronouncements, and there’s occasional overwriting—"his features slowly twisting into a horrible grimace of mirth"—but the fast-paced novel speeds over such potholes.Action-adventure with a macabre, sometimes-fantastical flair.
