Fever Dream (Special Agent Pendergast Series #10)

by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Overview

Yesterday, Special Agent Pendergast still mourned the loss of his beloved wife, Helen, who died in a tragic accident in Africa twelve years ago.

Today, he discovers she was murdered.

Tomorrow, he will learn her most guarded secrets, leaving him to wonder: Who was the woman I married? Why was she murdered? And, above all . . . Who murdered her?

FEVER DREAM

Revenge is not sweet: It is essential.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455584390
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	11/25/2014
Series:	Special Agent Pendergast Series , #10
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	576
Sales rank:	10,655
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 7.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

The thrillers of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child "stand head and shoulders above their rivals" (Publishers Weekly). Preston and Child's Relic and The Cabinet of Curiosities were chosen by readers in a National Public Radio poll as being among the one hundred greatest thrillers ever written, and Relic was made into a number-one box office hit movie. They are coauthors of the famed Pendergast series and their recent novels include Fever Dream, Cold Vengeance, Two Graves, and Gideon's Corpse. Preston's acclaimed nonfiction book, The Monster of Florence, is being made into a movie starring George Clooney. Lincoln Child is a former book editor who has published five novels of his own, including the huge bestseller Deep Storm.
Readers can sign up for The Pendergast File, a monthly "strangely entertaining note" from the authors, at their website, www.PrestonChild.com. The authors welcome visitors to their alarmingly active Facebook page, where they post regularly.

Place of Birth:

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Education:

B.A., Pomona College, 1978

Website:

http://www.prestonchild.com

Editorial Reviews

"This is no dream; it's the authors' best book in years. Not to be missed by either newcomers or die-hard fans."—Library Journal (starred review)

"They have grown steadily darker and more elegantly written...together they reach an entirely different level, achieving a stylistic grace and thematic resonance neither has so far matched alone. This may be the best of the Pendergast novels."—Booklist (starred review)

"Up the emotional ante considerably...brilliant and eccentric...one of the best in the series. Once again, the bestselling authors show they have few peers at creating taut scenes of suspense."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

Preston and Child up the emotional ante considerably in their 10th thriller featuring brilliant and eccentric FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast (after Cemetery Dance), one of the best in the series. For 12 years, Pendergast has believed that the death of his wife, Helen, in the jaws of a ferocious red-maned lion in Zambia was just a tragedy, but his chance examination of the gun she carried on the fateful day reveals that someone loaded it with blanks. Pendergast drags his longtime NYPD ally, Lt. Vincent D'Agosta, into a leave of absence that includes travel to Africa as well as the American South. The motive for Helen's murder appears to be linked to her fascination with John James Audubon and her quest for a mysterious lost Audubon painting. Once again, the bestselling authors show they have few peers at creating taut scenes of suspense. Their restraint in the book's early sections make the payoffs all the more compelling. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Another moody Agent Pendergast novel from powerhouse duo Preston and Child (The Book of the Dead, 2006, etc.). When quirky but brilliant FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast's wife Helen was killed in Africa many years ago by a lion, no one had any reason to suspect foul play. Although she was an excellent shot, she'd only had time to get one shot off before the beast was upon her, and even the best marksperson misses occasionally. Twelve years later, while examining the gun she'd used on the day she died, Pendergast discovers that someone had loaded her rifle with a blank. Her death hadn't been an accident after all. He vows to do everything in his power to avenge his wife's death, and, being Pendergast, his power is considerable. He again enlists the help of his usual Watson, the NYPD's Lt. Vincent D'Agosta, and the two set out for Africa, where Pendergast's suspicions are quickly confirmed. Soon, the clues lead them back to New Orleans, Pendergast's hometown, and they learn that Helen had secretly been pursuing a missing transitional painting by John James Audubon. But why? And why spend so much time and energy to keep the search a secret, even from her husband? As the duo close in on the answer, they discover that someone is willing to go to great lengths to keep them from the truth. Preston and Child are at their best when immersing the reader in the dank, dark atmosphere of the bayous and swamps of rural Louisiana, where much of the novel is set. Pendergast, beloved by fans and described by the authors in a note to readers as "the world's most enigmatic FBI agent," can be a bit much, occasionally coming across as a set of eccentricities rather than a living, breathing character. Still, readers of previous Pendergast novels will welcome this installment starring the exceedingly peculiar FBI Special Agent. Stylish, dark and tense.

Kirkus Reviews