The Book of the Dead

Preston, Child, and Brick have done it again with a super-scary, spine-tingling nail-biter. Superbly cool FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast must once again outwit his evil-genius brother, Diogenes, but that won't be easy. Pendergast is in prison for a series of murders he didn't commit. The third book in the trilogy (BRIMSTONE, DANCE OF DEATH) features an Egyptian tomb, an ancient curse, and enough intense, high-speed action to send blood pressure skyrocketing. Scott Brick's voice is as cool as the Tomb of Senef and as chilling as the demons that plague the psychotic Diogenes. Brick handles gore, insanity, torture, and shocking plot twists with stunning sangfroid. Listeners will want to hear the earlier books before undertaking this absolutely satisfying conclusion. S.J.H. ¥¥¥ (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

April 24, 2006
Bestsellers Preston and Child have come up with another gripping, action-packed page-turner in this concluding volume to a trilogy pitting their Holmesian hero, FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast, against his Mycroft-turned-Moriarty—his younger brother, Diogenes. Picking up shortly after the events of 2005's Dance of Death
, the book opens with the arrival of a package of fine dust at the Museum of Natural History; Diogenes has returned the diamonds he stole earlier. Meanwhile, Aloysius is in prison, having been framed for a number of murders. As his friends plot to spring him, his adversary lays the groundwork for a crowning criminal achievement. A mysterious benefactor funds the restoration of an ancient Egyptian tomb at the museum, but the work is beset by the mayhem Preston and Child's readers have come to expect—gory murders and suggestions of the supernatural. This entry, tying up many loose ends from its predecessors, is less likely to work as well for first-time readers, but followers of Aloysius Pendergast's previous exploits will find it a satisfying read with a tantalizing, ominous twist at the end. 10-city author tour.

The third in a trilogy, this title picks up in the middle of the story. Set, in part, in the American Museum of Natural History, where the tomb of Senef is reopened after 70 years, the story involves a villain named Diogenes, who plots murder and mayhem to destroy New York City society while Aloysius, his FBI agent brother, seeks to thwart him. Rene Auberjonois's melodramatic narration fits the convoluted plots perfectly. Both the abridgment and the lack of prologue bringing new listeners up to speed make the plot difficult to follow. However, the dramatic music adds tension to Auberjonois's enthusiastic reading. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 1, 2006
The combination of Preston and Child has produced one best-selling thriller after another and has created one of the most intriguing characters in contemporary fiction: FBI special agent Aloysius Pendergast. This honey-voiced, seemingly supernatural G-man has faced danger in past novels, but this time he truly seems to have been outsmarted by his diabolical brother, Diogenes. As the book opens (the third in an apparent trilogy), Aloysius is in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison, Diogenes is plotting a heinous crime against New York's Museum of Natural History, and Aloysius's NYPD friend Vince D'Agosta is in danger of losing his job. When an anonymous donor contributes an incredible sum of money to the museum to enable it to open a long-lost Egyptian tomb buried in the basement, it seems like the perfect time to distract the public from a massive diamond theft from the museum. Master storyteller Scott Brick has read many Preston-Child novels and voices just the right amount of drama and excitement to maintain the incredibly high level of suspense. Highly recommended for every library.Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.