This is #6 in the series of Preston & Child books featuring Aloyisius Pendergast, FBI agent extraordinaire. I have read several other Pendergast books but this is the earliest one in the series of all that I have read. As there is a lot of continuity (characters and plot references) in the series, I think anyone who is interested should start at the beginning and work through them chronologically.
Preston and Child are skilled authors. As testament to their skill, I will tell you that I read the last 300 pages of this 560-page book in one day, probably the most reading I have done in single day in the past decade. The plot and prose definitely kept my interest.
This is a “brother” book. Many protaganists in long-running mystery series have brothers who are the basis for some of the stories in the plot. Sherlock Holmes had Mycroft. John Puller had Robert, Jack Reacher had Joe. Aloyisius Pendergast has Diogenes.
But where the other brothers are merely interesting, Diogenes is pure evil. He is the supervillian counterbalance to Aloysius’ superagent. The Pendergast plots, as I have mentioned before, stretch the limits of credulity, but if you check your disbelief at the door, you will have a good time. Follow the adventures of the rich, Rolls-Royce driving superagent as he roams the world.
This is not a whodunit but rather a “what is he doing and how is he going to do it” plot. Diogenes, who apparently saves Aloysius’ life at the end of the previous (unread by me) installment turns out to be more Dr Mengele than Schweitzer – he saved his life in that book only to keep him alive to torture him in this book. The torture takes the form of serial killing of all of Aloysius’ close friends. Ultimately the life of his closest friend, NYPD detective Vincent D’Agosta is threatened. Pendergast and D’Agosta counter this threat, as they often do, by going on a crime spree.
Like I said, check your disbelief at the door.
The book does not fully resolve the legal perils of Pendergast and D’Agosta, nor does it terminate the life of Diogenes who lives to see another day (and, no doubt, another book). But the lack of a clean finish doesn’t tarnish the book very much.
8 out of 10.