Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child review

This series is one of my ultimare literary guilty treasures and Dance of Death is book #6. Those new to it should start from beginning, yes it's worth it! Aloysius Pendergast is one extraordinary character as he takes over most of the books in the series, I adore him the way people love Sherlock Holmes but he's way cooler.

Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
( Pendergast book #6)

  An intimate look into the eyes of death

The intelligent and luxurious thriller with a signature twist is back! Each book from this series is like a jewel but I simply loved book six and again it proved that no one can write the way this talented duo does, Pendergast is my favorite literary character, so much that I wonder what he'd do in hard situations and I picked up on his way of thinking, obviously I'm not some zen master/FBI agent with an intense IQ with the tact of a monk and stealth of a ninja but still, he's someone you can benefit from imitating in colorful situations and even everyday life. And similarly to those good old Jackie Chan movies, he gets his behind kicked because his quests are never flawless but the flaws take the reader's breath away and they leave them gripping the pages, at least that's at least how I read it... he's good but he's not invincible and man the hardships get tough and the chases and fights are honed sharp as a scalpel. There are a lot of books out there and I love reading so I'm always on the pursuit of the written word but these are a real treat and are at the top of my list, I recommend reading this series from book one, Relic... the rush of combined story layers is worth it, if this book sounds interesting and you never read it then please do, it's like dessert through all the courses. The previous novel left me in cold sweat about the main character's future, book six is no different but in another way - intrigued? Yeah so was I! Framed for murders of some of his closest friends, Pendergast is on the silent hunt, he can no longer work in sunlight like a vampire yet he has to clear his name and catch his dangerous brother who's on a quest to bring him suffering and mystery with his twisted genius mind.

I loved how each character had an interesting part in this story because all my favorites were back; Constance, Prior, Steinback, Nora Kelly, Margo Green, Hawthorne and of course D'Agosta, each one of those people felt like a pillar of strength in this part of the series, like a good meal the balance is about working in harmony to create a complex environment for the story to shine in and everyone was just great. Some nasty scares were thrown in and I was right about one thing, which is a huge spoiler but I was right about a certain person and their fate which made me feel even more connected to the series. This is part two of the Diogenes trilogy if its confusing then you can blame not reading it in order) inserted into the main series plot and it leaves you wanting to read more, major good and bad things happen and the future is both scary and enticing... fans of museums, murder mysteries, New York City at it's finest and great stories that both entertain beyond the meaning of the word this is it, no spoilers from these lips read for yourself to see what happens - I only read the reviews after I read the book.

- Kasia S.


Pendergast (with Lincoln Child)
1. The Relic (1994)
2. Reliquary (1997)
3. The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
4. Still Life with Crows (2003)
5. Brimstone (2004)
6. The Dance of Death (2005)
7. The Book of the Dead (2006)
8. The Wheel of Darkness (2007)
9. Cemetery Dance (2009)
10. Fever Dream (2010)
11. Cold Vengeance (2011)
12. Two Graves (2012)
13. White Fire (2013)
Extraction (2012)
The Diogenes Trilogy: Brimstone / The Dance of Death / The Book of the Dead (omnibus) (2012)