Reliquary

I just finished Reliquary by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. Although this is the second of the 8 Pendergast novels (a 9th is being released next month), I read it last at my friend Heidi's suggestion (Heidi was nice enough to give me 4 Pendergast novels for my birthday. Thanks Heidi!). Special Agent Pendergast is a very cool FBI agent who is featured in many of Preston & Child's novels. He is extremely intelligent and cultured and has an uncanny knack for figuring things out.

Pentergast Novels
Relic (1995)
Reliquary (1997)
The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
Still Life with Crows (2003)
Brimstone (2004)
Dance of Death (2005)
The Book of the Dead (2006)
The Wheel of Darkness (2007)

Reliquary is very much a continuation of Relic. While Pendergast appears in both of these novels, he is by no means the focus of the books. These two books also seem to be a little more sci-fi in nature than the rest of the series. Preston & Child alternate telling the story from different characters' points of view. I found this to be quite engaging, but I would often find myself wanting to go back to a different character...then again I tend to be a tad impatient...luckily I never seemed to have to wait long to switch perspectives. The description of the New York underground was fascinating, sad and scary. I really enjoyed the characters that they developed, I was especially pleased that there were strong female characters. One disadvantage to reading this book last is that I knew that certain characters survive since they are featured in later novels, but as in many books and shows the main characters are seldom killed off. Overall, Reliquary was a well-written thriller. I liked the continued character development across the Preston & Child novels. While this was not my favorite book of theirs, it is definitely worth a read if you are a fan of Special Agent Pendergast or if you enjoyed reading Relic (which should be read first).


Just started: Water for Elephants
Next in line: The Host or My Sister's Keeper