To the dismay of the Pendergast series' legion of fans, the previous entry (Crimson Shore, 2015) concluded with Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast lost at sea after a clifftop battle with his nemesis (and brother), Diogenes. As Aloysius' household grieves, Diogenes kicks off another of his dark plots by kidnapping Aloysius' ward, Constance Green. Inconceivably, Aloysius is pulled alive from the ocean by a crew of drug smugglers who ransom him to the FBI. As Pendergast works to shake free of his captors, Constance's kidnapping begins to look like something else entirely. Could she have gone willingly with Diogenes, whom she has fervently despised? This is a classic high-octane thriller with storytelling weight intercontinental high-speed chases, explosions, dangerous females, and a conniving villain are given context within Sherlockian plot elements and thoughtful character arcs. This is a well-crafted series climax where Aloysius and Diogenes' feud reaches a surprising conclusion, and Constance is forced to face a future she never imagined.--Tran, Christine Copyright 2016 Booklist

Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast has been swept out to sea following the events of Crimson Shore. Proctor, Pendergast's longtime bodyguard, and ward Constance deal with the emotional turmoil of his death, each on their own terms. Constance retreats to her hidden subbasement apartment. Proctor encounters a shadowy figure he immediately recognizes. He is drugged to unconsciousness, but upon waking he sees Constance being dragged into a car and driven away. He follows, embarking on an international pursuit. But all is not what it seems. Constance finds herself being courted in her hideaway-with a poem highlighted in an old book of Italian poetry on the stand in her library, a heretofore unknown orchid in a vase on the floor, and sheet music for a new song on the harpsichord stand. It must be Aloysius! He knows her and this place. He didn't die after all! The only other person it could be, Diogenes, is dead. Constance had killed him herself. But, again, all is not what it seems. Verdict This twisty and bizarre 16th series installment will puzzle and delight fans as well as readers who enjoy locked-room mysteries, international intrigue, shadowy characters with ambiguous moral compasses, and tales that confound and entertain.-Elizabeth Masterson, Mecklenburg Cty. Jail Lib., Charlotte, NC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A melodramatic plot full of improbable developments mars Preston and Child's 16th thriller featuring FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast (after 2015's Crimson Shore). Pendergast is believed dead after he was seriously wounded and fell into the sea off Exmouth, Mass. Soon after Pendergast's ward, Constance Greene, returns from Exmouth, she's abducted from the Manhattan home she shared with the FBI agent. Proctor, Pendergast's factotum, embarks on a lengthy and convoluted quest to rescue Constance, which takes him to the Kalahari Desert. Proctor's resolve is strengthened by his belief that Constance's abductor is Pendergast's evil brother, Diogenes, who was thought to have died after Constance tossed him into a volcano more than three years earlier. Meanwhile, a sophisticated villain who maintains a secret identity believes that his DNA at a crime scene won't be matched to a sample in the FBI database because that sample will also be a match for his alias. This entry lacks the originality and chills of the better books in this bestselling series. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Aloysius Pendergast (9), an enormously wealthy FBI Special Agent with a go-it-alone, 007like brief, is presumed dead at sea after helping a Massachusetts friend. Gloom prevails at his fabulous mansion on New York Citys Riverside Drive (9). Preston and Child (Crimson Shore, 2015, etc.) find Pendergasts factotum extraordinaire, Proctor (8), keeping a stiff upper lip. Pendergasts beautiful ward, Constance Greene (8), is doubly depressed: her mentors apparent death was preceded by his rejection of her declaration of love. Then Proctor believes he sees Constance being kidnapped. There are clues, and Proctors emergency go-bag contains a major stash of cash, so he charters jets and pursues the kidnappers to Namibia. There the bad guys hack his SUV's computer, stranding him in the desolation of the Kalahari desert (72). As this transpires, Pendergast is being held captive at sea after being rescued by a drug-runners fishing boat. The crew decides to ransom their wily; he objects and sends the craft and crew to the bottom. Meanwhile, Proctor's protection lured away, Constance is approached by Pendergasts murderous brother, Diogenes (248), also presumed dead (volcano, not ocean). Declaring his own rehabilitation and undying true love, Diogenes takes a reluctant Constance to a paradise refuge on Floridas Halcyon Key (189). Returning to New York, Pendergast finds the mansion empty, gathers clues, and begins pursuit. Once again the plot further pushes probabilitys limits while keeping the excitement meter pegged. Those new to the Pendergast world may stumble over references to the Gsalrig Chongg monastery (80) (refuge of Constances son by Diogenes) and the machinations of Pendergast ancestor Enoch Leng (136), inventor of an immortality potion made from "cauda equinathe bundle of nerves at the base of the spine (157)," which must be harvested from the newly dead. Dialogue sometimes arrives as staged pronouncements, and theres occasional overwriting"his features slowly twisting into a horrible grimace of mirth (387)"but the fast-paced novel speeds over such potholes. Action-adventure with a macabre, sometimes fantastical flair. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.