Review: CITY OF ENDLESS NIGHT by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

I have devoured the Agent Pendergast novels since the very first. As a faithful reader, I confess to feeling since several novels back that I had gone off the rails. Perhaps it is my questioning if, after 17 installments, the co-authors can create anything new. Well, happily CITY OF ENDLESS NIGHT manages several unexpected twists, a seldom-used plot (although I have read it once in a classic short story), a heaping helping of character evolution (yes, including A. P.), and redeemingly, my most favorite setting. So Pendergast rocks on, although his intensifying humanity I personally find dismaying (although this is my personal viewpoint).

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Two boys are egging an ornery neighbor’s car when they run from him into an abandoned building. What they discover has the police arriving soon after. Lieutenant CDS Vincent D’Agosta responds to the report of a body in the warehouse. It is a young woman who has been decapitated. It doesn’t take long to identify her as Grace Ozmian, daughter of billionaire Anton Ozmian owner of DigiFlood. While at the scene, FBI Special Agent Aloysius X.L. Pendergast shows up. He has been assigned to look into the case.

The investigation barely begins when another decapitation takes place at a highly secure residence. The owner was a former DA who moved over to representing mob guys. He had made many enemies. He was shot through the heart with three arrows before he was decapitated. Another man is killed inside his secure room at his palatial mansion.

A third murder occurs. D’Agosta and Pendergast are investigating, but they really don’t have a clue as to who might be doing the killing.

This isn’t one of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s best novels. D’Agosta and Pendergrast seemed to be working independently of one another. While it was great to have them working together once again, they really weren’t. The book is both well written and plotted. The suspense begins immediately in the novel, but drops off towards the end. Thankfully, Pendergrast’s “depression” was resolved early on in the book, but the novel never really picked up. This is a mediocre addition to this wonderful and great series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read and enjoy.

A straightforward mystery that could easily be read as a standalone. That said, Pendergast fans may be disappointed that there is no character development to further the series along. There is a murderer who is beheading extremely wealthy victims and police are at a loss. There are political undercurrents featuring the wealthy vs. the nots. A satisfying read.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Once again another great novel involving Agent Pendergast by Preston & Child! Hooked me early and kept me going until the very end! Thank you NetGalley.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me a copy of this to read in exchange for an honest review.

So as many of you know, the Pendergast series is one of my longest followed and most beloved series. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller with adventure and strangeness mixed right in. This wasn't the strongest entry into the series, what with a relatively predictable villain and a meandering plot with some side stories that felt unnecessary, but it was still a Pendergast book... and one thing that seriously redeemed it was that we got to see a side of Pendergast we haven't seen very deeply before -- and he was VULNERABLE. Pendergast has always been one of those "step ahead of everyone" kind of characters, and it's part of his charm. He's crazy smart, can read people, and knows how to play them to get what he wants... but the events of the last book really brought him into a new realm, and this book played on that new weakness and vulnerability to show this side of Pendergast, and to almost bring him down to a normal human. Of course, it was awesome to see him struggle and find his mastery again, but it was an absolute pleasure to get to see him accept that maybe he's not always the smartest person in the room or the best player in the game.

I think that brought a fresh new perspective to the character, who after 17 books could be at risk of getting stale, right? Who am I kidding? Pendergast is the bomb.

Read this one. It's fun. And if you haven't already, read the rest.

What can be said about an SA Pendergast book other than it is great as always! I was privileged to be given the opportunity to read this book via Netgalley and when I say privileged I mean that! Preston and Child are an amazing team just like Pendergast and Vincent D'Agosta. This story set in NY has your typical Preston and Child suspense! I do not want to go into too much detail and accidentally give anything away. I was able to figure out "who done it" about halfway through the book, but I love the duo's writing style so much, it continued to be a pleasure to read. No, not my favorite from the writing team, but will hold me over until the next Pendergast story. I am giving this a 3.5 rounded to a 4.

This one feels like classic Agent Pendergast. Kept me up well past my bedtime. This one you won't want to put down until it's finished.

I really enjoyed this quick paced book. It didn't include all of the normal "insights" that I've come to expect from Pendergast. It's a good mystery that leaves the reader eagerly awaiting the next book.. as we know that Constance will be returning back to Pendergast's life. This was one of those rare books that most will guess who the killer is.. long before it's revealed. I was a bit disappointed that no new "revelations" about the key characters came to light. Ah well.. next time, eh?

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Review for "Authors on the Air"

City of Endless Night (Agent Pendergast series)
By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

• Print Length: 368 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 16, 2018)
• Publication Date: January 16, 2018
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group

City of Endless Night is about Agent Pendergast teaming up with Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta to catch what appears to be a serial killer in New York City that is going after the one percent crowd. The killer not only gets around elaborate physical guards and electronic security systems, but they have a thing for decapitating their victims. Pendergast is not quite himself.. he’s missing Constance.. and it’s impacting his “game”.

I highly recommend the mystery to those that always have enjoyed reading the Pendergast mysteries. However, I found this story not to have any new inside “insights” to any of the characters.. including the killer. No history. The authors are clearly leading into a new set of adventures.. and this story is a quick whodunnit.. that even Pendergast himself admits.. he’s not up to his usual self. I look forward to the next novel.. as it’s clear.. this novel is taking the reader to the next step for Agent Pendergast and Constance.

So, straight up, this review might be a little spoiler-y. Not ruin-the-book spoilers (I hope), but definitely some spoiler-y things. So if you hate spoilers, stop reading now.

The Pendergast books tend to be a special pleasure for me. I look forward to a new one each year and when it hits my kindle, all other reading stops.

That being said, this one wasn’t my favorite.

This one is a Pendergast/D’Agosta book. That’s fine, but I missed Constance – immensely. Proctor plays a tiny role in this one. Really tiny. Basically driving on a beach. And while I like Pendergast and D’Agosta, I didn’t really feel that relationship this time. Vincent did his thing. Pendergast did his thing. And even when they were in the same room (or at the same crime scene) together, they kind of felt separate.

During much of the book, we get to experience Pendergast’s insights into the crime. It was fun to try put those insights into some sort of solution. Fun, but useless. You see at about 80% of the way through the book, you haven’t figured it out. Pendergast hasn’t figured it out. Vincent hasn’t figured it out. And our Baddy? Our Baddy gets tired of waiting for them to figure it out and just straight out confesses!

What?!?!

Seriously. I’m reading the book and all of a sudden Impatient Baddy gets tired of waiting for their investigation to pan out and has a come-to-Jesus moment. (I’ve gathered you here to explain that I am your killer, this is why I’m your killer, and hey…can I kill you now?)

I was so disappointed. The final 20% of the book is Pendergast being Pendergast (a good thing), Vincent doing nothing, and a kind of disappointing Baddy.

All in all, this latest entry into the Pendergast saga felt like basic thriller 101. I felt like it was missing some of the nuances that really make a Pendergast book and, yes, I missed Constance.

Still looking forward to the next book, of course, but this one didn’t add much to our World.

There is ALWAYS more to Pendergast than meets the eye. And sometimes we expect more than is possible - even for Pendergast. Fun to have Pendergast and D'Agosta working together again and with this ending, I already can't wait for the next one!

Pendergast and Lt. Vincent D’Agosta are reunited when the daughter of a billionaire tech giant is found murdered. Grace Ozmian’s body has been found, but her head is missing. It would appear no mere mortal has killed the woman, and that she is only the first of people to be brutally murdered and beheaded. With a seemingly invincible killer, or killers, on the loose, Pendergast and D’Agosta try to solve the case before the city erupts in panic. I love Preston and Child, I only like Pendergast. While the storylines are always exciting and entertaining, I find Pendergast to be a bit of a windbag. Maybe a book or two that doesn’t feature the FBI whiz?