I am a huge fan of this author so I was very excited for this book! I didn't realize at the time that it is a compellation of back stories for fiction story ideas. The back stories are very well researched and he talks to people with first hand knowledge which you would expect from a journalist.
I enjoyed every story and I can't wait to see the stories that develop from them.
Once again, I was captivated and can't wait to hear more.
Enjoy!

I'm' not going to say I'm a Preston superfan, but I have read [counts up titles on Wikipedia] jesus, 30 of his books, starting with JENNIE, so, OK, fan I am, and thus was I favorably disposed to like this book going in. And it turns out I"d read most the pieces before, but, wow, was it a blast reading them again, and I did because they are so good. The highlights for me are "The Monster of Florence," which makes me want to read the book again (it's arguably Preston's best, and the Dateline special on it left me haunted); "The Skiers at Dead Mountain," which is just an amazing detective story; "The Mystery of Oak Island," which gave birth to one of his best novels (the secret to the construction of the pit in the book is genius); and "The Mystery of Hell Creek," which is the most mind-blowing piece I've ever read in the "New Yorker" (indeed, I hope Preston writes a whole book about it). "The Clovis Point Con" and "Cannibals of the Canyon" are also good and complement each other well. And I really appreciated the updates. In the one for "The Skeletons at the Lake," Preston writes, "As a journalist, I've always believed it is essential to visit key localities in the story, to carry the reader along and make the writing as vivid and true as possible." This is best born out in the title piece "The Lost Tomb." You can taste the mummy dust so thoroughly you might get tomb cough.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early look.

Oh, how I wanted to love this!! I was sad that each chapter had been previously published, I felt like three of them were basically different parts of the same story (about the earliest inhabitants of North America)...I just wanted them to each be fully different and also current.

So so interesting. Can clearly see the evolution of his writing! The amanda knox stuff doesn't fit in with the other articles but I loved learning about all these archeological sites through a digestible lens!
Thanks to NetGalley, the Author, and the publisher for the ARC

Enter a past time, with burials and history all combined into one book! Within these pages, you will be able to travel all over the world, and take a look at some of the unique burial practices from different cultures. Throughout time, burial practices have differed.
I think what floored me the most in this book was the discussion on the Anasazi tribe, which was quite different from what history as often portrayed. Having lived in New Mexico, spending time learning about the different tribes in the region, it was a great chapter, and one that I really enjoyed reading.

Throughout this book, you are going to be given different books, sources, and other resources that you can go back and look at. I loved making a list of different sources to look at, and expanding some knowledge on areas that I was not fully familiar with.
The one outlier in this book is the Amanda Knox case, which doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the book.

Great read, and one that I have been looking forward to for quite some time! Highly recommend this one!

This book gives a lot of history and background of the real life occurrence that are the basis of his books. It was interesting having read some of the books to learn the background on how to make a more realistic story. Looking forward to seeing how he uses some of these case files in the future.

I love the Pendergast series and I've really enjoyed Preston's nonfiction in the past, but I must confess that I did not find this book all together as engaging as I had hoped. A lot of the pieces, all of which were published previously, were about ancient artifacts/ civilizations/ and dinosaurs - none of which are my usual fare. The were interesting, but started feeling a bit repetitive. I found the pieces about unsolved murders to be much more intriguing. I'm a long- time fan of The New Yorker and had actually read a few of those pieces previously but still found them enjoyable. Preston has an engaging and conversational writing style that does draw you in, even when the topic is not your favorite, so I did enjoy this one on the whole.

I really loved this book. I liked learning about the different stories. From knap knives, to oak island, to the lost tomb itself.

The author has a way with telling a story. I also fell in love with that he was there, he was actively going to the places and interviewing people.

I felt that the author was almost like an Indiana Jones.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in myths, legends, and archaeology.

Terrific book. This is one of the authors who brought us THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE, which was a best seller. There are several stories in here that are fascinating. Usually a compilation of this sort seems thin because there's not enough detail about each case, but this one does not suffer from that. It's really interesting, shocking sometimes, a fun read. I recommend it.

Douglas Preston, one half of the writing duo with Lincoln Child of the Aloysius Pendergast series (which began with “Relic”) is also an incredible non-fiction writer. I have read “The Monster of Florence” and “The Lost City of the Monkey God” (a true life adventure that literally almost killed him), so I’m aware that his non-fiction writing is much like his thrillers: pulse-pounding, peeling back layers of mystery slowly, increasing suspense, complete with incredible surprises that are real although they defy initial logic. “The Lost Tomb” is a compilation of thirteen tales that inspired some of the origin stories that are part of the Preston Child bibliography.

Recently, Preston previewed one story in the New Yorker magazine by finally explaining the Dyatlov Pass incident, the apparently inexplicable mass death of skiers in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1959. It formed the basis of his and Child's most recent installment in the archaeologist Nora Kelly series, “Dead Mountain,” although moving the location from Russia to New Mexico.

Each story is a fully fact-checked, vetted tale and you can read them over a period of time or in their groups: Uncommon Murders, Unexplained Deaths, Unsolved Mysteries, Curious Crimes, and Old Bones. With every reading, you do realize that “truth is stranger than fiction”! 5 stars!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Preston (no relation) has done a lot of interesting writing on interesting topics, and this volume collects many of his articles for publications like Smithsonian magazine and National Geographic. It's a shame that Preston didn't revisit these in more detail and revise and update them, because he uses a lot of problematic language in regard to race, sex, gender, class, repatriation of Native remains, and other things, and his brief comments at the end of each essay don't follow up on the topics very well. Overall, this is a disappointment.

4.5. I love Douglas Preston and have read many of his fiction books, featuring America’s favorite sleuth. However, I can’t tell you how pleased I am to read his admission that much of his fiction is inspired by history. I totally agree and this volume is proof of the adage about truth being stranger (and more mysterious) than fiction. I’ve read many of these stories when they were initially published, but loved revisiting them. The updates at the end of most of the chapters were super useful additions. They could serve (excerpted) as the genesis for research projects as the high school and early university levels. The chapter on the Dyatlov hikers is one of my favorites, as is the Monster of Florence (one of the best true crime books ever). The Cannibals of Chaco makes me decidedly uncomfortable. And one can’t help but be inspired by the ancient Egyptians alongside Preston. Wonderful work here!

320 pages

3 stars

I am a little disappointed in this book. Many of the stories are older. I was hoping for some new stories about archeology and other mysteries. While the writing is good, and inclusive, I was familiar with all of the stories already. I didn’t learn anything new. Sadly.

I certainly admire Mr. Preston’s talent for writing and reporting. I have read most of his works, and those written with Lincoln Child. My favorite story in this collection was the one about Native peoples and the repatriation of skeletons and in some cases, mummies, to their tribes for re-burial.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in the review are solely my own.

The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder
Douglas Preston
Author Douglas Preston is an explorer and a journalist. He has traveled from continent to continent exploring the past. In this book, The Lost Tomb, he shares a few of his adventures. Most if not all of the articles in this book have been published previously with an updated section. I do prefer the authors fiction books over the non-fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of The Lost Tomb for a review. My reviews are always my unbiased opinions.

Great stories from a great author. He always manages to embody his character fiction and non fiction alike. The immersiveness with which he writes truly puts you in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Lost Tomb.

I've never read the author's fiction series with Lincoln Child but I have read The Monster of Florence and enjoyed the author's writing.

I didn't know Mr. Preston was a nonfiction writer before he turned to fiction, and The Lost Tomb is an updated collection of nonfiction he's written in the past.

What I enjoyed most about Mr. Preston's essays are that his topics are compelling, creepy, and wonderful; he discusses dinosaurs, serial killers, and spectacular archaeological discoveries, unsolved mysteries like Oak Island, mass graves and con artists.

There's a little something for all readers, whether they prefer nonfiction or fiction.

My only caveat as I was reading was how I would have loved to see photos of his journeys; photos of the locations he's traveled to and the artifacts he saw.

I appreciate the updates to each essay, letting the readers know if any current progress has been made with the mystery or ongoing case, and/or what the people involved in the story is doing now.

Preston, Douglas, Lost Tomb.

A collection of unsolved, true stories Douglas Preston presents a collection of articles that inspired his novels. He includes stories relating to paleontology, antiquities, science, and other historical mysteries. From stories about The Monster in Italy that kills lovers to one about campers that run from their tent in terror, this collection is engaging, informative, and sheds light on how Preston brings truth into his fiction. Fans of unsolved mysteries, true crime, or have ever wondered how Preston gets inspiration for his stories will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections. 4 stars, ADULT

Extremely interesting non fiction book by Douglas Preston that showcases his experiences and where he gets the ideas for his book.

I was not a huge fan of Preston's "Lost City of the Monkey God", but I have to say that I found this work pretty darned entertaining. I found the stories highly engaging, and they often prompted me to do a little bit of research on my own to find out more. The only negative is that these stories are a reprint of articles that the author has freelanced from as far back as the 1980s. Each story provides a brief update, but it isn't obvious from the title or intro that these stories are dated to say the least. This feels like a bit of a slick one, but as I mentioned the stories are entertaining enough to help the reader get past this bait-and-switch tactic. I do recommend this title for those with an interest in true crime, archaeology, or just twisty real life stories.

A intriguing compilation of some of Douglas Preston's articles for national publications like "The Atlantic" and NYT. Rather than a cohesive story, these act more like short nonfiction stories of mysteries, strange happenings, and unsolved questions the author has been personally involved with. I'd definitely recommend to anyone who likes nonfiction, mysteries, and thrillers- in fact, this is the perfect read for my father-in-law and husband!