This Pendergast novel is the average conclusion to the Leng series. I’ve read the complete Pendergast series and the last few have been disappointing, just not at the caliber I’d grown to expect from Preston & Child. Overall, a quick read and entertaining for fans of this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is volume twenty two in the riveting Agent Pendergast series and it is leading the series on a new path. A mysterious portal takes Pendergast to 1880's New York, following Constance Greene in her pursuit of the notorious serial killer Dr. Leng. The unexpected appearance of Diogenes add an element of intrigue and an interesting look at that character. Overall a very good book and I look forward to the next installment.

Not quite how I expected the story to go, but I liked it in the end and felt that it was a good end to the ac. It is always nice to see Constance kick butt. Not to mention her finally moving things along with Prendergast. . It was a bit surprising to see Prendergast and Diogenes working together so amicably. Diogenes seemed a bit watered down and defanged.

A quite entertaining and very easy to read book that is like most of the writers output is fun and brilliant reading. A great historic novel that feels modern and feels like race you want to finish first reading it. Both writers deliver an excellent novel and leave their reader behind wanting more. Glad this series is coming to a satisfying end!

Another fine entry into the Pendergast series, which ties up many of the loose ends and plot threads from prior books. Set. mostly in 1880 New York, Constance goes up against Enoch Long, the man responsible for her longevity, and also the years of suffering and heartbreak she endured. But she in not alone. Pendergast has found his way back to 1880 (in the previous book) along with the NYPD's Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta. And then there is Diogenes, Pendergast's brother and nemesis, who has his own reasons for arriving in the past, even if he is willing to help Constance in her quest to defeat Leng.

The book is pure Preston and Child, and is a great read. The only thing that would have made it better is more time devoted to Proctor. there was also no mention of Coldmoon in this book, so hopefully that story thread will be picked up again at some point. All in all, four and a half stars.

Angel of Vengeance is book 22 in the Pendergast series. It starts off with a bang and keeps on rolling with a fast paced roller coaster ride leaving you hanging on for dear life. I was amazed by the amount of detail and research that went into the book as well as the imagination to weave it together so seamlessly! This is a great read and a fantastic addition to a remarkable series.

Another inventive tale from Preston and Child, incorporating time travel and the concept of parallel universes with Pendergast and D’Agosta
transported back to a version of the 1800s to find Constance, who is on a quest to save her siblings from the fate that befalls them in her timeline. One would need to be familiar with the Pendergast family and events in previous novels (most especially "The Cabinet of Dr. Leng", which sets up the adventure in this tale) to fully understand the stakes of the events that unfold. The plot unfolds slowly, with the main characters taking up aliases to mask their true identities, which at times was a bit confusing to keep track of who was who.
Nevertheless, there's melodrama and the usual shenanigans always present in a Pendergast tale, and confusing as it might have been at times, it was a thrilling tale, with a satisfactory ending.

Not my favorite of the Pendergast novels, but it still had me from start to finish. Pendergast and D’Agosta have followed Constance back in time/alternate universe in her quest for revenge on Dr. Leng. A new cast of characters populate this novel, as it is set in the 19th century. The characters range from Dr. Leng’s henchman to the crew that Pendergast pulls together to Constance’s siblings in that timeline. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read.

I’ve talked about Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child a bit before in these hallowed halls of Kaiju and Gnome-ery. I loved Preston’s Extinction and their collaborations have at least come up a few times in my Nonfiction for the Fantastically Inclined. I first read Relic when I was in high school and I’ve since read everything they’ve ever written. Angel of Vengeance feels like the conclusion to one really long arc of the series. It’s a conclusion to the Constance storylines, the Doctor Leng storylines, and maybe even the Diogenes storylines. It’s hard to imagine what comes next for Pendergast and our other heroes. And maybe that’s the point. Maybe this will be one of those big summer blockbuster book series that has an actual ending and an actual finale. I honestly doubt it but I’ve been surprised before.

If you haven’t read any of the Pendergast series before this is definitely not the place to start. After all, the main character , an FBI agent in the present, has traveled back in time and is battling an alternate universe version of a villain he already killed once back in the 1990s. There was also a giant mosquito monster at some point leading up to this and I feel like that’s really important to not forget. Start at the beginning or at the very least Cabinet of Curiosities which is where all this arc started.

And it’s a thrilling installment, to be sure. Pendergast is at his most Pendergast-ey. We have Proctor being an action hero again and D’Agosta is back in time. D’AGOSTA HAS TRAVELED BACK IN TIME. Take that in. Breathe it in. Go back and tell 2000 you or 2005 you or even 2015 you that one of the most generic genre cops of all time would travel back in time and do timey-wimey stuff and you’ll probably be just as confused as I am in the present. But it works and it’s great and I really enjoyed every moment of it. I think my only big question is: What comes next? If it’s an end, Great job and I’ll be giving you one of those Cannes forty-five minute standing ovation things. If it’s not, then what can possibly follow? They went back in time! There’s not many uncharted frontiers left for Pendergast yet. Space? Maybe Pendergast vs. C’Thulhu? I don’t know but either way, I’ll definitely read it.

Pendergast! Can you get any better... easily 4.5 stars and I read it over a weekend. Angel of Vengeance is the 22nd book in the series co-written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Diogenes returns. The duo and Constance, along with D'Agosta are transported back to the late 19th century before the evil villain kidnaps and kills Constance's family. The vivid descriptions of 1880s NYC, particularly the horrific Five Points district, is spot-on in terms of creating the perfect mood and setting. Loved the fight scenes. Amazed at the imagination. Waiting for the shoe to drop with Diogenes turning bad again - we all know it's gonna happen... but I feel like this one brought so much together from several different arcs in the series, where could it go next? A buddy-read with a great friend made it all the sweeter.

Gosh, I hate to say this, but Angel of Vengeance is strikingly average. Preston and Child rank in the top five of my favorite authors and I put them on a pedestal. In addition, I have read every book in the Pendergast series so I feel qualified to share my thoughts about this novel.

The beginning will be a mess for those who didn't read the previous book (The Cabinet of Dr. Leng) because it picks up right where the last one left off. Pendergast, D' Agosta, Constance, and Diogenes all find themselves apparently trapped in the 1880s when the portal they used to get to that time has been destroyed. As begun in the previous book, the quartet has traveled back in time to stop the evil deeds of distant Pendergast relative, Dr. Enoch Leng.

With that said, there's very little action in the first third of the book creating a level of excitement equivalent to that of putting out the family dinnerware before supper. Because of this, the book is a slog to get through. It's only after the quartet devise a plot to finally get at Leng (taking place in the last half of the story) that the book begins to get interesting. It's actually pretty riveting in the last third of the book, but that's not enough to make this more than a 3 star story for this reviewer.

I feel like I'm a little tough on the authors (and I'm sure that many readers will disagree with me) but if P & C would have spent more time on plot development and less on throwing out their $5 words interspersed with the vernacular of the 1880s, then this would have been a better story.

This book brings an end to the Leng trilogy, so hopefully, better storylines are ahead for Pendergast fans. In this reviewer's humble opinion, P & C need to bring back more of the original snarky, aloof, and mysterious Pendergast, and less of the warm and relatively fuzzy Pendergast from the past 4 or 5 novels. I'm hopeful that the series isn't running out of steam, but I'm worried.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Time travel, murder, mayhem… and a despicable villain. The latest Pendergast book is a treat.
Angel of Vengeance stands out as thoroughly entertaining. Cracking with tension, it kept me hooked. This book shines on every level: Wonderfully fast-paced and deliciously dark with engaging men and women in compelling situations. The key women rock, badass in the best ways–for those of us comfortable with detailed violence.

The sadistic serial killer injects urgency and chills--he's a phenomenal opponent. And the conflicts matter. There's heart and intelligent thought here with a good dose of the best humanity has to offer. It's uplifting fare in these bleak times.There’s a bit of a quirky, madcap energy that makes me smile, without tipping into the kind of humor that can destroy suspense.

I enjoyed the 19th century settings and the time travel imagery mesmerized me. The many shifts between characters work beautifully. The novel's architecture is nearly invisible. The cinematic writing and high-stakes scenes kept me immersed and turning pages to the end.

It's outstanding.

The only problem: Now I want to get all the Pendergast books I haven’t read yet and binge on them. Highly recommended to readers of thrillers, historical fantasy, and time travel. There are exquisite Gothic and Horror vibes, too. BTW, the book can be read as a stand-alone.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the e-ARC via NetGalley for consideration. These are my unbiased opinions.
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Need to read the previous books first

I don't know if I have read previous books in this series. If I have, it has been a while. I picked up this thinking that there would t least be a little backstory, but it wasn't much more than a continuation of a previous book. Characters and situations appeared that needed introduction but got none. I had to go back to the previous book to read first. That wasn't much better, so I went back and skimmed the book before that. A little refresher would have been nice for those of us that weren't familiar or had forgotten who and what was going on.

As far as the plot went, I thought it was just OK. For me, it wasn't really worth the hoops Ii had to go through to understand this installment. It seemed to be well-researched and I enjoyed learning about turn of the century New York, but otherwise I wasn't all that excited to pick it up each night.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and give an honest review.

Preston and Child have long been favorite authors of mine. I was excited to read this book as their last book was a cliffhanger. However, the last book in this series left me wanting something more substantial. I was hoping this concluding book in the series would be better. It was not. I had to force myself to finish it. Nothing too exciting happened, despite the fact that it had many of my favorite characters. I do not like time travel books and this one took our characters through a portal to the 1800s. There were many unanswered questions in the details.

I would really love a Pendergast novel that goes back to the formula of his solving crimes with his superior intellect.

How marvelous! The recent addition to the Pendergast series, Angel of Vengeance, did not disappoint. The story, set primarily in the 19th century, picks up at the exact moment the previous book ends. The familiar characters are eager to continue the adventure. This book is a roller coaster of action. Is it necessary to read the previous books first? Yes. But that should be no problem for those who enjoy unusual characters and appealing settings amid deadly doings by truly evil villains. And some characters who unexpectedly evolve. Did not see that coming!

I do miss the early days when Pendergast was just an annoying, elitist crime solver operating within reality. I'm almost ready to give up, but the books are still fun if read as straight adventure novels. I also miss when the books did a better job standing on their own --you really need to have read the earlier books to understand what's happening here. Time travel features prominently in this story, and Constance is the major focus. Constance is more annoying than Pendergast, and I will never understand this romance. However, it was interesting fun, and I hope Pendergast gets back to our time soon. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

If you are a long-time fan of Pendergast like I am, I think the only thing you need to know is that this book starts and ends with Diogenes doing good deeds. I mean, obviously, in a murder-ey sort of way, but that's what makes it great. Any Pendergast novel that's got Diogenes showing up as the hero, as the Angel of Death himself is going to be a damn good Pendergast novel. And let me tell you, this is hands down the best one in the series to date. It's not just that we've got Diogenes in the mix it's that we've got everyone, D'Agosta, Constance, and Pendergast kicking ass and taking names while up against their worst adversary so far Dr. Leng. And Leng is as batshit crazy as you'd expect him to be. I mean absolutely stunningly nuts while being absolutely convinced he's the smartest dude in the room, which is, of course, his biggest weakness.

Constance, though, absolutely shines in this one, again. She is absolutely brutal in the most amazing ways. Honestly, she deserves to be Leng, whether this is her Leng or not, absolutely destroys her life while believing he's given her a gift. And what she got was basically a hundred years of PTSD, I mean honestly, when you think about Constance is probably the most well adjusted 100+ year old who literally lived for more than half of her existence with the serial killer who killed her sister in the most unimaginable way possible. I know a lot of fans think she's unhinged, but I think that's an unfair assessment of someone who has lived a life that is unfathomable.

Overall, of course I recommend this. You don't even have to ask! Unlike most Pendergast novels, you do have to read the preceding two to appreciate this one, and I'd even go so far as to acquaint yourself with Diogenes's story first as well. Unless you understand who Diogenes is, you won't really be able to understand why Pendergast and Constance need him, must have him to take down Dr. Leng.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing!!

Published by Grand Central Publishing on August 13, 2024

Each new Pendergast novel is sillier than the last, but I keep reading them. The series was more enjoyable when Aloysius Pendergast was an obnoxious, self-satisfied crime solver. I didn’t care much for Pendergast but I appreciated his acumen as a detective. Even after the appearance of Constance Greene — a woman who stopped aging in the nineteenth century and who might be even more annoying than Pendergast — I enjoyed the novels to the extent that they focused on a recognizable reality — i.e., a world without magic, supernatural apparitions, time travel, or similar silliness.

Silliness has now overtaken the series. I had hoped that her unrequited yearning for Pendergast would cause Constance to flee from his life, but Pendergast’s forbidden yearning for Constance keeps bringing them together. Constance’s latest effort to flee took her to the nineteenth century in a dimension nearly identical to the one that Pendergast inhabits (the one that seems to host the supernatural). The latest stories have replaced magic with time travel, which might be the same thing. So now Pendergast is chasing Constance through time. Really, can’t Pendergast go back to solving crimes in the present and do away with all these quasi-science fiction themes?

Pendergast has an evil brother named Diogenes and a law enforcement friend named Vincent D’Agosta. Both are trapped in the past with Pendergast, who chose not to heed Constance’s plea that he remain in his own century after she returned to the nineteenth — albeit in another dimension — to save her sister Mary from the evil Enoch Leng, another member of the Pendergast family. She might even save her alter-self (or Binky, as the childhood version of Constance is known in this dimension and perhaps in infinite others).

Leng is a doctor whose experiments in life extension resulted in the deaths of dozens of test subjects. In Constance’s timeline, Leng killed Mary by dissecting her while she was still alive. Constance’s plan is to save this version of Mary (and this version of her brother Joe, not to mention Binky) while obtaining vengeance. The story essentially continues the plot that began in The Cabinet of Dr. Leng.

Angel of Vengeance is more an action/adventure story than a crime mystery. I suspect that’s what many series fans want. I suspect those fans will be satisfied with the story. Its 19th century atmosphere echoes Dickens. Pendergast wears various disguises, characters are captured and rescued, fights break out from time to time (occasionally with knives because nineteenth century), buildings explode, people are poisoned, and so forth. The story is fun and moderately exciting but not surprising. Readers who enjoy the series will know what to expect. New readers might want to start with an earlier novel because Angel of Vengeance won’t be easy to digest for those who aren’t familiar with the backstory.

The novel’s ending might leave the door open for another time travel story. Why can’t the brilliant detective go back to solving bizarre crimes instead of hopping around the multiverse? Maybe he will. For now, I can confidently recommend Angel of Vengeance to Pendergast fans, although less enthusiastically than I would recommend books that are more tightly attached to the same part of the multiverse that I inhabit.

RECOMMENDED

I truly enjoyed this book. The world & characters building is unparalleled. Even though I read the 1st book a while ago I had no trouble picking up where it left off. I was reluctant to put the book down. I liked that you get to see more about the main personalities & backgrounds #AngelofVengeance #NetGalley

I've really enjoyed the Pendergast series, one of my favorite series of all time. With that being said, I'm ready to move on from evil Dr Leng and go back to the Pendergast adventures of old. Even though I've read the entire series I was a bit lost trying to follow this one. I could have used a review chapter to refresh my memory because its been a hot minute since reading the last one. I'm excited to see what Doug and Linc have up their sleeve for the next novel! My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.