I have been a fan of the Agent Pendergast series from Day 1 - The Relic is one of my favorite books, and hooked me in for the long-term. After the cliffhanger seen in "The Cabinet of Dr. Leng", I have been highly anticipating the release of this book, and boy did it not disappoint!

I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley,

I am a huge fan of these authors. I love how they blend reality, history and sci-fi. I recommend their early books. They were interesting and I loved the settings of the NY City Natural History Museum, the NYC subway tunnels and the slot canyons out west. These were great books.
This series however missed the mark for me. The first book ended in a cliff hanger which I do not like. This second book was a lot of drama with evil always one step ahead of the main characters. One of the twists in this story was the time travel aspect which - if you believe in the butterfly effect - didn't hold up under scrutiny. And the gratuitous violence just got to be to much for me.
The ending was unnecessary and a bit absurd. Read the early books - they are much better.

3.5 stars, rounding up.

ANGEL OF VENGEANCE, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, is the third book (or fourth if you count THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES), in the Enoch Leng/Constance Greene series. In this book, which takes place immediately after the events of its predecessor, Constance, Pendergast, and D'Agosta are joined by Diogenes in the "past", where Constance travelled to save her siblings in that timeline, and hopes to kill Leng.

The action is as fast paced as always, and the multiple plot lines weaving through very creative. Each trying to outthink the other, with no real "connection" being made until the final quarter or so. The characters are as true to themselves as they have been in most books, and several new characters in this book alone brought some interest as well. All of the main players separate to their own missions, and we are taken from one to another--which makes the book read quickly.

Aside from the fact that I'm thoroughly sick of one particular character, the book was as engaging as most Pendergast novels. My only dissatisfaction came from some of the "inconsistencies" that were stated (but never really happened), and the epilogue, that just went further out of reach than even my suspended belief would allow.

Overall, a success for any Pendergast fan, with some "too far-fetched" ideas at the very end. While I did enjoy this novel, I'm hoping for some new story-lines to be introduced in the future, and some stand-alone novels.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel. All opinions are uniquely my own.**

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Prendergast and Greene are dealing with two very different cases. They are both trying to navigate through a difficult mine field. This book kept me interested from the first page.

Proudly brandishing the title of "highest-grossing opening at the US box office for the month of October" at the time of its release in 1994, STARGATE was helmed by the relative new-comer Roland Emmerich and spawned a long-running TV series that would become more successful than its silver screen brother. Centered around ancient hieroglyphics and the fictional Einstein–Rosen bridge portal using constellations to travel across oceans of time and space, STAGATE had Kurt Russell lead a team on an interstellar planetary adventure that was basically a race against time to get back to present day earth. Traversing the time space continuum in his own right, Agent Pendergast is back in ANGEL OF VENGEANCE, a quasi TIMECOP, heading into a world much darker, feral, and sinister than outer space or today's digital, LED lit utopia--1880s New York City.

While prominently billed as a 'Pendergast Novel', the real star of ANGEL OF VENGEANCE is nineteenth century Gotham, marinating in the mellow light of the past, though with savage and harsher conditions than the present. In a time when the East River was always thirsty for more bodies, Agent Pendergast gallops through the portal chasing a Belloq-like Frenchie who's set on a foolhardy scheme to get 'Stellas', $4 gold pieces, and hock 'em to collectors in 2024. ANGEL OF VENGEANCE unravels from there, a monstrous ball of yarn, rolling and rolling. The Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony that was thought of as crazy by many a people pales in comparison to the electrifying, crazy and wild ride that is the beginning of ANGEL OF VENGEANCE. This, of course, is also due to the unique and fascinating character that is Pendergast, a man of perverse curiosity with a knack for picking all kinds of locks and an allergy to melodrama. Not only a man on a mission, Pendergast sees the portal as a ...portal to curious opportunities, a new world where he is unknown and has no history and with a chance to clear the blotch that his ancestor Leng Pendergast has flung unto the family name. In a bizarre mind game, ANGEL OF VENGEANCE features Enoch Leng (Pendergast), purveyor of many hydra headed enterprises with a grand project in mind, his magnum opus. Harvesting cauda equina, the source for the mysterious elixir of life, the holy grail, as it were.

Without the technobabble that most time-travel adventures proffer, ANGEL OF VENGEANCE is maybe more like BACK TO THE FUTURE for adults, just without comedy, skateboards, flux capacitors, or Libyans with AKs. And Pendergast just might be marooned in the strange old snow globe of New York if he can't find his way back. The nineteenth century may be simpler than the twenty-first, yet it's still a compromised world as dispassionately cruel as it was dispassionately just, evidenced by the jarring amount of violence in the searing and feral world of 1880s New York City. Readers familiar with Pendergast before will be in the know and can appreciate the familiarity of ANGEL OF VENGEANCE. For first time readers, this story is so crazy, you gotta love it. Like a Reuben Sandwich, but different. Deftly researched and wonderfully detailed, ANGEL OF VENGEANCE allows for an escape from the pestilential pandemonium of the 21st century, an experience of the vagaries of fate and time in old school New York City: rebuilt locations like Five Points Slum, Longacre Square, and Grand Central Depot. Steeped in vernacular of the time, ANGEL OF VENGEANCE has grogshops, carriage envy, Weltschmerz, guttersnipes, mutton-shunters and spondulix. Reminding readers to not take modern day conveniences for granted, ANGEL OF VENGEANCE pays homage to THE BEATLES and Robert Frost and even features a knife fight on the helipad, so to speak. Intricately and wonderfully plotted with a lot of moving parts, ANGEL OF VENGEANCE is no double breadcrumb gambit but a deeply immersive mystery and thriller. It's quite surprising that the Pendergast universe hasn't been made into a video game or a Netflix series. Escape the grotesque modern world via this magic lantern show, ANGEL OF VENGEANCE is a dastardly engrossing read. Behold. Beware. Believe. In Pendergast we trust.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher; all opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. Angel of Vengeance is the third and final book in a trilogy featuring Enoch Leng and doesn't work well as a stand-alone as events from the first two are crucial to understanding this book as well as the most recent book prior to this trilogy. After going back in time to an alternate version of 1880 New York City in the prior books, Constance has found her plans for vengeance have not gone to plan and are in fact in danger of failing completely. Pendergast and D'Agosta's appearance in the last book have help temper some of her worst impulses, but without quick planning and some help from an unexpected source, Constance seems all but doomed to fail due to underestimating the cleverness of Dr. Leng. What follows is a cat and mouse game with stakes of the highest sort - life and death. As with all Pendergast titles, the intricacy of the story amazes me, especially all the twists and turns. Knowing that this is the third and final title in this trilogy, I found myself rationing the book so I wouldn't finish it too quickly. I loved every minute of the book and thought that the ending was as inspired as it was unexpected. I can't wait to see what Pendergast and company get up to next.

Perfect way to wrap up this arc. The world these authors have built is fascinating and I can't get enough. I still can't stand Constance but I do love to hate her. There's action, suspense, tension, humor, and darkness in this one and I lost sleep. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to see where things go from here.

If you haven't read the Pendergast series start at number 1 (Relic). I love this series! I'm hooked on these authors and am making my way through their catalogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

Is there such a thing as too much excitement from a book series?? Really fun installment in the Pendergast series, with all the favorite characters working together.

Last time we saw Pendergast, he was crossing into the past with D'Agosta to help Constance save her sisters (and her younger self in an alternate timeline). And sneaking just behind them was a blast from the past - Diogenes (I KNEW he wasn't really dead!)

To defeat the evil Enoch Long, it's going to take all of them working together - which is not something that has ever happened before since, you know, Diogenes is generally the villain. But sometimes you need a villain to stop an even worse bad guy!

[Inserting a great marketing campaign slogan here = It takes a villain!]

I've stuck by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child since the 90s. Looking forward to where this series is going next!

Since I am a total newcomer to the Pendergast series, I'm not the best person to review ANGEL OF VENGEANCE. I spent most of the book confused, wondering who was who and puzzled by much of the backstory. I'm sure that readers of the whole series will have a more comprehensive and thoughtful ideas. I interviewed the authors for my podcast Crime Wave, part of the Authors on the Air network, and found them fun and interesting guests who provided a lot of insight into the construction of this series.

If you like Pendergast and associates you will love this book. I liked that Diogenes storyline and cannot wait to see if he returns to current times.

This was my most anticipated book on my to read list. Which isn't really a surprise as any Pendergast book immediately moves to the top of the list. Not going to lie I loved Diogenes. I really enjoyed having chapters from his perspective and honestly I think I'm going to need a series of whatever he gets up to in his new life. I felt like maybe the story was a bit short on Pendergast chapters but really everybody's storyline was so good it didn't make much difference. I was satisfied with the conclusion and am now impatiently awaiting the next book.

I never expected to like this genre. Occult suspense novel with elements that incorporate time travel, science fiction, and the supernatural. A plot that embraces the multiverse and the science behind extending human life. Grim subject matter infused with terror. And yet, I find myself utterly addicted to the novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs featuring FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast. Angel of Vengeance is the latest entry in the Pendergast series and is a continuance of the novel before it, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, and features, once again, the character of Dr. Enoch Leng who is an ancestor of Pendergast. Pendergast’s criminally insane younger brother, Diogenes Pendergast, also plays a part in this dark thriller, as does Constance Green, Pendergast’s ward.
Pendergast, originally from New Orleans, now resides and works out of the New York Field Office, often traveling wherever cases take him, especially those of serial killers such as Leng. This setting of this tale of the attempt to finally destroy Leng takes place in New York’s infamous Five Points slum in the late 1800’s, the place and time in which Constance’s origins began. She finds her way back to that time, understanding that she might never be able to return to the present . She is on a. mission to change the events leading up to the deaths of her sister, Mary and her brother, Joe by the hands of Dr. Leng. Pendergast, discovering Constance’s disappearance, is desperate to find his way to her, believing she is unstable in her desire for revenge against Leng. Pendergast, along with Lt. Vince D’Agosta, arrives at Constance’s mansion when Diogenes suddenly makes an appearance., offering to help. Together they formulate a plan.. Disguised as a cleric, Diogenes establishes a position in Five Points where he can keep an eye on and manipulate Leng. Constance sets off on her own to rescue her siblings from a fatal ending and to get retribution on Leng. Meanwhile, Pendergast and D’Agosta initiate their own scheme to rescue Mary and Joe.
Chock-full of believable surprises, plot twists and nerve-racking action, the story is fast paced and very well wrapped up in a satisfying conclusion. The historical elements create a feel for 1800s New York City. The language, as always, is erudite and vocabulary expanding. The relationship between Pendergast and Constance reaches a new level and Pendergast demonstrates emotions new to the character. There are those who meet their end because of their interaction with Pendergast and his associates.
In the afterword of The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, the authors had apologized for needing to complete their story in a follow up book. Having read both books, I most certainly appreciate the effort put in to making this story as intricate and expansive as it is and, although I believe Angel of Vengeance can be a stand alone read, the novels read as a set are a real treat for fans.
Whether you are already a fan of the Pendergast series of books or new to them, these two books are a must read. If you are new to occult, gothic suspense thrillers, I urge you to read this book and find yourself enthralled by its intelligent writing, ability to create plausibility, and strength of its characters. It is a story of good vs evil, a tale of teamwork, loyalty and bravery. NPR listed the Dr. Leng series as one of the best thrillers ever.
I look forward to the next novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Their books never disappoint and are an addiction that I am happy to share.
I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of Angel of Vengeance in exchange for an honest review.

Right up front I'll say this: if you haven't read at least a couple of other recent books in this series, it's likely you won't "get' much of this one. If what I've read is correct, it closes the books, so to speak, on the efforts of FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, to defeat the evil Dr. Enoch Leng - this time on the doctor's own turf, New York City, in the late 1880s. But those who have been following the action will, I think, agree that it's a zinger.

There has been, you see, a "portal" that leads from the present to that 19th century past; in the previous book, Constance - partly for personal reasons and mostly to save her family (including herself as a child) from certain torture and death at the hands of Leng - made her way through. She was followed by Pendergast and Vincent D'Agosta, after which - whoops - the portal slammed shut, perhaps never to open again. The questions at the start are many: Will Constance get Leng before he gets her? Will Pendergast be able to save her (if, in fact, he finds her at all)? If any or all survive, will they find a way to get back to the present?

Those questions, as well as some readers won't even think to ask, will be answered as the protagonists plot their moves through the underbelly of a city in which Uber's pick-up and delivery vehicles have four legs. There are many twists, turns and narrow escapes, but there's no escaping that it's a riveting adventure. But to get the details, you'll just have to read it for yourself. As for me, I'll just say Wow! and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the privilege of reading a pre-release copy.

The conclusion to the Enoch Leng story line is a frenetic, fast-paced, action-filled finale. With Diogenese joining Pendergast, Constance and D'Agosta in the parallel universe 19th century New York, all best are off as the three men try to outmaneuver Leng while Constance rescues her other universe siblings from his clutches. The narrative is intense and always has multiple pieces moving at once as the geniuses plan, feint and try to outsmart each other. At a point it actually becomes frustrating that no matter how many moves ahead the trio have planned, Leng somehow always manages to guess what's going on. I realize that the quicker their plans actually succeed, the shorter the book and fewer the "thrills" but it did get to a place where I would have preferred a novella over the full-length novel just to cut out a few of the feints and counters, and the just having the story finally resolved. Definitely an exciting entry in the Pendergast series, but I would be perfectly happy seeing totally new plot lines from here on out.

Angel of Vengeance is the last novel in the Leng quartet. In it, protagonists Aloysius Pendergast and Constance Greene make their final stand against their shared nemesis, Dr. Enoch Leng. That being said, the novel cannot be read as a standalone and should be read after the prior novels in the Leng series (There are three of them: The Cabinet of Curiosities, Bloodless, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng.)

The story unfolds through a third party point of view and continues the saga where the prior novel, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, left off. And true to the authors’ style, there are numerous plot twists the dot the novel’s landscape. But there is one huge surprise that took this novel over the top and makes it a must read for fans of the Leng quartet. Five stars.

I received a DRC from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the series! I found it to be a fitted ending to the Leng quartet! I do wonder if this is also the end for the Pendergast series? With some of the advertisements for the book, I couldn't tell. I hope it's not the last of Pendergast! I think he's one of the great fictional characters around now and I truly enjoy the "otherworldly" mysteries he investigates on behalf of the FBI. Great job to the authors!

346 pages

5 stars

I was anxiously awaiting the availability of this book. I’ve been reading this series from the “Cabinet of Curiosities.” We’ve come a long way since then.

Preston and Child are super authors. Their characters are real, although some of them are a little…well, otherworldly. I enjoy them all. Reading a new installment of the series is like visiting with old friends, catching up so to speak. Adding Diogenes to this novel was a stroke of genius. The perfect foil for Leng. An avenging angel for certain.

The books are full of action, great conversation, thrilling plots and a touch of the supernatural. The reader is invited to suspend belief just enough. Just enough to think…maybe.

There are some unanswered questions I have after reading this book. Will there be another in the series? Maybe?

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

An epic finale to the Dr. Leng vs. Constance showdown! After the cliffhanger in The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, I was eager to dive back into this story and see how everything was going to play out. Preston and Child are masters of their trade and continue to write the perfect thrillers. I loved this entire storyline around Constance’s family and getting to go back to 1880s NYC. Although this plot line concludes, I can’t wait to see how Pendergast and Constance deal with some of the lingering fallout. A perfect addition to the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

ANGEL OF VENGEANCE picks up directly after the cliff hanger ending of the previous installment, THE CABINET OF DR LENG. Pendergast, Constance, and Vincent are trapped in the past, trying to protect Constance’s siblings and a younger version of herself from Pendergast’s evil ancestor Enoch Leng.

Pendergast’s estranged brother Diogenes was my favorite part of the book. As always, Diogenes has his own agenda, which adds to the fun. Having his perspective is a treat.

As with the previous installment, I would have liked to have had more focus on Pendergast, but each of the heroes has plenty to do to defeat Leng as well as plenty of opportunities to showcase their special skills.

While the cast of characters is huge, the authors do a great job bringing each one to life. I liked how the leader of the gang who works for Leng is a young woman with an interesting backstory.

With the last book ending on a cliff hanger, I am glad that this installment provides resolution to the storyline. I look forward to seeing what the authors have in store for us in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.