Category Archives: thriller stories

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Pendergast: The Beginning

Book Reviews, murder mystery, thriller stories,
Pendergast by Douglas Preston

Pendergast: The Beginning (Agent Pendergast, #0) by Douglas Preston(Goodreads Author), Lincoln Child

With the twenty-third installment of the Pendergast series by authors Preston and Child, the writing duo deliver a riveting prequel; the story of how Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast came to be part of the F.B.I. as he and his first partner chase an elusive serial killer.


Already present is Pendergast’s unorthodox investigating methods, leading him to be at odds with his supervising partner Chambers as well as the head of the New Orleans field office. Pendergast is more concerned about the pursuit of the truth than upholding protocols and the chain of command; here we get some insight into what events in his still murky past caused this attitude.


One killer with a particularly odd modus operandi confounds the investigation by turning up dead, left in a similar state to his own victims. Did someone discover his identity before the FBI and kill him in revenge? Or is his death the work of his associates? With one killer down, a conspiracy of two more take his place, but only for a short while before one of them is also dead.


Who is killing the killers, and what is their link to each other? A look into the shadowed past of a prestigious university may hold the answers, if only the evidence has not been completely destroyed. Pendergast is determined to find the truth, even if his own partner refused to support his actions.


In the end, it comes down to Pendergast to face an implacable foe for not only justice, but survival. The story nicely tail ends the previous first book of the series, Relic. While it is not required reading to have gone through the rest of series in order to enjoy this new addition, previous readers of the series will experience many “aha!” moments that those new to these characters will not understand at this point, including the origins of Pendergast’s relationship with Proctor, his chauffeur/bodyguard/confident.


I award this new novel five stars, and recommend this book and series to readers interested in thrillers, police procedurals, and detective novel alike.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : The Secret of Secrets

Book Reviews, Dan Brown, Robert Langdon, thriller stories, , , ,

Hello dear readers,

I realize I have been gone for quite some time, and can only say as an excuse that life is full. I was able to spend some time with both my children for the holidays, but as they are grown and have their own lives, I did have to travel to one of them this year. I considered the trip very worthwhile, but I have had countless demands on my time, so I haven’t had the luxury to sit and just write for far too long. Of course, I did manage to take a couple of books with me, and so I can finally sit down and offer my latest review.

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon, #6) by Dan Brown (Goodreads Author)

Amy Caudill‘s review 

The sixth installment of author Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series features the globe-trotting Harvard symbologist attending a prestigious talk given by new girlfriend Katherine Solomon in Prague. Dr. Solomon, a long-time colleague, has written the definitive text on consciousness theory, a treatise which apparently is so explosive a splinter division from the CIA will stop at nothing to prevent her publishing it.


With Katherine in danger, Robert dives in, literally into an icy river, and figuratively, to protect her and discover who and what is targeting her work. The reader is treated to an exploration of the art and culture of Prague as clues are hidden all around, and under the city.


Meanwhile, others are also searching for answers, including an apparent figment out of local medieval lore. Will Robert be reunited with Katherine, and will they be able to salvage her manuscript, that has somehow been erased from the publisher’s server? And who or what is the mysterious Golem, who seems to be both stalking them and taking out their enemies?


This is certainly the longest novel in this series to date, at more than 670 pages, but the author includes enough action and depth of plot in the story that the word count feels justified. There are twists and turns that keep the reader on the edge of their seat for the long haul. Meanwhile, Robert Langdon continues to amaze as he puts together obscure clues with the efficiency of Sherlock Holmes.


The only criticism I have is that there seems to be so little continuity from his other stories; one would think that Langdon’s character would be more effected by some of his past experiences and relationships than his demeanor suggests. The only reference noted to past adventures is made by his editor, in an aside, that Robert is always in the middle of dangerous situations.


All being said, this is an excellent story full of thrills, suspense, and plot twists to satisfy most readers, along with some tender moments of romance that lead fans of the series to wonder if this is the one love that Langdon will keep for longer than the end of one novel. I give The Secret of Secrets 5 stars, and recommend it to fans of thrillers, mysteries and spy novels.