Tag Archives: The Pendergast Series

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 : Angel of Vengeance

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Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston

Angel of Vengeance (Pendergast, #22) by Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author), Lincoln Child

Amy Caudill‘s review

Aug 26, 2025

A desperate plan, a combination of forces by former enemies, and a literal world-bending adventure awaits our heroes as they face off against the ultimate antagonist-Pendergast’s serial killer ancestor, Dr. Enoch Leng.


This latest novel from authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child concludes what could be considered another unofficial trilogy in the long-term series. I previously reviewed the first book of this trilogy, Bloodless, on Goodreads and my blog, but have yet to mention the second book on-line. However, since these three are so interrelated, I feel I should discuss the three books together.


In Bloodless, Aloysius Pendergast discovers a machine that creates gateways between dimensions, allowing travelers to move between worlds that are either very different or very similar to our own. Constance Greene uses the machine to travel to a world that is like our own only still in the Victorian era, allowing her to stop Leng from the ghastly experiments that killed her sister and made Constance herself virtually immortal. However, the machine breaks down after her transport and she is stranded there.


Pendergast is devastated at her loss, because he is only now realizing that he feels more for Constance than a ward, and actually could have a relationship with her. The early part of The Cabinet of Dr. Leng focuses on the unconventional steps Pendergast, with the help of D’Agosta and Procter, take to bring the machine back on-line and save Constance from herself.


Long term readers of the series will recognize the name and situation of the second book, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, from an earlier book in the series , The Cabinet of Curiosities, although the newer book is set mostly in the past and in a slightly alternate dimension.


Despite their best intentions, Pendergast and D’Agosta’s arrival in alternate Victorian era New York creates more harm than good, and Constance quickly points out to them that she did not want or need their help. Whether that was true is academic, because Leng becomes aware of the dimensional travelers’ existence, and in the beginning of Angel of Vengeance he has gained the upper hand by purportedly killing Constance’s older sister and kidnapping the younger version of herself.


The last book continues the story with the arrival of Pendergast’s younger brother, Diogenes, who has a checkered past with the rest of the group but who allies himself with them to bring down Leng. The group of heroes, determined to save Mary Greene and “Binky,” the young Constance, as well as their brother Joe, join forces to concoct a plan that will also prevent Leng from gaining any more knowledge or access to the dimensional gate.


While some of the Pendergast books could be considered stand-alone, I would caution new readers to this series to not start with any of the books I have mentioned here, because while they may enjoy the story there is far too much history, and too many prior situations that would require explanation for complete understanding.


However, this book series is outstanding and the latest offering continues that trend. I award it five stars and recommend the series to fans of detective fiction, actions stories, and those who enjoy stories with Victorian and Gothic and paranormal elements. Considering the next book in the series, which is due out in January, is a flashback to Pendergast’s first case, I only hope that the forward adventures of our heroes are not at an end.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Bloodless

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Happy New Year everyone! As you can see, I’m starting off this year by reviewing a book I finished late last year. I have a number of books I plan to read this year, though hopefully I will have some new original material to share in the coming months (cross fingers!) For now, allow me to tell you about the latest book in a series I have been following for years.

Bloodless by Douglas Preston

Bloodless (Pendergast, #20) by Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author), Lincoln Child
Amy Caudill‘s review

It isn’t often that authors can have a character so decidedly return to the roots of what made a book so intriguing in the beginning, but the writing team of Preston and Child have successfully done just this thing.

FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast began his fictional career by hunting a gigantic monster through the NY Museum of Natural History.  Now, he’s chasing another, even larger monster through the streets and cemeteries of Savannah, Georgia. 

Pendergast has made a career of handling curious cases that often border on paranormal intrigue.  So it is not surprising that though they are still recovering from the ordeal that became their last investigation, Pendergast, along with his recent partner Agent Armstrong Coldmoon, and his ward, Constance Greene, are intercepted by Assistant Director Pickett before they can part ways.  A series of troubling murders has beset Savannah, and rumors of the bodies being found completely drained of blood seems tailor-made to Pendergast’s expertise.

Will the investigators find proof that the legendary Savannah Vampire actually exists?  A group of ghost hunters making a movie certainly hope so, even if part of the crew has to fake the evidence.  Meanwhile, an overbearing Senator seeking re-election causes another complication to an already difficult investigation that includes twists with a device that can see into the future and the true identity/fate of D.B. Cooper from the famed unsolved mystery fifty years earlier.

The authors, as usual, have done a superb job with well-developed plots, enormously well-researched locations and scenarios, and enough twists and turns for a roller coaster.  For long fans of the series, I don’t want to give anything away about the relationship developments between certain characters.  For those who have never read this series before, don’t be afraid to give it a shot.  You will be able to pick up most of the important points, though I suggest after reading this book you go back and start the series from the beginning to see what you may have missed.

I award this novel five stars and recommend Bloodless to fans of detective procedurals, thrillers, and paranormal stories.  It really has something for everyone.  Happy Reading!