FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast has been imprisoned for murder. One very large problem. He’s innocent.

Determined to exact revenge on his brother for a mysterious “Event” from their childhood, Diogenes Pendergast is about to commit the perfect crime. He has waited decades to strike at his brother, and now is the time.

NYPD Lt. Vincent D’Agosta knows Agent Pendergast must get out of prison. With a small, highly specialized team, he plans to spring his friend from one of the most secure federal penitentiaries in the country. Who needs a career in law enforcement, anyway?

NYPD Captain Laura Hayward has made the biggest mistake of her career. She didn’t believe D’Agosta’s claims that Pendergast was innocent, and now that she does, it’s too late. Maybe.

Nora Kelly, a curator at the New York Museum of Natural History, is assigned to orchestrate the biggest event in recent history. After a diamond their returned the museum’s precious collection in the form of dust, she has a monumental job ahead. She just hopes there’s nothing to the rumored curse associated with the Egyptian tomb she’s about to open.

The Book of the Dead is a thriller laced with the range of human experience. Each character must find the strength to survive the most terrifying events of their lives.

Preston and Child continue their Pendergast “series” with this no-holds-barred accounting between genius brothers, one utterly evil, the other tormented by the need to protect humanity from his sibling. The writing is fast-paced and breathtaking. Readers will cringe even as they press on for more.

This novel receives 4½-Books for spine tingling reading. (5-Stars on Amazon) Some readers may find certain plot points and/or the “how” of things a stretch, but the willing suspension of disbelief will be enough for most fans. To give more detail would mean spoiling some of the mystery. If readers would like to discuss the spoilers, feel free to visit the WUAT blog.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
6/16/06

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