The Wheel of Darkness (Special Agent Pendergast)
Grand Central Publishing - Grand Central Publishing
Release date: 2007-08-28
Hardcover
Author: Lincoln Child
Mystery And Suspense Fiction, Fiction, Fiction - Espionage / Thriller, Fiction / General, Fiction / Suspense, Fiction / Thrillers, Suspense, Thrillers, Americans, Government investigators, Himalaya Mountains, Pendergast, Aloysius (Fictitious character)
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The Wheel of Darkness (Special Agent Pendergast)
Date undefinedWheel of Darkness is the latest collaboration between two exceptional authors, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - a duo that I've been following since their third novel, Mount Dragon.
The novel centers on Agent Pendergast, Preston and Child's main protagonist, who's been in almost all of the novels written by these two excellent authors.
Before I continue, this review will not contain any spoilers other than what you can garner from reading the back cover of the novel. I hate ruining things for people.
This novel is a murder mystery that, after reading, reminded me heavily of the old film noir detective novels and movies from the forties and fifties. You know what are considered to be the classics and arguably some of the best of these types of movies and literature.
Also, with the exception of the first portion of the book, the entire novel is set on the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise ship.
Pendergast and his ward travel to Tibet in order to help her deal with the events that took place in the book of the Dead.
During their time at the monastery, they learn of the theft of an ancient relic, one that was foretold to bring about the end of the world.
The monks, who know Pendergast, ask him to help track down the thief and recover the artifact before the events prophesied come true.
True to his word, he and Constance Greene set out hot on the trail of the thief and it eventually leads them to the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise ship.
Here they encounter far more than they could have imagined, of the least are a series of brutal murders that quickly put the passengers and crew of the ship in a state of panic.
This is by far the least of their worries.
The novel really felt like the old film noir movies from the forties and fifties. Half the time I was expecting an appearance by Spencer Tracy or Humphrey Bogart. But, there was plenty of modern technology to keep me, the reader, firmly planted in the modern era.
As per usual, Pendergast showed his intelligence and put his unique set of skills to good use at several instances during the novel. As usual I don't want to spoil things for the reader, but his interaction with some of the secondary characters was, to be honest, quite brilliant in the manner in which he dealt with them.
And then there was the personal crisis that Pendergast is forced to face.
If I had a complaint about the novel, it was with how it ended, and the artifact itself. Once again, I won't bother spoiling it for you. If you want to find out what I am talking about, read the book and you'll see what I'm referring to.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and it really felt like a classic murder mystery from a bygone era. Not one of their best collaborations, but definitely worth picking up to read.
3.5 out of 5.
The Wheel of Darkness (Special Agent Pendergast)
Date undefinedThe language is arch to the point of smugness, the situations are ridiculous, and the characters are absurd, but I couldn't put it down. It's as if two writers got together and said "let's take a junior high boys' James Bond fantasy and see how far we can stretch it before it breaks."
And, for some odd, reptilian-brain reason, it worked, at least for me. A major theme involved Tibetan mysticism, which added a fun, exotic feel. I also enjoyed the fact that much of the action took place on an ocean liner, which gave the authors an opportunity to give you an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how luxury liners work today.
The book was silly, and it didn't make me want to read another Preston/Childs book (it got my desire to read at least one Preston/Childs book out of my system), but it was a fun guilty pleasure.
The Wheel of Darkness (Special Agent Pendergast)
Date undefinedI've read virtually all of the Preston/Childs books, and every one of the Pendergast series. Why the latter has so seized my fascination to such a degree, I'm not exactly sure. In any case, while I wouldn't call "Wheel" the best book in the series, it certainly is an interesting read. It is entirely consistent with the storytelling trail left by previous books, and leaves its own intriguing trailer at the very end.
Preston/Childs books never, ever, lack for imagination -- that is, in fact, their chief calling card. "Wheel" is no exception in that regard. However, character development definitely gets a short shrift in this tale -- much more so than the other books, wherein we got to examine Pendergast and other main characters at much greater depth. Constance, in particular, seems to have become just a bit more than Pendergast's appendage, with nothing of the remarkableness of her personal story or abilities evident. Hopefully, that will change in future books.
