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Aloysius Pendergast #5
Brimstone
Art critic Jeremy Grove is found dead, his face frozen in a mask of terror. His body temperature is grotesquely high; he is discovered in a room barricaded from the inside; the smell of brimstone is everywhere... and the unmistakable imprint of a claw is burned into the wall. As more bodies are discovered - their only connection the bizarre but identical manner of death - the world begins to wonder if the Devil has, in fact, come to collect his due.
Teaming with Police Officer Vincent D'Agosta (The Relic), Agent Pendergast is determined to solve this case that appears to defy everything except supernatural logic.
©2004 Douglas Preston (P)2011 Hachette
Teaming with Police Officer Vincent D'Agosta (The Relic), Agent Pendergast is determined to solve this case that appears to defy everything except supernatural logic.
©2004 Douglas Preston (P)2011 Hachette
740 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 3, 2004
1620 people are currently reading
11052 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
216 books13.3k followersDouglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,703 reviews
August 4, 2017
I’ve boxed myself into reviewing Pendergast books using food comparisons, which, fortunately, is not an overly restrictive framework (I mean, I’m only on book five, so haven’t had to start reaching for okra or polenta just yet), but has, thus far, been influenced by whatever I’ve eaten most recently that seems even remotely applicable. (Another reason I haven’t busted out okra or polenta, incidentally, because eating those things just seems ridiculous. I refuse.)
Fortunately, the stars aligned well in this instance—I’ve been housing a ton of pizza lately, which seems apropos for a book set, at least in part, in Italy. Here’s the thing about pizza, though: pizza quality can vary wildly, not unlike the multiple storylines within this book (see what I did there?).
See, sometimes you get John’s of Bleecker Street, some of the most sublime pie you’ve ever had. The method of the murderer (did the devil REALLY do it??), the historical backdrop in Italy, the burgeoning friendship between Pendergast and D’Agosta…these are the tastiest parts of the story, and worthy of what you’d get in that fabled West Village pizzeria. (For those of you wrinkling your faces because you’re Chicago-style fans, just sub in the word “Gino’s” for John’s, okay? I won’t judge or argue.)
Other parts of the story, though, are more like your favorite local pizza joint—good, sure, but , unless you live in New York (or Chicago), you’re probably getting something that is perfectly satisfying, but not the best you’ve ever had. That’s other elements of the story: the weird preacher in the park subplot, the wacky supporting characters, and Pendergast’s entertaining but often absurd knack for getting out of impossible situations.
Then, of course, there’s freezer pizza. Which, let’s face it, is barely pizza, but it’s what you eat if you NEED something pizza-like and have no other option at 3 AM. In this case, that’s the semi-icky romance between D’Agosta and Hayward, the occasionally clunky dialogue, and most aspects of the villain (who I won’t say anything about to avoid spoilers).
(Incidentally, I’m ignoring things like the pizza they serve in elementary school cafeterias, which the FDA has determined is not, in fact, pizza, but is actually a corpse hand covered in mozzarella-flavored cheez food snack product. There are no circumstances under which it should be given to a growing child for whom nutrition is paramount, unless one is grooming said child to be a flesh-eating zombie, in which case it is acceptable, but less preferable than almost any other form of decaying human body parts.)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Preston and Child are as technically proficient a pair of thriller writers as there is on the market, so even when they stretch in different directions (occasionally a little awkwardly) in an effort to broaden the canvas on which they can paint this series, they don’t lose sight of what they came to do, which is write an entertaining page turner that never lets up. Worth a read if you’re a fan of the series, but definitely start with the predecessors before you jump into this one.
(One note on Pendergast: he continues to evolve into more of an action hero, moving beyond his Sherlockian roots to become something more akin to a highly intelligent and eccentric James Bond in this book, albeit Bond mixed with a shirtless, drawling Matthew McConaughey. It’s odd. Yet, compelling.)
Fortunately, the stars aligned well in this instance—I’ve been housing a ton of pizza lately, which seems apropos for a book set, at least in part, in Italy. Here’s the thing about pizza, though: pizza quality can vary wildly, not unlike the multiple storylines within this book (see what I did there?).
See, sometimes you get John’s of Bleecker Street, some of the most sublime pie you’ve ever had. The method of the murderer (did the devil REALLY do it??), the historical backdrop in Italy, the burgeoning friendship between Pendergast and D’Agosta…these are the tastiest parts of the story, and worthy of what you’d get in that fabled West Village pizzeria. (For those of you wrinkling your faces because you’re Chicago-style fans, just sub in the word “Gino’s” for John’s, okay? I won’t judge or argue.)
Other parts of the story, though, are more like your favorite local pizza joint—good, sure, but , unless you live in New York (or Chicago), you’re probably getting something that is perfectly satisfying, but not the best you’ve ever had. That’s other elements of the story: the weird preacher in the park subplot, the wacky supporting characters, and Pendergast’s entertaining but often absurd knack for getting out of impossible situations.
Then, of course, there’s freezer pizza. Which, let’s face it, is barely pizza, but it’s what you eat if you NEED something pizza-like and have no other option at 3 AM. In this case, that’s the semi-icky romance between D’Agosta and Hayward, the occasionally clunky dialogue, and most aspects of the villain (who I won’t say anything about to avoid spoilers).
(Incidentally, I’m ignoring things like the pizza they serve in elementary school cafeterias, which the FDA has determined is not, in fact, pizza, but is actually a corpse hand covered in mozzarella-flavored cheez food snack product. There are no circumstances under which it should be given to a growing child for whom nutrition is paramount, unless one is grooming said child to be a flesh-eating zombie, in which case it is acceptable, but less preferable than almost any other form of decaying human body parts.)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Preston and Child are as technically proficient a pair of thriller writers as there is on the market, so even when they stretch in different directions (occasionally a little awkwardly) in an effort to broaden the canvas on which they can paint this series, they don’t lose sight of what they came to do, which is write an entertaining page turner that never lets up. Worth a read if you’re a fan of the series, but definitely start with the predecessors before you jump into this one.
(One note on Pendergast: he continues to evolve into more of an action hero, moving beyond his Sherlockian roots to become something more akin to a highly intelligent and eccentric James Bond in this book, albeit Bond mixed with a shirtless, drawling Matthew McConaughey. It’s odd. Yet, compelling.)
December 17, 2016
There are not enough stars in the world for Preston and Child! Dark mystery and intrigue! Forces of good and evil collide! Satan come forth from hell to take the souls of sinners!
Every chapter is interesting with a question answered or a new one raised. Every few pages, another cliffhanger. Each challenge presented seemingly impossible to overcome.
If you like mysteries, thrillers, horror, dark humor, crime drama, etc. Basically if you like unstoppable excitement from page one that goes on for book after book, then you need the Pendergast series in your life.
Every chapter is interesting with a question answered or a new one raised. Every few pages, another cliffhanger. Each challenge presented seemingly impossible to overcome.
If you like mysteries, thrillers, horror, dark humor, crime drama, etc. Basically if you like unstoppable excitement from page one that goes on for book after book, then you need the Pendergast series in your life.
February 11, 2015
Review Revisited
This is a fabulous series.
Brimstone is somewhat different from its predecessors. It's more Agatha Christie than Michael Crichton this time round. A little bit less horror; a little more mystery. The authors appear to be paying tribute to a number of literary classics and conventions in this novel. For one thing, one of the characters is lifted exactly out of The Woman in White. Aloysius Pendergast has always been decidedly Sherlock Holmes-like, but it's taken to the next level here, with Vincent D'Agosta acting out the Dr. Watson parts. Heck, I even detected a bit of Ian Fleming.
So, it's a bit of a mish-mash of sorts, but it's all good. In fact, it's really, really good. It's clear that the authors have been consciously trying to prevent the series from becoming too formulaic and predictable. Every novel brings a new dimension to the table and Brimstone is no exception. Think you can predict what's going on? Think again.
Some things have remained constant though, such as the thrills and suspense we have come to expect. Recalling Mbwun from Relic, the 'surgeon' from The Cabinet of Curiosities, and let's not even talk about the oh so atmospheric Still Life with Crows, I can't help but wonder when these guys are going to start running out of ideas, or variety. Fortunately, with Brimstone it hasn't happened yet.
Brimstone is the first in the Diogenes trilogy and we are fleetingly introduced to a creepy fellow (now you see him, now you don't) who may or may not be Pendergast's evil brother, Diogenes. As such, the novel ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. You'll want Dance of Death close at hand.
It's exciting stuff. I can't recommend this series enough.
July 21, 2021
Brimstone is the 5th book in the Pendergast series written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Part thriller/suspense, part science-fiction at times (very minimal), this collection offers an intense FBI investigation based in NYC with travels all around the world. Pendergast is a strange and intelligent agent who relies on his relationships and powers of persuasion to solve a bizarre crime. He almost always knows the answers before he asks the questions, and when his head is focused on motive and opportunity, it almost feels like I can see the steam rise through the pages of the book.
There are so many things to cling to in this series: its New York City setting, where often I recognize all the places they're describing; its creative plot lines full of just enough impossibilities to stretch your imagination; and its vivid characters who make you want to throttle them on occasion. In Brimstone, the Devil has supposedly appeared, and until 90% in, we really think he has. I'm not giving away spoilers, but the whole story works you up to try to understand how on earth these people were dying, and when you learn the details, it's both confusing and so technical, I am not able to rationalize it. BUT I love it, and I am excited to get all the gory details.
This one kicks off a three-book mini-series within the larger series where we learn more about Pendergast's family, including his elusive brother Diogenes who is up to something awful. Constance is not quite family, but she's 100+ years old and looks about 20. There's a backstory there, and some day we will find out the truth. I can't imagine the series being written any differently; I am not one for science-fiction, but this has such a safe balance, it works really well. I love the clever tactics and insanity of how Pendergast solves all the missing pieces of the murder. I think he and I would get along quite well, but I'd also find myself easily offended (in a good way).
There's a complicated sense of power in this story, and anytime I think Pendergast has been beaten at his own game, he rises like a phoenix. It's completely amazing to watch the story unfold, and I highly recommend it for solid construction and that hint of disbelief that you need in order to immerse yourself in a book. #6 has been ordered and will be in my early July reading schedule.
There are so many things to cling to in this series: its New York City setting, where often I recognize all the places they're describing; its creative plot lines full of just enough impossibilities to stretch your imagination; and its vivid characters who make you want to throttle them on occasion. In Brimstone, the Devil has supposedly appeared, and until 90% in, we really think he has. I'm not giving away spoilers, but the whole story works you up to try to understand how on earth these people were dying, and when you learn the details, it's both confusing and so technical, I am not able to rationalize it. BUT I love it, and I am excited to get all the gory details.
This one kicks off a three-book mini-series within the larger series where we learn more about Pendergast's family, including his elusive brother Diogenes who is up to something awful. Constance is not quite family, but she's 100+ years old and looks about 20. There's a backstory there, and some day we will find out the truth. I can't imagine the series being written any differently; I am not one for science-fiction, but this has such a safe balance, it works really well. I love the clever tactics and insanity of how Pendergast solves all the missing pieces of the murder. I think he and I would get along quite well, but I'd also find myself easily offended (in a good way).
There's a complicated sense of power in this story, and anytime I think Pendergast has been beaten at his own game, he rises like a phoenix. It's completely amazing to watch the story unfold, and I highly recommend it for solid construction and that hint of disbelief that you need in order to immerse yourself in a book. #6 has been ordered and will be in my early July reading schedule.
April 17, 2021
Bizarre death of an art critic appears to be cooked from the inside out. Stench of sulfur and brimstone as well as burnt hoofprints are found at the crime scene. Then more charred bodies turn up. Clues lead to Italy.
Brimstone is the fifth of Pendergast series and first of Diogenes trilogy. A returning character from book one and two, Vincent D'Agosta is back from retirement and now with Southampton PD.
I'm a fan of this series, but Brimstone is not one of my favorites. It's a good story with awesome characters and supernatural feel, but I wish the pace could've been faster or I should've gone with an abridged version.
Brimstone is the fifth of Pendergast series and first of Diogenes trilogy. A returning character from book one and two, Vincent D'Agosta is back from retirement and now with Southampton PD.
I'm a fan of this series, but Brimstone is not one of my favorites. It's a good story with awesome characters and supernatural feel, but I wish the pace could've been faster or I should've gone with an abridged version.
January 31, 2018
Another great book in the Pendergast series! I’ve been really impressed with this series and the writers. Preston/Child have tackled lots of different plots and they have all worked so far.
This book in the series, Brimstone starts off with a charred body found in a Long Island estate. The questions about the death seem to involve evil forces with the smell of brimstone in the air and a hoofprint scorched into the floor.
Did Satan really kill this man?!! Well, read this book to find out.
This book travels from Long Island to New York City and then to the historic and ancient city of Florence, Italy. I loved all the details of the city of Florence along with the art and history references.
I enjoyed where the authors took the character of Vincent D’Agosta in this book along with giving more family history on Aloysius Pendergast. Laura Hayward from Reliquary was also in the book. I really love this character and hope to see more of her in the future!
If you enjoy thrillers, horror or suspense, then this book and series is right up your wheelhouse! I highly recommend it!
This book in the series, Brimstone starts off with a charred body found in a Long Island estate. The questions about the death seem to involve evil forces with the smell of brimstone in the air and a hoofprint scorched into the floor.
Did Satan really kill this man?!! Well, read this book to find out.
This book travels from Long Island to New York City and then to the historic and ancient city of Florence, Italy. I loved all the details of the city of Florence along with the art and history references.
I enjoyed where the authors took the character of Vincent D’Agosta in this book along with giving more family history on Aloysius Pendergast. Laura Hayward from Reliquary was also in the book. I really love this character and hope to see more of her in the future!
If you enjoy thrillers, horror or suspense, then this book and series is right up your wheelhouse! I highly recommend it!
February 6, 2017
Pendergast for President! I love this character and this series. Pendergast is the real deal.
September 1, 2021
4.5 stars. There's not a single series I've ever read that has more twists and turns than this one by Preston & Child, with a little spooky and weird always being a part of it. Of course, because Pendergast himself is involved and all those things go together. As I can see we're about to get more involved with Pendergast's mysterious family, that promises to only get more twisty. Genuinely looking forward to it!
January 12, 2019
The Diogenes cycle with the Pendergast series is my favorite section. This one takes place in Italy. And true to its name has religious connotations. Not my favorite of the three, but still quite a baffling mystery to the very end.
January 31, 2019
First name: ✔️
August 6, 2022
“While dead men tell no tales, their corpses often speak volumes.”
Opening with one of the most intriguing mystery starters ever, Brimstone makes it seem like the devil himself has come to settle scores. Like many other Pendergast novels, sometimes it seems like the story is Paranormally focused, but by the end that's not always the case. I won't say whether it is or isn't this time around, just like Relic and Still Life with Crows, things are usually more than they initially seem, even if what they initially seem is already downright fascinating without adding more plot point brownie points on top.
The creepy atmosphere is well-maintained, although it dwindles down into more of a whodunnit. Finally at the end it almost feels like a spy action-adventure novel. The authors are excellent at weaving up interesting, complex storylines that borrow a little of this and that from various genres. Even Pendergast himself feels little like James Bond. Really there isn't anyone else out there like him, which makes the stories seem even more unique, but you can pick up other far-out there traits shared with other detectives. While the book starts strong, it stays fascinating, but the ending is a little weak in comparison to the rest of the book. Usually the endings of these are showstoppers, so this was a little surprising.
Pendergast doesn't go as far out into Super-Pendergast territory as some of his previous novels, and we get returning characters such as Vincent D'Agosta. This was a treat since I always loved the guy, although he's now had major changes in his life and has to deal with demotion, depression, and self-doubt. It was interesting seeing him deal with his issues and getting a new lease on life, thanks to the supportive friendliness of our pale crusader.
While the fifth in a series, it's also the first of a trilogy focusing on the mystery of Pendergast's long-lost and apparently twisted, evil brother Diogenes.
Overall another psychologically gripping story, but in this case I kind of wish more of a supernatural bend would have come into play. Outstanding characters, well-placed tension, and groovy atmosphere support it up against any weight of plot pitfalls though, so this is another one highly recommended in the long-running series.
Opening with one of the most intriguing mystery starters ever, Brimstone makes it seem like the devil himself has come to settle scores. Like many other Pendergast novels, sometimes it seems like the story is Paranormally focused, but by the end that's not always the case. I won't say whether it is or isn't this time around, just like Relic and Still Life with Crows, things are usually more than they initially seem, even if what they initially seem is already downright fascinating without adding more plot point brownie points on top.
The creepy atmosphere is well-maintained, although it dwindles down into more of a whodunnit. Finally at the end it almost feels like a spy action-adventure novel. The authors are excellent at weaving up interesting, complex storylines that borrow a little of this and that from various genres. Even Pendergast himself feels little like James Bond. Really there isn't anyone else out there like him, which makes the stories seem even more unique, but you can pick up other far-out there traits shared with other detectives. While the book starts strong, it stays fascinating, but the ending is a little weak in comparison to the rest of the book. Usually the endings of these are showstoppers, so this was a little surprising.
Pendergast doesn't go as far out into Super-Pendergast territory as some of his previous novels, and we get returning characters such as Vincent D'Agosta. This was a treat since I always loved the guy, although he's now had major changes in his life and has to deal with demotion, depression, and self-doubt. It was interesting seeing him deal with his issues and getting a new lease on life, thanks to the supportive friendliness of our pale crusader.
While the fifth in a series, it's also the first of a trilogy focusing on the mystery of Pendergast's long-lost and apparently twisted, evil brother Diogenes.
Overall another psychologically gripping story, but in this case I kind of wish more of a supernatural bend would have come into play. Outstanding characters, well-placed tension, and groovy atmosphere support it up against any weight of plot pitfalls though, so this is another one highly recommended in the long-running series.
February 7, 2021
A short review for this one. Brimstone is the 5th installment of the Pendergast series. This time around agent Pendergast is again investigating a highly unusual set of deaths - with help from some old friends from previous stories. As you may have surmised from the title - there are some spiritual connections in this story... Don't "look up", however as we aren't talking angels - these connections are of the demonic variety.
Vincent D'Agosta returns - as does Laura Hayward. There are a few new characters as well. As with all of the books so far the stories build on themselves. You can't read them out of order because of things you learn from earlier. This time around elements of The Cabinet of Curiosities and Still Life With Crows carry forward in building the bigger story arc. It also hints at future things to come.
As always, Pendergast is on his game. This time around you learn a bit of his interviewing secrets as he *studies up* before meeting with witnesses. This gives him the appearance to be an expert on things the witness is passionate about and is more likely to *charm* facts from them. D'Agosta is great as his tough and loyal sidekick. There is one part where he makes a phone call and uses an alias familiar to fans of Stephen King - that was pretty funny. As per the Pendergast *formula* - any law enforcement involved in the story that are not part of our major characters are pretty inept. Laura's character is really good again, but overall she plays a lesser part of the storyline.
While I have yet to read a Pendergast story where I think "I know where this is headed"... this one really threw me as most of the way I had no idea how it was going to resolve itself. The ending was great and pretty exciting really.
I had not heard of 'The Woman in White' and liked the bit at the end where the authors talked about the historical significance of that book to the murder/mystery genre as well as how they connected it here.
Vincent D'Agosta returns - as does Laura Hayward. There are a few new characters as well. As with all of the books so far the stories build on themselves. You can't read them out of order because of things you learn from earlier. This time around elements of The Cabinet of Curiosities and Still Life With Crows carry forward in building the bigger story arc. It also hints at future things to come.
As always, Pendergast is on his game. This time around you learn a bit of his interviewing secrets as he *studies up* before meeting with witnesses. This gives him the appearance to be an expert on things the witness is passionate about and is more likely to *charm* facts from them. D'Agosta is great as his tough and loyal sidekick. There is one part where he makes a phone call and uses an alias familiar to fans of Stephen King - that was pretty funny. As per the Pendergast *formula* - any law enforcement involved in the story that are not part of our major characters are pretty inept. Laura's character is really good again, but overall she plays a lesser part of the storyline.
While I have yet to read a Pendergast story where I think "I know where this is headed"... this one really threw me as most of the way I had no idea how it was going to resolve itself. The ending was great and pretty exciting really.
I had not heard of 'The Woman in White' and liked the bit at the end where the authors talked about the historical significance of that book to the murder/mystery genre as well as how they connected it here.
August 5, 2024
Perfect!!
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
Brimstone (Pendergast Series Book 5) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is so good!
This series is the best! I love Pendergast!!
The writing style is excellent, the plot is gripping and the characters are well written.
I loved the suspense, the action, the gruesome murders and the mysteries.
The ending is breathtaking!
I highly recommend it!
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
Brimstone (Pendergast Series Book 5) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is so good!
This series is the best! I love Pendergast!!
The writing style is excellent, the plot is gripping and the characters are well written.
I loved the suspense, the action, the gruesome murders and the mysteries.
The ending is breathtaking!
I highly recommend it!
March 12, 2024
I started this series years ago and have always meant to continue it. I am so glad to be back!
Why I love this series: First and foremost, Aloysius Pendergast, our prime FBI special agent. He speaks with a Southern drawl, he is intelligent, astute, charming, worldly- an overall great guy and gentleman!
Pendergast has a “taste for unusual murders”. This time the murders seem to be the work of the devil. This is an action packed, non stop thrilling book!
I listened to this book on audio. It is read by Scott Brick and I feel he did and excellent job.
Published: 2004
Why I love this series: First and foremost, Aloysius Pendergast, our prime FBI special agent. He speaks with a Southern drawl, he is intelligent, astute, charming, worldly- an overall great guy and gentleman!
Pendergast has a “taste for unusual murders”. This time the murders seem to be the work of the devil. This is an action packed, non stop thrilling book!
I listened to this book on audio. It is read by Scott Brick and I feel he did and excellent job.
Published: 2004
October 21, 2018
This is a big book for a thriller at over 700 pages but I devoured it hungrily as it was so good. On to the next one immediately, as Brimstone is the first book of the Diogenes trilogy within the larger series. And with that ending in this volume, impossible not to binge-read now.
April 22, 2024
A high water mark in suspense literature!
When the gruesome ashes of Jeremy Grove's still smoldering body are discovered in the locked bedroom of his ostentatious Hampton estate, it was a pretty easy leap to the paranormal conclusion of spontaneous human combustion. A melted cross, the clear odour of sulphur and brimstone and the image of a hoof print seared into the floor make a further leap to the conclusion of supernatural cause and a pact with the devil gone wrong a small step indeed. FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, perennial Johnny-on-the-spot in the environs of such a bizarre case, artfully inserts himself into the investigation and finds himself allied with some old friends - Sergeant Vincent D'Agosta of the Southampton PD and Captain Laura Hayward of NYPD.
Pendergast and his team quickly determine that Grove, a cynical, selfish, harshly outspoken art critic, was involved in a strange relationship with Nigel Cutforth, a wealthy, high-living music producer, Locke Bullard, industrial magnate and pompous bully, and Rainier Beckman, a shadowy man that seems to have no past at all. The search for the solution to this bizarre mystery drives our heroes down a Byzantine path to a medieval castle in the Italian countryside and a small hostel in Florence where the four men apparently spent time together as students on a European vacation.
BRIMSTONE is an exhilarating piece of work that clearly takes the team of Preston and Child to new heights. We are treated to splendid characterization for both newcomers such as the corpulent Count Isidore Fosco (a brilliant masterpiece of overbearing pomposity) and the maturing and continued fine-tuning of returning characters such as D'Agosta and Pendergast. Multiple plot lines are deftly handled and intricately woven together - the solution to the eerie opening murder mystery; the introduction of young Constance Green, Pendergast's ward and the ominous letter from his evil sibling, Diogenes, that is a clear set-up to the second novel in the trilogy, DANCE OF DEATH; and, of course, the flowering of romance between D'Agosta and Hayward - with each line complementing the others and contributing to a beautifully integrated whole.
I don't quite know how they did it but Lincoln and Preston even managed to insert a host of fascinating scholarly asides on a veritable cornucopia of cultural and scientific topics ranging from the history and manufacture of the Stradivarius violin, through opera, instrumental music, the Renaissance, modern art, secret societies and stealth weaponry without slowing the pace of the novel for even a single page.
I find myself positively drooling over the prospect of reading Dance of Death and The Book of the Dead, the final piece of the trilogy.
So why only four stars?
It's a sad fact that far too many modern authors (Lincoln and Preston included) refuse to accept that a real villain, given the opportunity, will simply pop an enemy without fanfare, escape and get on with a life of crime. The notion of the bad guy sitting down, having a civil conversation with the good guys and spilling his guts filling in every missing detail of the investigation before he eventually gets around to the killing is trite, overused and, frankly, hokey! The killing, of course, is also done through some extended, convoluted scheme or contraption as opposed to the simple, more expedient method of placing a gun against the temple and quickly squeezing the trigger. For goodness' sake, next time let Pendergast wring the solution out on the strength of his own sleuthing (it's not as if he isn't clever enough, that's for sure). He can sit down at the end of the story and play Sherlock to D'Agosta's Watson, fleshing out the details and explaining the puzzle to lesser lights such as us readers.
Paul Weiss
When the gruesome ashes of Jeremy Grove's still smoldering body are discovered in the locked bedroom of his ostentatious Hampton estate, it was a pretty easy leap to the paranormal conclusion of spontaneous human combustion. A melted cross, the clear odour of sulphur and brimstone and the image of a hoof print seared into the floor make a further leap to the conclusion of supernatural cause and a pact with the devil gone wrong a small step indeed. FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, perennial Johnny-on-the-spot in the environs of such a bizarre case, artfully inserts himself into the investigation and finds himself allied with some old friends - Sergeant Vincent D'Agosta of the Southampton PD and Captain Laura Hayward of NYPD.
Pendergast and his team quickly determine that Grove, a cynical, selfish, harshly outspoken art critic, was involved in a strange relationship with Nigel Cutforth, a wealthy, high-living music producer, Locke Bullard, industrial magnate and pompous bully, and Rainier Beckman, a shadowy man that seems to have no past at all. The search for the solution to this bizarre mystery drives our heroes down a Byzantine path to a medieval castle in the Italian countryside and a small hostel in Florence where the four men apparently spent time together as students on a European vacation.
BRIMSTONE is an exhilarating piece of work that clearly takes the team of Preston and Child to new heights. We are treated to splendid characterization for both newcomers such as the corpulent Count Isidore Fosco (a brilliant masterpiece of overbearing pomposity) and the maturing and continued fine-tuning of returning characters such as D'Agosta and Pendergast. Multiple plot lines are deftly handled and intricately woven together - the solution to the eerie opening murder mystery; the introduction of young Constance Green, Pendergast's ward and the ominous letter from his evil sibling, Diogenes, that is a clear set-up to the second novel in the trilogy, DANCE OF DEATH; and, of course, the flowering of romance between D'Agosta and Hayward - with each line complementing the others and contributing to a beautifully integrated whole.
I don't quite know how they did it but Lincoln and Preston even managed to insert a host of fascinating scholarly asides on a veritable cornucopia of cultural and scientific topics ranging from the history and manufacture of the Stradivarius violin, through opera, instrumental music, the Renaissance, modern art, secret societies and stealth weaponry without slowing the pace of the novel for even a single page.
I find myself positively drooling over the prospect of reading Dance of Death and The Book of the Dead, the final piece of the trilogy.
So why only four stars?
It's a sad fact that far too many modern authors (Lincoln and Preston included) refuse to accept that a real villain, given the opportunity, will simply pop an enemy without fanfare, escape and get on with a life of crime. The notion of the bad guy sitting down, having a civil conversation with the good guys and spilling his guts filling in every missing detail of the investigation before he eventually gets around to the killing is trite, overused and, frankly, hokey! The killing, of course, is also done through some extended, convoluted scheme or contraption as opposed to the simple, more expedient method of placing a gun against the temple and quickly squeezing the trigger. For goodness' sake, next time let Pendergast wring the solution out on the strength of his own sleuthing (it's not as if he isn't clever enough, that's for sure). He can sit down at the end of the story and play Sherlock to D'Agosta's Watson, fleshing out the details and explaining the puzzle to lesser lights such as us readers.
Paul Weiss
May 21, 2013
I had some thrills with this one, the 5th in a series of 12. A mysterious death of a hated Manhattan art critic is judged as caused by internal heating, and a cloven hoof print and bit of brimstone at the scene raise the specter of the Devil’s work. FBI agent Prendergast and police liaison Sergeant D’Agosta make a team similar to Holmes and Watson. The victim’s guests and telephone calls made the night of his death have overtones of a man who has made a pact with the Devil fearful of payback time. A second grisly death gets the public worried, fanned by a doomsday preachers. A scholar they contact has identified a temporal pattern in history including the volcanic explosion behind the myth of Atlantis and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that predicts the end times in this year of 2004.
You know the good guys will deflate all this spooky, mystical fluff and dispel the nightmare in favor of some fiendish, but human, criminal enterprise. And it’s kind of fun to follow the steps they take to get there from small clues. Eventually, after a number of dead ends and narrow escapes, they are led to Florence. I was quite disappointed how our fearless duo never succeed in preventing the deaths that are part of a pattern and how most of the mysteries of the murders are revealed to them by the bad guy when finally cornered. Yet Prendergast claims he knew much about the motivation from a horse hair found at one crime scene.
I liked this one better than its successor, “Dance of Death”, but not quite as well “Cabinet of Curiosities”. For escapist fare, they satisfy my periodic craving for slightly absurd, somewhat Gothic thrillers where heroic brain and brawn are challenged to the max.
You know the good guys will deflate all this spooky, mystical fluff and dispel the nightmare in favor of some fiendish, but human, criminal enterprise. And it’s kind of fun to follow the steps they take to get there from small clues. Eventually, after a number of dead ends and narrow escapes, they are led to Florence. I was quite disappointed how our fearless duo never succeed in preventing the deaths that are part of a pattern and how most of the mysteries of the murders are revealed to them by the bad guy when finally cornered. Yet Prendergast claims he knew much about the motivation from a horse hair found at one crime scene.
I liked this one better than its successor, “Dance of Death”, but not quite as well “Cabinet of Curiosities”. For escapist fare, they satisfy my periodic craving for slightly absurd, somewhat Gothic thrillers where heroic brain and brawn are challenged to the max.
March 13, 2019
2.5
my least favourite in the series so far. wasn't as masala-esque as its predecessors. and that ending? bah humbug
my least favourite in the series so far. wasn't as masala-esque as its predecessors. and that ending? bah humbug
June 27, 2022
I am enjoying the series as this is a departure from the historical mysteries I usually have read. I guess this having been written in 2003 this is getting to be a bit of a historical mystery itself. This book seemed to be a bit of a sampling of different styles from Stephen King to Ian Flemmings to Doyle. It was a mix that worked out well, but I also had a bit of a problem with the way it ends.... It reminds me of Dr Evil's son who says "just shot him"...Looking forward to the next in the series as this is a cliff hanger.
July 17, 2017
I have liked other books in this series very much but I had a hard time getting into this one. I only related to two characters which is rare for me in a Preston Child book. It was a struggle to stick with it.
December 20, 2022
Uh, well, I'm DEFINITELY reading the next book ASAP.
My timing could've been better on this installment. I hadn't anticipated a showdown between Hayward and a mob on the edge of violence, and naturally I ended up listening to that bit yesterday, 6 January. Ehhhhhh. I did appreciate seeing D'Agosta in Italy, and the final five chapters were edge-of-your-seat good. The various nods and references to other classic works of literature were fun too. Lack of Smithback, but Harriman was a decent stand-in, especially considering how his arc went.
My favorites of the series remain the first two books, but I like the setup so far and I'm excited to see where this (especially the next two books) goes. A personal note, I still haven't read The Woman in White but now I definitely want to, and The Cask of Amontillado remains my favorite Poe story, a distinction it has held for over 15 years.
This is a great series for villain monologues and/or hero-explanation monologues.
Audiobook read by the always-phenomenal Scott Brick.
Popsugar 2022: Book featuring two languages
MSBBT 2022: Just a Flesh Wound
My timing could've been better on this installment. I hadn't anticipated a showdown between Hayward and a mob on the edge of violence, and naturally I ended up listening to that bit yesterday, 6 January. Ehhhhhh. I did appreciate seeing D'Agosta in Italy, and the final five chapters were edge-of-your-seat good. The various nods and references to other classic works of literature were fun too. Lack of Smithback, but Harriman was a decent stand-in, especially considering how his arc went.
My favorites of the series remain the first two books, but I like the setup so far and I'm excited to see where this (especially the next two books) goes. A personal note, I still haven't read The Woman in White but now I definitely want to, and The Cask of Amontillado remains my favorite Poe story, a distinction it has held for over 15 years.
This is a great series for villain monologues and/or hero-explanation monologues.
Audiobook read by the always-phenomenal Scott Brick.
Popsugar 2022: Book featuring two languages
MSBBT 2022: Just a Flesh Wound
September 28, 2024
Devilish murder mystery, action packed, written with gusto, always on the move and equipped with recognizable characters. Pendergast and D'Agosta obviously, but the rest as well. Such a vivid bunch. I don't recall ever being confused when someone reappears in a Preston+Child novel. Downsides? Buck's storyline goes from tedious (his preachings and all) to downright silly (his script) and on the other side of the pond, in Italy, the grand finale needs too much explaining before it takes off. Even D'Agosta was not amused. The ending there is strong, though. Bastardo!
January 3, 2015
The best reason for rereading a good book is when you switch from a dog-eared paperback copy to a first edition hardcover copy, so I did just that.
The book begins with a crime scene that clearly shows that the devil has taken care of the victim. This of course tickles a certain FBI agents interest and when he finds a certain former NYPD lieutenant Vincent in the humbly job of police sergeant at the same scene life is good for Vincent who suddenly becomes a liaison for the local police department and the FBI.
When a second dead occurs that looks like the Devil visited a second sinner the religious read a message in that and they have their own agenda to fulfill.
In the meantime Pendergast and Vincent are pursuing their own investigation that is a heck more down to earth. It does take them from New York to the Bella Italia where everything either ends or just starts heating up.
A first installment in a trilogy of books that does end on some sort of cliffhanger, which makes you read on. the fact that this book is written by messieurs Preston & Child makes it an easy choice, of course you will continue.
For the fans of Dan Brown there is plenty of brilliant Italy and the art and history to be enjoyed, only a lot better written by two writers that were just getting started with the Pendergast tales.
Well advised to be read.
The book begins with a crime scene that clearly shows that the devil has taken care of the victim. This of course tickles a certain FBI agents interest and when he finds a certain former NYPD lieutenant Vincent in the humbly job of police sergeant at the same scene life is good for Vincent who suddenly becomes a liaison for the local police department and the FBI.
When a second dead occurs that looks like the Devil visited a second sinner the religious read a message in that and they have their own agenda to fulfill.
In the meantime Pendergast and Vincent are pursuing their own investigation that is a heck more down to earth. It does take them from New York to the Bella Italia where everything either ends or just starts heating up.
A first installment in a trilogy of books that does end on some sort of cliffhanger, which makes you read on. the fact that this book is written by messieurs Preston & Child makes it an easy choice, of course you will continue.
For the fans of Dan Brown there is plenty of brilliant Italy and the art and history to be enjoyed, only a lot better written by two writers that were just getting started with the Pendergast tales.
Well advised to be read.
May 2, 2021
Powerful men are dying of spontaneous human combustion and everyone’s blaming the devil. Never fear, Pendergast is here!
And so is D’Agosta! He’s had some knocks since last we saw him but my goodness does he shine.
D’Agosta is fierce.
D’Agosta is smoking hot.
D’Agosta sizzled.
I enjoyed so much of this book: the plot, historical anecdotes, the action, the sex, that ending. My only complaint is that they could have cut fifty pages, this was long.
4.5 Stars happily rounded up. I’m addicted!!!
October 22, 2018
My review and the shelves I had placed it on were gone.
I have a lot of reviews to replace Goodreads!!!!
I have a lot of reviews to replace Goodreads!!!!
April 12, 2023
3 Stars
This was OK, but not as good as previous books in the series.
This was OK, but not as good as previous books in the series.
August 11, 2008
OK, more popular genre fiction doing a very mediocre job of representing their genre.
Child and Preston must have a fan at the local independent bookstore because several of these McNuggets of entertainment are on their recommended shelf. After reading a few of them, I'm not sure why.
Two dimensional comic book characters (and not in a good way), over-wrought plots, unbelievable exploits, yadda yadda.
Probably the most fundamental criticism I can make regards their craft. They consistently tell us about the amazing abilities of Diogenes and Pendergast rather than showing them to us. They seem to want to set up Pendergast as a modern Holmes - Mycroft even - and yet their descriptions of his abilities boil down to magic. "And then through his amazing intellectual abilities, Pendergast saw the solution: 'Aha!' he exclaimed. 'Follow me!' This isn't a direct quote but you see this pattern throughout the Pendergast novels. Similarly they might describe a fight intended to illustrate Pendergast's amazing martial arts skills as follows: "Pendergasts movement blurred and his opponent fell to his feet unconscious. 'Anyone else?'"
We might as well be reading Batman issue #1, here. "Through his amazing super-science, Batman analyzes the crime scene and identifies his culprit."
Also, they make no attempt to make the elements of their stories remotely believable. In Brimstone, for instance, they invent some kind of microwave weapon that you cart about like a bazooka and melt people in their homes. In another story they invent a young lady who has lived an extraordinarily long life and yet remains essentially a pre-adolescent. These elements could have been handled in a credible way - that is, we could have been persuaded to suspend disbelief - but as it is, they are literal comic-book devices, no more intriguing than the Super-Villain of the week back in the Silver Age of comics.
I read this book shortly after reading Jasper Fforde's lampoons of detective fiction - the Nursery Crimes series. I burst out laughing as soon as Pendergast appeared on the scene. A master of disguise, with a sidekick, a bizarrely expensive and impractical classic car, and an unpronouncable name.
Child and Prestons work on these characters was momentarily diverting but ultimately a waste of time and money.
Now don't get me wrong - I *love* comic books, from the classic (and ultimately poorly written) characters to the most innovative thing created today. But a novel isn't a comic book and the worst comic book I've read this year beats this.
Jeeze - enough with the negative reviews - gotta post something I like.
Child and Preston must have a fan at the local independent bookstore because several of these McNuggets of entertainment are on their recommended shelf. After reading a few of them, I'm not sure why.
Two dimensional comic book characters (and not in a good way), over-wrought plots, unbelievable exploits, yadda yadda.
Probably the most fundamental criticism I can make regards their craft. They consistently tell us about the amazing abilities of Diogenes and Pendergast rather than showing them to us. They seem to want to set up Pendergast as a modern Holmes - Mycroft even - and yet their descriptions of his abilities boil down to magic. "And then through his amazing intellectual abilities, Pendergast saw the solution: 'Aha!' he exclaimed. 'Follow me!' This isn't a direct quote but you see this pattern throughout the Pendergast novels. Similarly they might describe a fight intended to illustrate Pendergast's amazing martial arts skills as follows: "Pendergasts movement blurred and his opponent fell to his feet unconscious. 'Anyone else?'"
We might as well be reading Batman issue #1, here. "Through his amazing super-science, Batman analyzes the crime scene and identifies his culprit."
Also, they make no attempt to make the elements of their stories remotely believable. In Brimstone, for instance, they invent some kind of microwave weapon that you cart about like a bazooka and melt people in their homes. In another story they invent a young lady who has lived an extraordinarily long life and yet remains essentially a pre-adolescent. These elements could have been handled in a credible way - that is, we could have been persuaded to suspend disbelief - but as it is, they are literal comic-book devices, no more intriguing than the Super-Villain of the week back in the Silver Age of comics.
I read this book shortly after reading Jasper Fforde's lampoons of detective fiction - the Nursery Crimes series. I burst out laughing as soon as Pendergast appeared on the scene. A master of disguise, with a sidekick, a bizarrely expensive and impractical classic car, and an unpronouncable name.
Child and Prestons work on these characters was momentarily diverting but ultimately a waste of time and money.
Now don't get me wrong - I *love* comic books, from the classic (and ultimately poorly written) characters to the most innovative thing created today. But a novel isn't a comic book and the worst comic book I've read this year beats this.
Jeeze - enough with the negative reviews - gotta post something I like.
February 20, 2018
Brimstone starts off promisingly but putters out towards the end.
So..., the book is actually quite good till the last act. Once, the villain is revealed in all his Blofeld like glory, the book falters. Other than this (which is a big deal), Brimstone has excellent writing & characterization blah blah blah.
Preston & Child have used this book to set up a 'Moriarty' for Pendergast or is that a Mycroft? ;-). In addition, a new character is abruptly introduced which made me wonder if I had missed a book in between but then I realized it was not so. We also get to meet a couple of returning characters - D'Agosta & Laura Hayward.
So..., the book is actually quite good till the last act. Once, the villain is revealed in all his Blofeld like glory, the book falters. Other than this (which is a big deal), Brimstone has excellent writing & characterization blah blah blah.
Preston & Child have used this book to set up a 'Moriarty' for Pendergast or is that a Mycroft? ;-). In addition, a new character is abruptly introduced which made me wonder if I had missed a book in between but then I realized it was not so. We also get to meet a couple of returning characters - D'Agosta & Laura Hayward.
August 2, 2019
When a Hamptons resident appears to have died from spontaneous combustion in which the body is burned but nothing else in the room of the estate, FBI Special Agent Pendergast is assigned to investigate. The only other clue is a cloven hoof that has been burned into the floor near the body. Already present at the scene is Southhampton Police Sgt. Vincent D'Agosta, who was initially introduced to the reader in Relic. D'Agosta is assigned to assist Pendergast in the investigation, which soon leads to a NYC penthouse, when an acquaintance of the first death dies in a similar method, however the cloven hoof is replaced by a facial representation of the devil. Their investigation eventually takes them to Florence, Italy where they will find themselves in the midst of several dangerous people who are not hesitant in using deadly means to thwart Pendergast.
Although this novel was similar to previous novels which finds Pendergast and those assisting him in life-threatening situations, I found the thrills in this book so intense that I found myself driving around the neighborhood when nearing home to listen to a few minutes more. Since there are now nineteen novels in this series, I know that Pendergast "lives for another day", however, this novel was left with a cliffhanger. If you enjoy thrillers where the protagonist uses ingenuity to escape apparently insurmountable odds, you should read the Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Although this novel was similar to previous novels which finds Pendergast and those assisting him in life-threatening situations, I found the thrills in this book so intense that I found myself driving around the neighborhood when nearing home to listen to a few minutes more. Since there are now nineteen novels in this series, I know that Pendergast "lives for another day", however, this novel was left with a cliffhanger. If you enjoy thrillers where the protagonist uses ingenuity to escape apparently insurmountable odds, you should read the Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
December 15, 2021
Not as unputdownable as the other Pendergast novels thus far in the series. Edit. Second reading in as many years and having read 18 books in this series, I can confirm, that Brimstone is excellent, not as exciting as Relic Still Life with Crows or City of Endless Night, but still an enjoyable and clever experience.
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