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Aug 11, 2008

John rated it:

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 t More...

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Feb 19, 2009

Andrew rated it:

Fifth Pendergast book, first in the "Diogenes trilogy," although Pendergast's diabolical brother hardly appears in this at all, so I don't understand why it is lumped with the next 2 books. Anyway, it is pretty typical of the Pendergast series - fast-paced action, mysterious crimes, a blend of science and the spiritual.

I like the complexity of the mystery and Pendergast's eccentricities, which remind me of Poe's detective stories. However, some of the narrative seems unnece More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Seth rated it:

Probably my favorite of the Pendergast novels, since Pendergast and D'Agosta are reunited in their crime-solving efforts. The two characters are at their best when they are playing off of one another. In some ways the novel is reminiscent of Thomas Harris's Hannibal, however that's likely just because they share a setting in Florence, Italy. Overall, it's great fun, like all of Preston and Child's books, and the cliffhanger ending is quite a nasty one. It's also the beginning of their "Diog More...

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Oct 28, 2010

Jennie rated it:

I didn't hate this 5th installment of the Pendergast novels as much as the other four. For one thing, there really wasn't a creature-of-the-week theme, and another thing: the cops weren't all jerks. Sure, there was the requisite stupid jerk cop, but he didn't dominate the story this time.

As with all of the Preston/Childs books I've read, this book could have been at least half as long as it was. At a whopping 700+ pages, chopping out half the book would still leave a decent-sized, More...

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Jun 17, 2010

"grindy" rated it:

First off, let me say that I am somewhat well-versed the subject of satanism and similar occult things. Upon reading the summary of "Brimstone", my eyes lit up. He guess that the title had something to do with the infamous "fire and brimstone" had proven right. Not really being in the loop as far as modern best-sellers, I hadn't read any of the other Pendergast novels, and luckily the story was told in a way that even a newcomer like myself will not feel like they're missing More...

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Mar 26, 2010

Jeff rated it:

I enjoyed my last book by Douglas Preston so much (The Codex) I asked Gina to bring one home from the famous duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. She brought me Brimstone. It was a fun book. I like when the main story splits off and then has multiple stories happening at once but then will bring them all back in to wrap up the story.

If you like thrillers or mysteries you'll love this one. Here's what Barnes and Noble has on it:
ANNOTATION
Art critic Jeremy Grove is fo More...

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Feb 09, 2010

Johnny rated it:

At first glance, Brimstone seems like it would be more fantasy than mystery. Readers of books by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child will immediately recognize the mixture of fantasy elements and mystery because the writing duo always seems to walk a tightrope (or would it be paces within an "unbroken circle") between the modern and the fantastic. To say that Pendergast (and I confess to reading the Pendergast mysteries out of sequence) defies credibility in the modern era as much as She More...

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Jan 31, 2010

Cornerofmadness rated it:

As in most series, some are great. They’re what bring you to the series in the first place. Some are good but not that memorable and some just are bad. This was one of the great ones in this series.

Grove, a wealthy man, has died in the most bizarre way, burnt from the inside out with a cloven hoof burned into the flooring. D’Agosta, former NYPD and former character of other novels, is now on the Southampton PD after a failed career as a crime novelist. Grove happens to die in More...

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May 08, 2010

Dhuaine rated it:

It started well enough: gruesome murders with paranormal flair, no suspects, no clues, looking like the work of a devil. Even Pendergast was pretty stumped, which got my hopes up that there will be some freaky unnatural factor in the case.

Unfortunately, as the book progressed, the supernatural mystery deteriorated into action novel with thriller elements and slice-of-life miscellany, like sitting in cafes and discussing art. Pendergast is The Hero, together with unexplained tricks an More...

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Jul 24, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

Now I am prepared to suspend my disbelief to a point, and this book went past that point. The problems is I can't say why without giving away the ending of the book.

The book started off promising, a body is found and it looks like something possibly supernatural killed the person. Hints at the devil having possibly killed the person are made and the cops are stumped as to how it was done. It was interesting reading about the murder because it did make me start to think how the murde More...

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Jan 24, 2010

Cassie rated it:

I enjoy Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Pendergast novels a lot. They're genuinely good thrillers, perfect if you want an adrenaline rush. Although most are intended to be standalone novels, they are all interconnected so reading them in order really gives a sense of character development.

This particular book is the fifth in the series, but the first in the informal Diogenes trilogy. As with most of Preston and Child's novels in this series, there is some kind of gruesome murder More...

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May 25, 2009

Teresa rated it:

Someone has killed Jeremy Grove, New York's most hated art critic. From the looks of the crime scene, people would swear it was the devil himself. They won't miss him; he was an mean man. But to FBI Special Agent Pendergast, there is more to Grove's death than meets the eye. When two more people are killed, and more evidence of a satanic nature are found at each crime scene, Pendergast, with the help of Sgt. Vincent D'Agosta, travel to Italy to find out what happened to four young men decades ag More...

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Nov 14, 2011

Ryssa rated it:

I loved the premise of Brimstone. . . the Devil come to collect souls due to him.

The execution was flawed. The entire subplot of Buck the preacher added zero to the story. Harriman added zero to the story. Once Pendergast and D'Agosta left for Italy, there was no reason to keep up with goings on in New York, except to pad out the word count.

And then the parts in Italy were part "See Italy in A Day" and part action and extremely light and thin on plot.

If th More...

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Feb 07, 2011

Dirk rated it:

This is a fabulous series. Brimstone is somewhat different from its predecessors. It's more Agatha Christie than Michael Crichton this time round. 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. I eve More...

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Sep 23, 2011

Catherine rated it:

From time to time, I begin one of these reviews with "I don't usually read . . . urban fantasy/historical romance/YAs/whatever, but something about this caught my eye." And often proceed to not really like the book, because it's not so much my thing.

I don't usually read thrillers, but I was idly looking through a bookshelf, and I picked this one up and discovered that the authors had lifted Wilkie Collins's wonderful character Count Fosco wholesale into the 21st century, and More...

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Sep 09, 2009

Mary rated it:

My latest read and I've started another book by Douglas Preston, Brimstone--one thing I have to say, they start quickly. No waiting for the book to get good, no wading through page after page of dull introductory stuff--these are good within the first few words--if you happen to like gruesome murders. I don't. I do like the writing and the sense of not truth of the fact that these guys know a lot or manage to make it seem like they do. I like Pendergast because he's cool and nice and not a j More...

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Mar 25, 2011

Lisa rated it:

Brimstone is the first book I've read from authors Preston and Child. It is therefore the first Agent Pendergast book I've read, though not the first in the series. I really enjoyed Agent Pendergast's character and found myself wondering what I missed learning about him in the first few books in the series. He is such a mysterious, ultra clever character. Is he merely a super intelligent mortal man, or is there something supernatural about him? Another minor character in the story is Consta More...

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Jul 29, 2008

Jane rated it:

This thriller took my breath away. Preston and Child are master storytellers, and they're at the top of their game here. The way they weave their tale and build suspense in matchless. The first--and I think the best--book in the Diogenes Pendergast trilogy, which is simply not to be missed.

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Jan 20, 2012

Jonathan rated it:

Unforgivable. This is the fifth Preston/Child book I've read (reviews are pending), and the cracks that existed in the others are now too big to ignore. The constant references to Pendergast's gentility and appearance. His apparent knowledge of, well, everything. Excessive instances of a character 'shuddering'.

What else? There's a subplot here that is gruesomely unnecessary. It literally adds nothing to the story at all. As for the main story, the villains here are simply no More...

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Jan 18, 2009

Kevin L. rated it:

This is an interesting read for sure. What do God, Satan, MacGuyver and his sidekick have in common? They make for a great read that spans two continents as the story takes place in Long Island/New York and then moves to Italy. I also forget to mention the ex-con with a Messianic Complex.

It was an interesting read, more along the lines of a detective/murder/suspense story than a horror. About halfway through the book MacGuyver's (not his real name) evil twin surfaces which paves More...

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Sep 02, 2009

Dave rated it:

Listened to the audiobook on one of my summer drives to PA. A decent summer thriller, but pretty formulaic. Having also read Preston's Relic and Reliquary I'm on to his schtick. In particular, he penchant for sideplots involving a reporter who foments a public outcry that culminates in a riot or demonstration of some sort in the final chapters, just as the mystery investigation peaks.

I like his Pendergast character though. I missed a few novels in the middle which I will probably go ba More...

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Apr 07, 2010

Petra rated it:

This is the 5th book I read by this duo and even though they are good written, I didn't like this one at all. My fascination with Pendergast has turned into disgust. He's a know it all who instead of trusting his friends, humiliate them. One of the reasons why I read this book was to find out more about Constance Green, what happened to her, how did she stay so young? If it's in another book, please let me know!
Other problem I've had before is that the story is just not believable. A good More...

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Mar 18, 2011

Brian rated it:

While I enjoyed the aspects of the book that dealt with Pendergast and D'Agosta working together to resolve the mystery, I felt the "true motive" of the killer to be quite... absurd? puzzling? strangely disconnected from the previous parts of the storyline? Perhaps it's a failing of my own; work has kept me from being able to read much over the last week or so, so I was not able to finish this book as quickly as the others I've read this year. Maybe I forgot little hints and clues that More...

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Jun 03, 2010

Derek rated it:

This book picks up most of the subplots left by CABINET OF CURIOUSITIES. After a book off (the interesting but largely unconnected STILL LIFE WITH CROWS, Agent Pendergast is back in New York, investigating a batch of supernatural-seeming murders. Vincent D'acosta makes a reappearance (from RELIC and RELIQUARY), as do several previous characters, making this one a fun read for those that have read the previous novels. There are also some fun connections to Preston's MONSTER OF FLORENCE and Wilk More...

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Mar 11, 2009

Nakeesha rated it:

Like this book, love Pendergast, and generally read all these authors' books in about two days. They are just great fun.

This is probably my least favorite -- not that it wasn't good, it just stretched a bit and almost became a spoof of itself. I had visions of Dr. Evil two-thirds of the way through: "No, I'm not going to kill you until I've sat you down and thoroughly told you the details of my evil plan. Then I'm going to put you in easily escapable situations, guarded by na More...

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Feb 09, 2011

William rated it:

I enjoyed this book, and understand that it is the first in a trilogy which explains some of the loose ends at its conclusion, but some of the storyline seemed tacked on. The Reverend Wayne Buck and his congregation was a non-consequential bit of the story. Also, The criminal mastermind was a bit cartoonish. He should have realized that the easiest way to kill Agent Pendergast was with a bullet in the head. Instead the villain tries to dispose of Pendergast in the most elaborate ways possible, t More...

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Oct 16, 2009

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

I wasn't sure whether to go with a 3 or a 4 on this one. It starts with a great creepy feel and they maintain it well. The book loses ground somewhat during the "chase" and ending but not enough for me to gig it baddly. I think you'll enjoy this especially if you've liked the predecessors.

I have tried several books by Messieurs Preston and Childe and have not come across a solo effoert that I've iked as well as their joint efforts. As a matter of fact there are some that ps More...

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Mar 18, 2010

Barbara rated it:

Another entry in the Pendergast series, which sets up the Diogenes trilogy that follows (Dance of Death/Book of the Dead/Cabinet of Curiosities). The authors 'borrow' the character of Count Fosco from Wilkie Collins' novel 'The Woman in White' and insert him into a leading role in this book that finds Pendergast and NYPD Lt. Vincent D'Agosta searching for the murderer of several seemingly unconnected media moguls. There's a subplot featuring a wandering reverend who decamps in Central Park, as More...

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Oct 08, 2010

Kate rated it:

Another one hit out of the park by Preston & Child. I can't help it; I have a soft spot for modern interpretations of Sherlock Holmes, and these guys do it best. Pendergast and D'Agosta are fantastic characters, although D'Agosta could use some more depth, and the mysteries never fail to intrigue and excite.

Brimstone has moved away from the truly supernatural aspects that marked the series when it started, into high-tech explanations for seemingly supernatural events, but that's okay. More...

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Oct 06, 2010

Lizpeveto rated it:

Strange beginnings w/ rich men whose bodies are burned by the Devil. FBI Agent A. Pendegast and NYPD Lt. D'Agosta travel to Italy to pursue clues. A convoluted tale w/ a very complex storyline which also has some tantalizing details about Constance Green and Pendegast's brother, Diogones. An unfortunate mystery solved and a cliff hanger ending so be prepared. This is the first of three books which are crucial to understanding the series. The next in this must read triology are Dance of Deat More...

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