Dance of Death (Diogenes Trilogy, Book 2)
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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Read in September, 2007
We have seen glimpses of the insane and diabolically evil Diogenes Pendergast in at least two earlier books by Preston & Child, dogging the steps of his brilliant and hated older brother Aloysius. Aloysius Pendergast is a special agent for the FBI with a multitude of talents, including being an escape artist and a master of disguises. I've seen him compared with the Sherlock Holmes character and I don't think I'd dispute that. Pendergast's "Dr. Watson" would have to be Lt. Vince...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
No one
If there were a wish-I-hadn't-wasted-time-on-this-book shelf, then that's where I'd shelf this waste of paper. Grrrr. This book illustrates one of my pet peeves so clearly. I hate it when authors keep you going on the promise of the most astounding secret about a protagonist that will be revealed and then end the book in preparation for the sequel. This is literary laziness and cheating the reader to keep them going with a false promise. The authors don't have enough material to write a good...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to JoJo by:
I yearned for the entire series after reading Book of the Deadrecommends it for: Especially to Liz, but I would like Ginger to give it a try too
I have to say, its not my favorite book starring "Special Agent Pendergast" because in the first part of the book, he's not there (but i don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't read Brimstone, the prequel). If you have read the Pendergast series, you understand why its disappointing because Pendergast is one of those fictional characters you find yourself falling in love with*, and I was impatient to get to him in the story. Once he's in the plot though, the story moves q...more
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Read in September, 2007
Wow. Just finished this book the other day. Before that, I'd been balancing in my brain if these guys really are the best or what. Some of their books are hits and some are misses. Almost all of their novels have thrilling scenarios with some that are waaay over-the-top. This book though was the book they were made to write.
We've got a weaving of some of the best characters from the other books here plus one really cool villain. If you've read all of the prior Preston/Child books you'd bette...more
We've got a weaving of some of the best characters from the other books here plus one really cool villain. If you've read all of the prior Preston/Child books you'd bette...more
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Read in February, 2008
One of the lesser books, as it suffers from its status as the 2nd book in a trilogy. It also suffers from a plague that strikes writers of reoccuring characters---that illness being the desire to build a great character, in this case Aloysius Pendergast, and then simply tear away all his greatness to see if he can recover. It might be fun to play with as a writer, but as a reader it left me flipping pages until Pendergast was "himself" again. And I find the duel with his brother Diogen...more
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The second in a thrilling trilogy where the enigmatic Agent Pendergast is in the midst of a showdown with his diabolical brother Diogenes. I thought the romance between Pendergast and Lady Maskalene was kind of contrived, and the way they parted almost made me throw up in my mouth a little. I thought I was reading a thriller, not a Regency romance. Aside from that, which I'm totally over, it was a great read, and an absolute page-turner. It kills me that I have to wait until tomorrow to go buy B...more
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Read in January, 2008
I really wish I had read the first book of the Diogenes Trilogy before picking this one up. I hadn't read a Preston/Child book in a while and decided to purchase this one (since I found it cheep in hardback). Halfway through I realized I was reading book 2 in a series...too late to put it down,though.
The relationship between Pendergast and Diogenes is intense. And, if I'm remembering correctly, there is an exciting diamond heist in this book. Quite entertaining.
The relationship between Pendergast and Diogenes is intense. And, if I'm remembering correctly, there is an exciting diamond heist in this book. Quite entertaining.
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I'm a huge fan of murder mysteries...and so I loved this book. Don't read it if you have a weak stomach...some of the murder scenes are pretty gross and are explained in detail. I love the whole good brother/evil brother twist going on and the fact that both brothers are geniuses adds a little more edge to the psychological part of the book. It's not a matter of who's stronger, physically, but who's smarter!
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Read in August, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in March, 2006
am i proud that i read this shit? no. but read it i do, and i enjoy it. every book the same, but still well written, these guys have polished their craft a great deal since relic. the trilogy of brimstone, dance of death, and book of the dead, certainly held my attention. well done, given that it's schlock written at the 9th grade reading level. which is perfect for me.
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Thriller fans, suspenders of disbelief
This was the first Preston/Child book I ever read. I picked up the paperback from a newsstand out of sheer boredom. Never regretted it. Pendergast = (James Bond + Sherlock Homes - Sex)*2, and is arguably one of the coolest characters in fiction ever. D'Agosta is a loser, but serves nicely as the dupe on which the plot pivots.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2008
Sold to Paperback Exchange
Good 2nd book in this Pendergast series. Beware that it will lead you to read the next book in the series, The Book of the Dead. Dance of Death leaves much unanswered like what's the full story behind Constance's character and how many more books must I read to find out?
Good 2nd book in this Pendergast series. Beware that it will lead you to read the next book in the series, The Book of the Dead. Dance of Death leaves much unanswered like what's the full story behind Constance's character and how many more books must I read to find out?
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Read in September, 2007
Very entertaining potboiler from my favorite writing team. I spend a lot of time while reading their stuff trying to cast the characters. I finally figured out who should play Pendergast in my head when I'm reading the next one - Danny Huston. If you don't know the name, check IMDB.
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Read in February, 2001
"2nd in a series starring Agent Pendergast, who remains over the top, but this is even better than Brimstone. His evil brother runs an elaborate plot to kill his friends to cover a fabulous diamond heist. Some of it fails, some of it doesnŐt. To be continued."
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the love interest angle was kind of distracting... and there were almost too many story lines happening at once. i liek their writing style and dig the main character and the overall intrigue, but this one was a bit too contrived for me.
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Read in September, 2007
These guys write really fun novels, but this trilogy was pretty formulaic. My brother pointed out that I had skipped this, the second, novel, but it didn't make any difference reading them out of order. Their other stuff is more fun.
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to James by:
Rich Arnerrecommends it for: You
Do you ever have books that keep you until roughly 4:37 am Sunday mornings because you just have to know what happens in the end. That was this book this past Sunday. Muy Good I recommend it to anyone who can read.
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recommends it for:
anyone who likes police procedurals
Aloysius Pendergast vs. Diogenes Pendergast. Sweet.
Just finished this book. Arrrghhh . . . ending leaves you hanging. I just ordered the next book in the series to find out what happens next.
Just finished this book. Arrrghhh . . . ending leaves you hanging. I just ordered the next book in the series to find out what happens next.
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I love this mini series they wrote that includes characters from their other novels. I'm not a big fan of new detective books (I prefer the older ones i.e. Dashiell Hammett) but I adore Pendergast!
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recommends it for:
Fans of Preston/Child
Another good page turner from Preston & Child, though at times the dialogue is cringe-worthy, however, they are great at using now-familiar characters to enhance an excellent NYC based crime story.
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