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Riptide

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 7,290 ratings · 317 reviews

IN 1695, a notorious English pirate buried his bounty in a maze of booby-trapped tunnels on an island off the coast of Maine. In three hundred years, no one has breached this cursed and rocky fortress. Now a treasure hunter and his high-tech, million-dollar recovery team embark on the perfect operation to unlock the labyrinth's mysteries. First the computers fail. The then...more

Hardcover, 432 pages

Published July 1st 1998 by Grand Central Publishing (first published 1997)

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Apr 30, 2013 StoryTellerShannon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, thrillers, books-reviewed

Tale focuses on a group of treasure hunters who are trying to find the buried treasure of a nefarious pirate. It was likely inspired by the Oak Island Money Pit up near Nova Scotia where Captain Kidd or perhaps Blackbeard buried their treasure hoard. Anyway, this treasure hoard is estimated at 2 billion dollars in the late 1990s and the choice item is St. Michael's Sword which is said to kill any mortal who looks upon it. Nobody really knows what St. Michael's Sword is when the novel begins.

To...more

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Jan 24, 2008 Mike Salzman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was a kid, I was always really interested in ghost stories and strange tales. Like the Mary Celeste that was found drifting completely empty; no signs of struggle, food left on the plates, no survivors ever found. Or the story of the Japanese soldier who refused to believe WWII had ended and spent 20+ years living in the jungle until his original commanding officer personally came to tell him to come home. This book takes from another famous story I read about when I was young; the water...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Anand rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My second novel from the Preston/Child stable.

This was an enjoyable read, though seems to be in the same mould as the "formula" of Preston & Child books. Another reviewer had mentioned in one of his reviews (I am afraid I cannot locate that specific review!) that the "formula" is to make something highly coveted (say, a treasure, or alien technology), and then introduce a character who is obsessed with finding/obtaining that thing, and have a protagonist who gets involved in this process, an...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Johnny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

Anyone familiar with the works of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child will understand the basic set-up of Riptide. There is some sort of historical “macguffin” wrapped together with an arcane, esoteric mystery. Modern investigators are trying to get at the former and just enough strange events take place to make one believe that something supernatural is happening. In this case, computer networks that are supposed to be fully synchronized degrade without explanation and expensive scientific instru...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Jeremy Bates rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For centuries, treasure hunters have sought the lost horde of the notorious English pirate, Edward Ockham. Clues led to the mysterious water pit on Ragged Island, Maine--but a curse left behind by the long-dead pirate still seems to be working. Every expedition has failed--with the treasure seekers dying in gruesome fashion. Now, however, a new expedition has been mounted with state-of-the-art computer technology and backed by millions of dollars. It will all be worth it if the treasure is found...more

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Aug 07, 2012 wally rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: preston-child

2nd story from preston/child...i think i saw some program on television to-do w/a part of this story...the water pit...aaargh...
onward and upward

finished, 9 aug 12, thursday evening, 9:21 p.m. e.s.t.

a fun entertaining read.

early on, when malin's brother is killed--this comes in the first pages--i thought that scene wasn't written as well as possible...something about it seemed...hokey...but the story moved on from there, a lot of mystery, action, the ole captain a kind of modern ahab, looking fo...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Audeline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

Avant toute chose, il faut savoir que je ne lis pour ainsi dire jamais de thriller et ce pour des raisons que l'on retrouve notamment dans ce roman.
La première raison, c'est le vocabulaire souvent trop spécifique. Il faut laisser ça au style, mais j'ai vraiment du mal avec les sujets qui traitent de... "choses" dont je ne connais pas les noms.
Ensuite, la spécifité du style fait que quand on ne s'y connait pas dans le sujet, qui est souvent la science ou l'informatique - les plus simples bien sûr...more Avant toute chose, il faut savoir que je ne lis pour ainsi dire jamais de thriller et ce pour des raisons que l'on retrouve notamment dans ce roman.
La première raison, c'est le vocabulaire souvent trop spécifique. Il faut laisser ça au style, mais j'ai vraiment du mal avec les sujets qui traitent de... "choses" dont je ne connais pas les noms.
Ensuite, la spécifité du style fait que quand on ne s'y connait pas dans le sujet, qui est souvent la science ou l'informatique - les plus simples bien sûr!, les explications, souvent très précises, nous demandent de faire confiance à l'auteur, en ses recherches et pour ma part, je n'oserais jamais conseiller un thriller scientifique à un scientifique par exemple parce que j'aurais trop peur qu'il y ait des bêtises qui me paraissent tout à faire normales ^_^.
C'est pourquoi, en général, je préfère les styles qui ne prennent pas de risque à ce niveau on va dire *j'aime la simplicité*.

Passons à l'histoire.
Malin est un médecin, propriétaire d'une île sur laquelle il y a un puits inondé, maudit, qui renfermerait le trésor d'un pirate. Afin de protéger ce trésor, le pirate en question a demandé à un architecte de créer une protection imparable. Un jour, le capitaine Neidelman vient à sa rencontre, lui annonçant qu'il a les moyens de percer les pièges du puits et qu'il en sait beaucoup sur celui qui a conçu le piège.

Dès le début, les péripéties s'enchaînent et le livre se dévore donc très vite, j'ai très vite été passionnée par l'histoire. Le vocabulaire, même s'il est un peu spécifique car on parle ici de recherches, n'enlève rien à la compréhension ce qui m'a fait pousser un grand ouf! ^_^. Ensuite, les personnages sont très diversifiés: on retrouve l'historien un peu coincé, l'informaticien obsédé, l'archéologue risque-tout... il y a une belle palette de personnages, donc, qui fait que j'ai pris plaisir avec tous, sans jamais trouver l'un ou l'autre ennuyeux. Enfin, le sujet de la quête au trésor permet d'évoquer énormément de sujets, de l'archéologie au déchiffrage de code, en passant par la religion... ce qui rend le mystère encore plus compliqué mais aussi passionnant car on attend des découvertes et des réactions venant de partout!

J'ai apprécié les remerciements à la fin du livre, notamment ceux aux docteurs en médecine, ce qui laisse sous-entendre que des recherches sérieuses ont été faites et que je pourrais conseiller ce livre sans craindre qu'on me dise qu'il est trop farfelu ^_^.(less)

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Nov 01, 2011 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book had so much potential! The storyline had really compelling personal stories, opportunities for suspense and intrigue, and creativity along the lines of Michael Crieghton or Dan Brown. And the authors completely botched it!! In the first place, the title is entirely irrelevant to the book. They had multitudinous opportunities to make the reader connect with the characters and they completely neglected this vital point. The complex characters became completely cliched. What could have be...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an interesting read with history about Maine's pirate times - I'm not sure if all is true or not but it makes for a very probable story as to how the "water pit" on Ragged Island came to be.

Capt. Neidelman contacted Dr. Malin Hatch the owner of the island to dredge the water pit for Red Ned's treasure. To entice him because Dr. Hatch hadn't been back to the area for 25 years, the captain used the tragedy of the death of Hatch's brother on the island.

This was a good read. I would say not...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Shelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up a few weeks ago on one of my trips to HPB. In true Preston and Child form they draw you in with a quick hook and keep the tension and pace high and fast until the last few pages, when you're frantically reading to figure out what's going on and how everything is going to work out in the end.

This is actually the first book that I've read that's coauthored by them that doesn't feature a certain government agent. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story while one that could be told...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Critter Reyome rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ever hear of the Oak Island mystery? If you haven't, you should look it up. It's a fascinating (and TRUE!) story of buried treasure…or at least a buried SOMETHING, on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia. As I have many times, Preston and Child have taken a more-or-less historic event and built a tale around it, and a fascinating one at that. In fact, outside of the Pendergast books, this is probably my favorite book by P & C. It's gripping right clear through and holds up through repeated...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Papercuts1 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: killer-thrillers

Ein typischer Preston/Child: Es geht los mit einem grausigen Todesfall, der Fragen offen lässt. Dann folgt die Einführung der Hauptpersonen, ein geduldiger Aufbau der Geschichte und der Spannung, gesprenkelt mit Wissenschaft und hier und da ein paar weiteren, grausigen Segmenten - bis das Ganze dann in einem fulminaten, actionreichen Finale kulminiert.

Das ist eine Formel, die sich bewährt hat, und die auch hier ganz gut funktioniert, allerdings für eine gewisse Vorhersagbarkeit sorgt. Apropos vo...more Ein typischer Preston/Child: Es geht los mit einem grausigen Todesfall, der Fragen offen lässt. Dann folgt die Einführung der Hauptpersonen, ein geduldiger Aufbau der Geschichte und der Spannung, gesprenkelt mit Wissenschaft und hier und da ein paar weiteren, grausigen Segmenten - bis das Ganze dann in einem fulminaten, actionreichen Finale kulminiert.

Das ist eine Formel, die sich bewährt hat, und die auch hier ganz gut funktioniert, allerdings für eine gewisse Vorhersagbarkeit sorgt. Apropos vorhersagbar: Was mit den kränkelnden Arbeitern los ist, war mir schon lange klar, als der gute Hatch endlich darauf kam, und dafür gibt's einen Punktabzug. Kommt sonst bei Preston/Child nicht vor.

Die Geschichte ist spannend, aber nicht ganz so packend wie die Pendergast-Serie. Das liegt zum einen natürlich am Fehlen von Pendergast, aber auch daran, dass in RIPTIDE bis auf Hatch Malin die Nebenfiguren etwas zu blass daher kommen, und zu eindimensional. Preston/Child sind grundsätzlich nicht auf Tiefgründigkeit aus, aber hier fehlte mir doch etwas mehr Komplexität und emotionale Anbindung an die Charaktere. So kam es dann auch, dass Hatch's aufkeimende Beziehung zur Taucherin Bonterre mich nicht wirklich berührte - Bonterre blieb einfach zu oberflächlich. An keinem Punkt erfahren wir mehr über sie, als dass sie eine toughe Frau ist, und das reicht mir nicht.

Klar, die Idee mit der Schatzsuche und der Wassergrube, und was letztendlich des Rätsels Lösung ist, sind lesenswert. Aber an die packende Qualität der Pendergast-Reihe reicht Riptide einfach nicht heran.

Da ich die Hörbüch-Version gehört habe, ein Wort zum Erzähler: Thomas Piper liest vor, und ich wusste gleich, dass er nicht mein Lieblingserzähler wird. Ist einfach Geschmackssache, und ich mag etwas coolere, zurückhaltendere Stimmen oft lieber als das doch recht markante und dramatische Organ vom Piper. Und (aber das ist eine Macke von mir) ich kann es nicht leiden, wenn ein Erzähler einen ausländischen Akkzent benutzt, ihn aber nicht wirklich glaubhaft hinkriegt - in diesem Fall den französischen Akkzent von Bonterre. Hätte man besser machen können.

Last but not least: Lieber Herr Piper, das 'l' in 'Lincoln' spricht man NICHT aus. Das ist auch so eine Empfindlichkeit von mir. Aber ich bin der Meinung, dass man zumindest die Autorennamen korrekt aussprechen sollte.(less)

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Apr 13, 2012 Keith Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have mixed feelings about this book. Let me point out right off that I listened to this book on audiobook. Sometimes I feel as though the intensity and emotion is diminished when listening to an audiobook rather than reading. Does anyone else feel the same?

Anyhow, I like the idea of this story. Pirates buried a massive treasure on a small island off the coast of Maine. It seems to be cursed because anyone who attempts to retrieve the treasure dies or goes bankrupt. Of course, with today's tec...more

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Jul 17, 2009 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fans of the pirate genre will find much to like in Preston & Childs' "Riptide." This is a story about buried treasure and pirate curses, all brought into modern times.

The protagonist, physician Malin Hatch, knows that three generations of his family have been bankrupted or killed as they seek "Red Ned" Ockham's treasure on Ragged Island -- including his 12-year-old brother, but he agrees to serve as staff physician and partner with Thalassa Explorations when they seek the treasure. The islan...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Rebekkila rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, thrillers

I hope the writing gets better, I hae a lot more from these authors in my boxes of books. It's one of those deals where it starts off like it might be good, then a whole lot of boring stuff and speeds up at the end. Also the authors tend to telegraph what is going to happen further along in the plot. For instance in the beginning when some tools brought ot a work sight are being examined they spend a page and a haof on one nail gun. Gee, I wonder why they spent to much time talking about how fas...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, thriller

I was pretty sure I had this book's number from about Page 18. Turns out, though, it threw me for a slight loop - I was right about what was going on, but wrong about the specific mechanism (although I did figure that out around page 250 or so...).

Still, I didn't care. Preston/Child are at their best when they're creating a rip-roaring pseudoscientific adventure, and they definitely did that here. Their research was, as always, impeccable, but presented in an entertaining manner, and frankly, th...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Esmeralda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Malin Hatch has avoided Ragged Island, Maine ever since he had witnessed a disaster there as a child. But when a treasure hunter finally convinces him that it's time to delve into the mysteries of the Ragged Island Treasure once again, he signs on as the team's physician. The team must wend their way through a booby-trapped tunnel to find the treasure. This book was a quick, light read without much substance. It's much like Douglas and Preston's other adventure novels (and rather like Michael Cr...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Dagny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: preston-child, horror-sf-thriller

Twenty-five years ago Malin Hatch and his elder brother took a small boat to the family owned Ragged Island. This cursed island, supposed cache of the buried treasure of pirate Red Ned Ockham, was purchased by Malin's grandfather who lost his entire family fortune and his life seeking the pirate's plunder. Malin's brother disappeared during the trip. Now, a commercial treasure hunting company has persuaded Malin to allow them to excavate in return for half the treasure and the possibility of dis...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: preston-child-novels

This book begs to be made into a special effects-laden film by either Michael Bay or Steven Spielberg. Preston and Child writing together are unbeatable. Their fourth novel opens with a childhood tragedy and ends with a life-or-death struggle for buried treasure on a mysterious island. Their research is top-notch and their characterizations are very true to life. I'm impressed by their ability to write relatable, real female characters who aren't just 'somebody's girlfriend' or the token female...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Rick Ludwig rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-since-retirement

This is the second non-Pendergast Preston and Child book that I have read and like the first one, Thunderhead, it is an adventure yarn which provides large doses of action and suspense. The main character is exceptionally interesting in this one and his background story is critical. I had no trouble suspending disbelief in this story as the authors did an exceptional job of keeping the story eerie, yet realistic throughout. Given their history of tapping into the supernatural whenever appropriat...more

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Dec 30, 2008 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: completed

Cursed Pirate Treasure, computer glitches, suspicious illnesses,and a cavern full of traps all combine in an exciting yarn carefully plotted and skillfully crafted to keep the reader turning page after page.

I find Preston and Child to be the type of team who write books that seem to tip their hats to some of Michael Critchton's best novels. Clever ideas for frightening plots with clever scientific foundation.

Interesting characters with an interesting background, a very interesting setting, and...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Jayne Hitchcock rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dear Lincoln and Douglas,

All I can say is PHEW! I live in Maine and I know small towns like the one you wrote about (Stormhaven), so this book hit home with me. I had heard stories about an island with a "buried treasure" and pits where people tried to uncover it. You took this story to a whole new level and I have to admit that I was still puzzled towards the end as to what was causing all the troubles on the island.

I like how you mix a little romance in and your characters are always so well d...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Tom Hames rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 23, 2009 Angel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book starts with the long history of a seemingly cursed pirate treasure buried on a small island off the coast of Maine, then moves to the 1970s where two small boys, whose father has inherited the island, go in search of adventure on the island. Problems ensue, and flash forward to today where a new team of treasure hunters with high-tech equipment sets out to solve the mystery of the cursed treasure. One of the boys from earlier in the book is now a Harvard educated doctor and has finally...more

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Oct 31, 2008 Judy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"My Favorite" Adventure Read---

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Mar 27, 2013 Trisha added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2005-and-before-read, thriller

Inhoud:
Nog nooit is het iemand gelukt om levend terug te komen uit de Put, het raadselachtige labyrint van met water gevulde schachten en tunnels diep onder een klein eiland voor de kust van Maine. De Put, waarin een enorme goudschat verborgen ligt.

Een opzienbarende ontdekking geeft mogelijk nieuwe kansen: de ontcijfering van het geheimschrift uit de zeventiende eeuw, waarin de bouw van de Put beschreven staat.

Kapitein Gerard Neidelman organiseert, met gebruikmaking van de modernste hightech-app...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Bob Milne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't remember the last time a book frustrated me so often, and so deeply, yet still managed to be so much fun. If only Preston and Child could have devoted the same amount of attention to character building as to treasure hiding, this could have been a stellar read. What frustrates me is that I know they can do it. Agent Pendergast is one of the greatest characters being written today, and they usually manage to surround him with a solid cast of strong, intelligent, well-rounded characters. H...more I can't remember the last time a book frustrated me so often, and so deeply, yet still managed to be so much fun. If only Preston and Child could have devoted the same amount of attention to character building as to treasure hiding, this could have been a stellar read. What frustrates me is that I know they can do it. Agent Pendergast is one of the greatest characters being written today, and they usually manage to surround him with a solid cast of strong, intelligent, well-rounded characters. Here, however, they seem to have gotten lazy, trusting in the technical and adventurous thrills to deflect attention away from their weakest point - the human element upon which, unfortunately, the entire climax is so precariously perched.

What initially drew me to Riptide was it's fictionalization of the Oak Island treasure hunt. I mean, really, what Canadian kid hasn't dreamed of being the first to discover just what is buried on the small, Nova Scotia island? All the historical elements are here, from the succession of failed digs, to the flagstones and timbers, to the uncontrollable flooding of the pit. In moving the island to the coast of Maine, Preston and Child also up the stakes, incorporating a series of gruesome deaths into their story, and inventing Edward Ockham to take the place of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd as the pirates behind the treasure.

It's here that they truly shine, not only adding some interesting narrative depth to the history of the pit, but also devising a really clever explanation for it's construction. Incorporating the natural flaws, caverns, and sinkholes of the real Oak Island into their pirate traps, they also weave in elements of historical architecture to hold it all together. The investigation and analysis of the island is sound, and even if you know it can't be that easy, you really do expect the treasure hunters to succeed with each new solution. Preston and Child also know just how long to prolong the suspense, making each successive failure work to draw the reader in, without ever pushing him away in exasperation.

For some reason, though, Preston and Child can't just be content with a treasure of buried gold and jewels. Instead, they have to invent a mystical artifact in St. Michael's Sword, and make that the focus of the treasure hunt. The whole sword idea just feels odd and out-of-place, right from the start, and it's wielded so awkwardly, you have to wonder if either of them really knew what to do with it. Ultimately, it provides a far too easy, far too convenient explanation for the curse, and one that is mishandled badly. I can't count how many times I wanted to reach into the book and slap a character for not seeing the obvious. Really, with all these doctors, scientists, and ex-military personnel involved, how did nobody else figure it out? Had just one of them turned on the damned piece of equipment Preston and Child went to such lengths to draw our attention to early on, the mystery would have been solved.

That brings us back to the characters. Their stupidity notwithstanding, they are a pretty solid bunch of characters for about two-thirds of the book . . . and then the laziness sets in. For no other reason than it makes for an action-packed climax later on, Captain Neidelman is suddenly rewritten to be this crazy, paranoid, homicidal maniac who will stop at nothing to attain St. Michael's Sword. Not only that, but his second-in-command is inexplicably transformed into a mindless brute of a henchman. Toss in an awkwardly placed preacher who exists primarily to bash you over the head with the "greed is bad" message, and you've got a climax that has deus ex machina written all over it.

Had they left St. Michael's Sword out of the equation, and been content to let the pirates (and their treasure pit architect) be the villains of the story, this could have been a fantastic read. All of the elements were there for it to succeed, if only Preston and Child could have resisted the temptation to tack on such a heavy-handed bit of mystical nonsense and moralistic messaging. Despite all that, it still managed to be a fun read, and one that I'd happily recommend as a mindless beach read - with an emphasis on mindless.

Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins(less)

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Apr 01, 2013 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

This officially catches me up on the collaborations of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This 4th novel of theirs was one that I got to once before, but as an abridged audiobook, something I try to avoid when I can, but this wasn't a series novel, wasn't considered one of their essential novels, so I just wanted to get a sample. The problem with abridged audiobooks is that it usually includes all the action, but cuts out much of the characterization and back stories that make real fiction so in...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, author-child-preston

Preston and Child tell another incredibly good story! I loved reading this book and kept thinking that if Hollywood could tell stories like this again then more people would be buying DVD's. A pirate's treasure is buried in a nefarious pit on a deserted island off the coast of Maine. Modern-day treasure hunters approach the island's owner hoping to be the last (and successful) team to try to uncover the lost Spanish treasure. But the island doesn't give up it's secrets without a fight. The love...more

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Mar 22, 2009 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first book I read by either Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It was loaned to me by a friend who loves this writing team. I literally couldn't put this book down. What made it fit so well, was that I was on a boating vacation, and the theme of this book is centered around a mystery island and boating. So while I was bobbing up and down on our boat, the boats were bobbing up and down on my pages. After reading this book, I was hooked on this team of authors and will read all the re...more

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About Douglas Preston

Douglas 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 fr...more Douglas 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.

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Books by Douglas Preston

The Cabinet of Curiosities (Pendergast, #3)

Brimstone (Pendergast, #5; Diogenes, #1)

The Book of the Dead (Pendergast, #7; Diogenes, #3)

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