** spoiler alert ** Loved this book! To be honest, it's my first foray into Preston and Child's Pendergast. Yeah, I know. I mean, I always knew I'd love their books, but I just never had time to read them. Well after The Wheel of Darkness, I'm hooked and intend to read them all ASAP.

The story reads like a classic whodunnit in the Agathy Christie tradition. Yet the hero, Pendergast, seems to be a cross between Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and a southern Dr. Strange. In the story, Pendergast is asked by a group of buddhist monks to track down the their that stole a very dangerous artifact from their monestary. Pendergast easily follows through, only to discover...well, let's just say this is only the beginning. This artifcat is bad news and it's currently in the wrong hands and on board a luxury Ocean Liner leaving England and on a course for New York City. Pendergast and his ward manage to secure passage on the boat and all Hell literarlly breaks loose. A serial killer is stalking the passengers of the boat. A mutiny of the crew seems almost a certainty. And a spectral nightmare is seen wandering the ship by passengers and crew. And all the while, Pendergast is diligently searching for the one who has the artifact...an artifact that could well lead to the end of the world.

Yeah, I highly recommend this book. If you haven't read it, do so as soon possible!