The Wheel of Darkness
In a move that will surprise no reader but satisfy a million of them, that ever-quirky, ever-sophisticated FBI Agent Pendergast is back, in Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s eagerly awaited THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS. Though taking place directly after the events of the Pendergast trilogy completed by last summer’s THE BOOK OF THE DEAD, this greased WHEEL is a stand-alone adventure.
It’s a cruel joke that the novel opens with a theme and setting of inner peace, since it soon explodes with utter chaos. Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, visit a monastery, where they’re told an invaluable object has been stolen from the monks. Called the Agozyen, it’s something the monks never have laid their eyes upon. All they know is that it has the potential to bring about the end of world.
Good thing they know exactly who took it. Too bad that when Pendergast tracks that guy down at a hotel, the poor sap has been murdered, with no sign of the Agozyen. Using his crack Sherlockian techniques of deduction, Pendergast determines the culprit has caught a ride on the maiden voyage of the ocean liner Britannia, so he and Constance take a cruise as well.
With a slight tip of the hat to Agatha Christie, this presents us with a ship full of suspects. But is our intrepid FBI agent correct in his assumption that the Agozyen and its abductor are aboard? All signs point to “yes” when strange things happen among the craft’s numerous levels: women disappear without a trace, a maid commits suicide via chunk of wood through her eye, and others are slaughtered by a supposed serial killer. Then there’s the matter of a … well, I won’t spoil it, but rest assured that anyone who worries that Team Preston/Child has abandoned the supernatural element this time out is upset over nothing.
Without giving away any of other of the many twists, the ship becomes a time bomb of impending doom, with an episode of disaster recalling both THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and TITANIC. Hell, when a subplot involving casino card counters is equally as gripping, it’s clear that the authors are at the top of their craft.
I happen to have loved the Pendergast trilogy, while others were put off – understandably – by its serialized nature and its three or four sets of protagonists. No matter on which side you fall, you’re likely to love THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS, as Preston and Child get back to delivering massive thrills on a big-budget canvas, weaving strong aspects of horror and mystery into the mix. Here’s how much I loved it: This book arrived in the mail exactly 12 hours ago, at 7 p.m.. Somewhere in between now and then, I slept a little.
Preston and Child’s comfort level with Pendergast is so assured that the character simply glides. He’s always been spray-butter smooth, but not having to share the spotlight this time around allows him to shine all the more. And Constance – long a character of periphery – is fleshed out, a full participant in the proceedings, and set up to continue her active role, should the one thread left dangling be sewn up in the future.
And one hopes it will. So far, this is the year’s best thriller. –Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS:
• THE BOOK OF THE DEAD by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• DANCE OF DEATH by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• DEEP STORM by Lincoln Child
• TYRANNOSAUR CANYON by Douglas Preston
The only Preston/Child book I’ve read so far is “Mount Dragon,” which I quite enjoyed. Clearly I need to read more!
This is book number 10 by them I’ve read (plus a handful by Preston alone). I’ve loved all of them. Now, I’m a few chapters into this one. It’s great!
A friend gave me “still life with crows” and the roller coaster ride of a lifetime began. I have read every book written by both Mr Preston and Mr. Childs , as well as their collaborations. Even Jennie and Dinosaurs in the Attic. These guys are the BEST in the business. Nobody comes close. Not Cussler,Lee childs,( who I love but…) etc… I preordered the book from Amazon and am looking at it right now. I am hesitant to start, because having nothing else to read by them, I want to savor every moment and delay the finish, as long as I can.
BTW-How does Cussler get away with the obvious Da Vinci Code references, plot rip offs, in his latest book, The Navigator. It’s so obvious, it’s embarrassing. My wish is for PBS to do visual renderings, of the Preston/Childs canon ala Masterpiece Theatre, or Mystery.Here’s to LIFETIME of Pendergast, and all the other wonderful characters these 2 gentleman have cooked up for us.
My favorite is still THE RELIC. It might have something to do with me listening to it on unabridged audiotape on a lengthy drive home from school (from Norman, Okla. to Algoma, Wis.) Scared the crap out of me, and kept me reasonably awake.
In the movie and music business, reviews almost always come before,or on the day the movie or music is released. Why is that with writers of this caliber and successful history, hasn’t this book been reviewed by the LA and NY Times? I read both everyday and haven’t seen a word about it( 1 ad in the LA Times). Not only is it poor marketing on the book co’s part, but irresponsible on the part of these major newpapers, who obviously couldn’t care less about their readers. I just don’t get it. Maybe that’s why the net continues to take over the media.
Excellent question. I’ve noticed, via the weekly NY Times Book Review e-mail I get, that they’ve been reviewing some titles weeks, if not months, after their release. You wouldn’t see them doing that for a movie; it’s opening week or nothing. I mean, we certainly can’t hit everything before release date, or even on, though we try to get as close as possible. Then again, I’m not the nation’s paper of record.
in the music business, we send out copies, for review, 3 months in advance (when we can), with the hope, they run it week of release. Like the movies, the concept for high profile cd’s is to drive everything to that 1st week, for the big splash. Unless of course if it’s a new or struggling artist. With these gentleman(P & C), i would figure their book co. would go for a strong 1st week. Oh Well… Thanks for responding. I’ll keep reading.
sorry if i killed your thread:-)
Not at all. I interviewed Doug Preston today (look for it later this week) and meant to address with them, but completely forgot.
[...] Doug Bentin e-mailed me to let me know our review of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS is blurbed in the just-out mass-market edition he bought. I went downstairs to take a look, but [...]