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Reviews of Brimstone by Douglas Preston

Brimstone by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child X
Brimstone by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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  • First Published:
    Aug 2004, 512 pages

    Paperback:
    Apr 2005, 752 pages

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Book Summary

Featuring bone-chilling suspense and Preston and Child's trademark meticulous research and vivid detail, Brimstone is the duo's—and Pendergast's—most dangerous and gripping adventure yet.

A claw print scorched into the wall...
The stench of sulfur in the air...
Has the Devil come to claim his due?

BRIMSTONE

Behind the gates of a fabulous Hampton estate, FBI Special Agent Pendergast discovers the carnage of a gruesome crime—a nightmare of seemingly supernatural origin. The smoldering remains of infamous art critic Jeremy Grove, a melted cross branding his chest, are found in a locked, barricaded attic. The hoofprint singed into the floorboards and the smell of brimstone recall the legendary horrors that befall those who make a pact with the Devil.

Reuniting with police officers Vincent D'Agosta and Laura Hayward, Pendergast combs New York hoping for a simple explanation: a villain who is merely a man. But his search takes him beyond the exclusive clubs and luxury penthouses of Manhattan to a crumbling, legend-shrouded castle in the Italian countryside, where thirty years ago four men conjured something...unspeakable.

Featuring bone-chilling suspense and Preston and Child's trademark meticulous research and vivid detail, Brimstone is the duo's—and Pendergast's—most dangerous and gripping adventure yet.

1

Agnes Torres parked her white Ford Escort in the little parking area outside the hedge and stepped into the cool dawn air. The hedges were twelve feet high and as impenetrable as a brick wall; only the shingled peak of the big house could be seen from the street. But she could hear the surf thundering and smell the salt air of the invisible ocean beyond.

Agnes carefully locked the car—it paid to be careful, even in this neighborhood—and, fumbling with the massive set of keys, found the right one and stuck it into the lock. The heavy sheet-metal gate swung inward, exposing a broad expanse of green lawn that swept three hundred yards down to the beach, flanked by two dunes. A red light on a keypad just inside the gate began blinking, and she entered the code with nervous fingers. She had thirty seconds before the sirens went off. Once, she had dropped her keys and couldn't punch in the code in time, and the thing ...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Kirkus Reviews
An outrageously entertaining thriller from these accomplished co-authors....Preston and Child have mastered the sure-fire technique of quickly shifting the scene and periodically introducing intriguing new characters....A muted ending yields to a smashing epilogue, one that sets the stage for a further continuation of this exhilarating series. As good as the genre gets. Don't miss it.

Library Journal - Jeff Ayers
The authors have outdone themselves with marvelous set pieces and an intriguing mystery. Buy several copies.

Publisher's Weekly
Erudite, swiftly paced, brimming (occasionally overbrimming) with memorable personae and tense set pieces, this is the perfect thriller to stuff into a beach bag. 

Reader Reviews

cat55

I thoroughly enjoyed "Brimstone" because of Special Agent Pendergast. His talents seem most unlikely for one person, and yet you find yourself believing that such a person exists. After reading this book, which I could not put down, I ...   Read More

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