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Aloysius Pendergast #12
Two Graves
After his wife, Helen, is brazenly abducted before his eyes, Special Agent Pendergast furiously pursues the kidnappers, chasing them across the country and into Mexico. But then, things go terribly, tragically wrong; the kidnappers escape; and a shattered Pendergast retreats to his New York apartment and shuts out the world.
But when a string of bizarre murders erupts across several Manhattan hotels-perpetrated by a boy who seems to have an almost psychic ability to elude capture-NYPD Lieutenant D'Agosta asks his friend Pendergast for help. Reluctant at first, Pendergast soon discovers that the killings are a message from his wife's kidnappers. But why a message? And what does it mean?
When the kidnappers strike again at those closest to Pendergast, the FBI agent, filled anew with vengeful fury, sets out to track down and destroy those responsible. His journey takes him deep into the trackless forests of South America, where he ultimately finds himself face to face with an old evil that-rather than having been eradicated-is stirring anew... and with potentially world-altering consequences.
Confucius once "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, first dig two graves." Pendergast is about to learn the hard way just how true those words still ring.
But when a string of bizarre murders erupts across several Manhattan hotels-perpetrated by a boy who seems to have an almost psychic ability to elude capture-NYPD Lieutenant D'Agosta asks his friend Pendergast for help. Reluctant at first, Pendergast soon discovers that the killings are a message from his wife's kidnappers. But why a message? And what does it mean?
When the kidnappers strike again at those closest to Pendergast, the FBI agent, filled anew with vengeful fury, sets out to track down and destroy those responsible. His journey takes him deep into the trackless forests of South America, where he ultimately finds himself face to face with an old evil that-rather than having been eradicated-is stirring anew... and with potentially world-altering consequences.
Confucius once "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, first dig two graves." Pendergast is about to learn the hard way just how true those words still ring.
484 pages, Hardcover
First published December 11, 2012
1221 people are currently reading
9222 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
233books13.1kfollowersDouglas 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.
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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,918 reviews
August 28, 2018
What a great conclusion to the Helen trilogy! 5 STARS! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two Graves is the 3rd book in the Helen Pendergast trilogy.
Warning! Warning! Do not start with this book at any time unless you've read the rest of the series and especially the Helen trilogy.
The amount of details and plots in the Pendergast series amazes me. It can be so complex and I'm not sure what to say in this review that is safe. This whole trilogy is full of spoilers and it would be terrible of me to give something away to new readers. Trust me, the shock factor is one of the best things about the Pendergast series!
The action was just excellent in Two Graves along with the reoccurring characters. The character of Pendergast has come a LONG way from the beginning of this series, starting with Relic. I've really enjoyed his journey!
The series even added a few new characters that I could see coming up again in the plot with upcoming books! I'm looking forward to that.
If you like suspense, mystery and just bad ass action, check this series out.
It's been a fun and crazy ride!!
Two Graves is the 3rd book in the Helen Pendergast trilogy.
Warning! Warning! Do not start with this book at any time unless you've read the rest of the series and especially the Helen trilogy.
The amount of details and plots in the Pendergast series amazes me. It can be so complex and I'm not sure what to say in this review that is safe. This whole trilogy is full of spoilers and it would be terrible of me to give something away to new readers. Trust me, the shock factor is one of the best things about the Pendergast series!
The action was just excellent in Two Graves along with the reoccurring characters. The character of Pendergast has come a LONG way from the beginning of this series, starting with Relic. I've really enjoyed his journey!
The series even added a few new characters that I could see coming up again in the plot with upcoming books! I'm looking forward to that.
If you like suspense, mystery and just bad ass action, check this series out.
It's been a fun and crazy ride!!
April 9, 2020
You ever had a garbage plate? It starts with a starchy base (think mac and cheese, fried potatoes, or baked beans) topped with protein (hot dogs, cheeseburgers, eggs, or whatever) and then covered with meat sauce, onions, mustard, and ketchup, served with some white bread to sop up all the leftover sauciness.
It’s an absurdly over-the-top study in American excess that’s by turns enchanting, revolting, nonsensical, delightful, and prone to inducing heartburn and regret. And, in keeping with my grand tradition of using food metaphors for Pendergast books, the eating equivalent of reading Two Graves.
Look, I’m all in on Pendergast. I’m twelve books in and not about to stop now. I long ago recognized that willing suspension of disbelief is to this series what Instagram is to Kylie Jenner (namely, the foundational construct upon which everything else relies and without which existence would immediately cease). Generally, I’m fine with that, especially because it allows Preston and Child to play with supernatural/extranormal angles that blur the edge between reality and fantasy in a very compelling way.
…and then came the secret children, Nazis in remote Brazilian strongholds, genetically engineered super twins, and Rambo-esque paramilitary shenanigans. Willing suspension of disbelief? More like total abandonment of the frontal lobe. Or, in the case of the garbage plate, total lack of regard for the descending colon.
And, yet, it’s still entertaining. It’s still Pendergast. I didn’t tear through it quite as quickly as normal, but I blame global pandemics and a subsequent utter lack of reading time for that more than I do shortcomings in the story (though there were a higher number of those than usual for a Pendergast book).
I confess that I’m a little weary of the Helen storylines. I’ll be glad when we can get Pendergast back to investigating crimes that don’t involve people with whom he repeatedly fornicated or who were unknowingly produced from his apparently exceptionally strong swimmers. So, onward, ever onward.
We’ll call it 3.5 stars, but round up because Preston and Child are just so damn good at what they do.
It’s an absurdly over-the-top study in American excess that’s by turns enchanting, revolting, nonsensical, delightful, and prone to inducing heartburn and regret. And, in keeping with my grand tradition of using food metaphors for Pendergast books, the eating equivalent of reading Two Graves.
Look, I’m all in on Pendergast. I’m twelve books in and not about to stop now. I long ago recognized that willing suspension of disbelief is to this series what Instagram is to Kylie Jenner (namely, the foundational construct upon which everything else relies and without which existence would immediately cease). Generally, I’m fine with that, especially because it allows Preston and Child to play with supernatural/extranormal angles that blur the edge between reality and fantasy in a very compelling way.
…and then came the secret children, Nazis in remote Brazilian strongholds, genetically engineered super twins, and Rambo-esque paramilitary shenanigans. Willing suspension of disbelief? More like total abandonment of the frontal lobe. Or, in the case of the garbage plate, total lack of regard for the descending colon.
And, yet, it’s still entertaining. It’s still Pendergast. I didn’t tear through it quite as quickly as normal, but I blame global pandemics and a subsequent utter lack of reading time for that more than I do shortcomings in the story (though there were a higher number of those than usual for a Pendergast book).
I confess that I’m a little weary of the Helen storylines. I’ll be glad when we can get Pendergast back to investigating crimes that don’t involve people with whom he repeatedly fornicated or who were unknowingly produced from his apparently exceptionally strong swimmers. So, onward, ever onward.
We’ll call it 3.5 stars, but round up because Preston and Child are just so damn good at what they do.
January 1, 2018
“What the f#%, indeed� � Agent A. X. L. Pendergast
One thing I can say for where this series stands and what this book stressed to me: pay attention to every detail from every book, you never know when something is going to come back and be an important element. Remember that hobo that sneezed in book 5? Yeah, that’s probably important in book 15. Seriously, Preston & Child weave quite a web!
I cannot say too much more about this book without spoilers. Just mentioning a character at this point could be a spoiler. I was talking to a friend who has already completed the series and I remember him saying that a book farther along in the series seemed to be all about a certain character. At one point during this book I was certain that character was going to die. I “thanked� him for ruining that suspense for me! I am in the middle of discussing the earlier books in this series (Hello, Ginger and Terry!) and I have to be very careful about what I say.
That all being said � this book is great, this series is great, you cannot go wrong if you like mystery and suspense. Where you can go wrong is starting in the middle! Go back and start from the beginning, you will not regret it!
Here is a fun spoiler � it is pretty big stretch but is a big clue to one of the key plot points of this book. CLICK IF YOU DARE!
One thing I can say for where this series stands and what this book stressed to me: pay attention to every detail from every book, you never know when something is going to come back and be an important element. Remember that hobo that sneezed in book 5? Yeah, that’s probably important in book 15. Seriously, Preston & Child weave quite a web!
I cannot say too much more about this book without spoilers. Just mentioning a character at this point could be a spoiler. I was talking to a friend who has already completed the series and I remember him saying that a book farther along in the series seemed to be all about a certain character. At one point during this book I was certain that character was going to die. I “thanked� him for ruining that suspense for me! I am in the middle of discussing the earlier books in this series (Hello, Ginger and Terry!) and I have to be very careful about what I say.
That all being said � this book is great, this series is great, you cannot go wrong if you like mystery and suspense. Where you can go wrong is starting in the middle! Go back and start from the beginning, you will not regret it!
Here is a fun spoiler � it is pretty big stretch but is a big clue to one of the key plot points of this book. CLICK IF YOU DARE!
January 17, 2013
This was definitely one of the more sour tasting Pendergast novels. I had several upsets along the way. Some of the wording in the book was very repetitive, not just used often but used close together as well. For example - As he dove under the water the propeller missed his head by inches. He breached the surface and a gunshot rang out missing his head by inches.
There were a lot of missed by mere inch moments. I feel overall revelations in this book jump the shark, perhaps even a few times. Also, if the Dr. Felder and Corrie Swanson side stories were deleted altogether, this book in the series would be quite short. Those little jumps in the story were extremely boring to me, and provided absolutely no forward movement for the plot. If they are going to be expounded upon in subsequent novels, the authors should have just put those elements into the next one.
I usually enjoy finishing a Pendergast novel and comparing notes with my sister. Discussing which parts I enjoyed, which parts I had unanswered questions on, and we deliberate our hypotheses. With this one now concluded and I look back on it, there really wasn't too much to really enjoy compared to earlier works.
One statement that stuck out like a ugly, grotesque thumb, was when D'gosta was looking into this serial killer, and he says to himself in an inner monologue, how that he and Pendergast had worked on several cases in the past, but this one was the most strange. When that line came out, I had my own inner monologue that went something like this:
Wait, hold up. Seriously the strangest. Some douchebag serial killer is murdering people and leaving body parts at the crime scene and a message. That is weird, but remember that case where something was killing people and removing their brains and taking a large bite out of it. Or when some guy was stalking people and removing sections of their spines and creating some bizarre formula to slow the aging process. Or when there was the possibility of zombies roaming the streets of N.Y. Or even stranger still people being murdered by a possible demon.
Now those cases were strange, but this little serial killer didn't seem very interesting at all, and even less interesting was who the serial killer turns out to be. That individual would be the flying leap over the shark I mentioned. Furthermore, I just don't think the concept of the whole Nazis being involved grasped me. I'm hoping they fix their formula for the next Pendergast novel and give us another top notch stand alone. Overall, the wait for this newest edition seemed very anti-climatic.
There were a lot of missed by mere inch moments. I feel overall revelations in this book jump the shark, perhaps even a few times. Also, if the Dr. Felder and Corrie Swanson side stories were deleted altogether, this book in the series would be quite short. Those little jumps in the story were extremely boring to me, and provided absolutely no forward movement for the plot. If they are going to be expounded upon in subsequent novels, the authors should have just put those elements into the next one.
I usually enjoy finishing a Pendergast novel and comparing notes with my sister. Discussing which parts I enjoyed, which parts I had unanswered questions on, and we deliberate our hypotheses. With this one now concluded and I look back on it, there really wasn't too much to really enjoy compared to earlier works.
One statement that stuck out like a ugly, grotesque thumb, was when D'gosta was looking into this serial killer, and he says to himself in an inner monologue, how that he and Pendergast had worked on several cases in the past, but this one was the most strange. When that line came out, I had my own inner monologue that went something like this:
Wait, hold up. Seriously the strangest. Some douchebag serial killer is murdering people and leaving body parts at the crime scene and a message. That is weird, but remember that case where something was killing people and removing their brains and taking a large bite out of it. Or when some guy was stalking people and removing sections of their spines and creating some bizarre formula to slow the aging process. Or when there was the possibility of zombies roaming the streets of N.Y. Or even stranger still people being murdered by a possible demon.
Now those cases were strange, but this little serial killer didn't seem very interesting at all, and even less interesting was who the serial killer turns out to be. That individual would be the flying leap over the shark I mentioned. Furthermore, I just don't think the concept of the whole Nazis being involved grasped me. I'm hoping they fix their formula for the next Pendergast novel and give us another top notch stand alone. Overall, the wait for this newest edition seemed very anti-climatic.
December 24, 2012
I think my crush on Pendergast is over for the very simple reason that the authors deviated too far from what every gothic writer worth her salt knows: less is more. Especially when you are dealing with a gothic hero. Like Pendergast. I miss the enigmatic Pendergast of earlier novels, the man of mystery, the unexplored country.
I know too much now and sadly, much of what I know has me saying, "meh."
In this book, I see where the authors tried to take that extra step into something with more moral weight in "rebellion" scene near the end, but it just did not ring true to me. There needed to be a view point character who could "explain" the tsunami shift that occurred. I'm being deliberately vague so as not to spoil anything, but come back and tell me if you agree after you read the book.
And Constance... all that mystery unraveled in a monologue. Felt very thin.
Will I read another Pendergast novel? Of course. It's still a very inventive series but the rich, detail heavy settings and descriptions of the inner workings of museums and cabinets of curiosities has been traded for action. I miss the minutiae.
I know too much now and sadly, much of what I know has me saying, "meh."
In this book, I see where the authors tried to take that extra step into something with more moral weight in "rebellion" scene near the end, but it just did not ring true to me. There needed to be a view point character who could "explain" the tsunami shift that occurred. I'm being deliberately vague so as not to spoil anything, but come back and tell me if you agree after you read the book.
And Constance... all that mystery unraveled in a monologue. Felt very thin.
Will I read another Pendergast novel? Of course. It's still a very inventive series but the rich, detail heavy settings and descriptions of the inner workings of museums and cabinets of curiosities has been traded for action. I miss the minutiae.
January 2, 2013
Ok, Preston and Childs are not stretching my imagination,rather they are beginning to make my imagination balk at the continued twists and turns that the personal life of Special Agent Pendergast is taking.
I went along with the quasi horror elements in the earliest books in the series. I can do monsters -- it matters not a whit to me if they are real or not as long as the story is good. Then in "Still Life with Crows" he combined the horror with a good investigative story which made me a real fan.
Now however, we are going back to his long dead and long mourned wife who is suddenly alive. And, too, Pendergast discovers himself to be the father of twins -- part of a Nazi eugenics experiment. Suddenly, I'm just irritated by the whole thing.
The series is beginning to remind me of an old boyfriend you keep around way beyond the sell by date. Even if he is fun to have around you really should expand your horizons and get on with your life. I might be really missing out on a great new series if I stay with Pendergast much longer. I got rid of the boyfriend and moved on. Maybe it's time to move beyond Pendergast.
I went along with the quasi horror elements in the earliest books in the series. I can do monsters -- it matters not a whit to me if they are real or not as long as the story is good. Then in "Still Life with Crows" he combined the horror with a good investigative story which made me a real fan.
Now however, we are going back to his long dead and long mourned wife who is suddenly alive. And, too, Pendergast discovers himself to be the father of twins -- part of a Nazi eugenics experiment. Suddenly, I'm just irritated by the whole thing.
The series is beginning to remind me of an old boyfriend you keep around way beyond the sell by date. Even if he is fun to have around you really should expand your horizons and get on with your life. I might be really missing out on a great new series if I stay with Pendergast much longer. I got rid of the boyfriend and moved on. Maybe it's time to move beyond Pendergast.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2022
Two Graves is the third book in the Helen arc, part of the larger Pendergast series written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Pendergast's wife, Helen, was kidnapped in the last one, and within a few chapters, readers can see this will not end well. It's difficult to provide thoughts on this one without giving away any spoilers, so be careful reading here if you don't want to risk it. Along with the focus on Helen, Constance is still living in the psych ward as a result of throwing her baby overboard (long story) and Corrie, a ~20ish throwback from earlier books, returns to track down her wayward father. Both have their own stories yet interact with Pendergast in intriguing manners.
As for Helen, she has quite the backstory in this book. From Nazi hunters to seeking the perfect human specimen, we learn just how much she hid from her husband, who is supposed to be the smartest man on the planet. Just how did she do it? Does love blind a person? When Pendergast and Helen come face to face again, it's an action-packed scene, and the thought of two graves becomes a huge theme between them, their past, and what now lies in the future. Pendergast, of course, almost dies at least three times in this book. Is his body all fake plastic now? When he travels to the remote Mexican island and discovers the secrets he's long been waiting to encounter, it's sad and shocking. His life changes all at once.
Thankfully Laura and Vinnie support him on the side, and they take a big step forward in their alignment on faithfully following their law careers but knowing how to straddle the line to get the job done. Lots moving forward here. We learn the truth about Constance's baby, and Corrie becomes a much more prevalent sidekick for Pendergast. Viola makes a return - I do love her character. Can't forget Proctor who seems just like a ghost that vanishes in and out of the story. Another excellent buddy read with a good friend, and now I am halfway through the series.
As for Helen, she has quite the backstory in this book. From Nazi hunters to seeking the perfect human specimen, we learn just how much she hid from her husband, who is supposed to be the smartest man on the planet. Just how did she do it? Does love blind a person? When Pendergast and Helen come face to face again, it's an action-packed scene, and the thought of two graves becomes a huge theme between them, their past, and what now lies in the future. Pendergast, of course, almost dies at least three times in this book. Is his body all fake plastic now? When he travels to the remote Mexican island and discovers the secrets he's long been waiting to encounter, it's sad and shocking. His life changes all at once.
Thankfully Laura and Vinnie support him on the side, and they take a big step forward in their alignment on faithfully following their law careers but knowing how to straddle the line to get the job done. Lots moving forward here. We learn the truth about Constance's baby, and Corrie becomes a much more prevalent sidekick for Pendergast. Viola makes a return - I do love her character. Can't forget Proctor who seems just like a ghost that vanishes in and out of the story. Another excellent buddy read with a good friend, and now I am halfway through the series.
August 27, 2018
An excellent conclusion to the Helen trilogy as well as a continuation of the overall Pendergast story. Again, another book filled with thrilling action, great characters and a fun mystery that had me all over the map trying to figure out. For me, just the right amount of fun (both the book and the terrific buddy-read with Ginger and Matthew!) to keep me coming back for more. I can't wait for the next installment.
May 5, 2023
Well....this one was an ok read for me. I would give a 3.5* as I found Pendergast behavior at the start of the book difficult to relate to his previous actions in other books in the series. The side characters were really on their own and in a way, it was fun to see Corrie at work. Interesting premise for the backstory but nothing about the South American link or trip grabbed me. Enjoy the set-up for future stories.
July 23, 2018
Fabulous action packed adventure. As I began reading I was a bit sceptical at the direction the story seemed to be taking- it all seemed far fetched. I should have had more faith! I really enjoyed the plot and storyline. I’m interested to see how Corrie Swanson’s story will be developed in future books. #seriously why isn’t Pendergast president yet?
May 22, 2018
I had to stay up and finish it!!!!
More on this later.
Night ! 💤⭐️
Night ! 💤⭐️
January 6, 2013
*** mild spoilers***
Like many of the other reviewers, I am pleased that the Helen trilogy has concluded. The last book was a cliffhanger and I was impatiently waiting for this final installment. I read this one, as I have the others, in about two days. While it was a fast and fun read, I find the antics of AXLP to be rather obnoxious these days. I firmly believe that a reader can and should suspend reality in favor of a good book, however, I find that my suspension of reality is exceeding even the most avid reader when it comes to Preston & Child.
Within the first few chapters I laughed out loud at a most inappropriate action scene and promptly announced that my favorite special agent had jumped the shark. Indeed, all of the adventures are starting to disappoint. I miss the agent from Still Life with Crows. I miss the weird family stories from Cabinet of Curiosities. Where has that Pendergast gone?
And don't get me started about Corrie Swanson. What was the point of her plot line. I wanted to skip those chapters; if she appears again, I may just do that. I am intrigued by the twins and by Constance's child, so I will read the next book. But, I am not as impatient as I once was.
Like many of the other reviewers, I am pleased that the Helen trilogy has concluded. The last book was a cliffhanger and I was impatiently waiting for this final installment. I read this one, as I have the others, in about two days. While it was a fast and fun read, I find the antics of AXLP to be rather obnoxious these days. I firmly believe that a reader can and should suspend reality in favor of a good book, however, I find that my suspension of reality is exceeding even the most avid reader when it comes to Preston & Child.
Within the first few chapters I laughed out loud at a most inappropriate action scene and promptly announced that my favorite special agent had jumped the shark. Indeed, all of the adventures are starting to disappoint. I miss the agent from Still Life with Crows. I miss the weird family stories from Cabinet of Curiosities. Where has that Pendergast gone?
And don't get me started about Corrie Swanson. What was the point of her plot line. I wanted to skip those chapters; if she appears again, I may just do that. I am intrigued by the twins and by Constance's child, so I will read the next book. But, I am not as impatient as I once was.
June 29, 2019
Okay, how do I even start? After a frantic binge-read of the Helen trilogy, I am now in a daze. When I started reading Fever Dream, I did not expect the story to go in the direction that it did. So many twists and turns, and jaw-dropping revelations. Pendergast's story has got to be one of the craziest ones out there. This trilogy also represented a change in tone from gothic mysteries to dark conspiracies.
I've repeated the same streak of reading 4 Pendergast books in a row which may be one (or two) too many. As such, my euphoria started to taper off somewhat while reading this book. One thing about reading Pendergast is that one needs to suspend disbelief at times, and I've no issues with that as it's part of the fun of reading these books. How boring it will be to ensure everything is 100% realistic. There's a reason why I love speculative fiction in the first place. The kind of action sequences that our beloved Special Agent gets into in this trilogy can get a bit unbelievable. It makes for a thrilling read though. Dude is even more badass than Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne, James Bond, Jack Reacher, etc. And truth be told, I want to believe it quite badly. Even though he got quite obnoxious at times in this volume. But the fact is, the circumstances got really personal, and the way he acted actually shows that eccentricities and preternatural badassery aside, he is still human after all
All in all, I remain a huge fan and will keep on reading about Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast. 6 more books to go before I'm fully caught up with the series.
I've repeated the same streak of reading 4 Pendergast books in a row which may be one (or two) too many. As such, my euphoria started to taper off somewhat while reading this book. One thing about reading Pendergast is that one needs to suspend disbelief at times, and I've no issues with that as it's part of the fun of reading these books. How boring it will be to ensure everything is 100% realistic. There's a reason why I love speculative fiction in the first place. The kind of action sequences that our beloved Special Agent gets into in this trilogy can get a bit unbelievable. It makes for a thrilling read though. Dude is even more badass than Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne, James Bond, Jack Reacher, etc. And truth be told, I want to believe it quite badly. Even though he got quite obnoxious at times in this volume. But the fact is, the circumstances got really personal, and the way he acted actually shows that eccentricities and preternatural badassery aside, he is still human after all
All in all, I remain a huge fan and will keep on reading about Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast. 6 more books to go before I'm fully caught up with the series.
November 18, 2019
I enjoy the Agent Pendergast series by Preston & Child. In fact, I can pretty much just blanket statement it and say that I enjoy ANY book by Preston and/or Child. Action, adventure, investigation, intrigue, supernatural weirdness....they pretty much cover all of my loves in their books.
Two Graves is the 12th book in the Pendergast series. The action revs up immediately and doesn't stop for the entire book. Pendergast is out for revenge when his wife is kidnapped by a nefarious group of evil scientists. He pursues them to South America and makes a horrifying discovery about his wife's background. The story is quite gripping and definitely action-packed.
I thought this series would turn from this type of plot once the action with Pendergast's brother was concluded earlier in the series. But, this story sort of re-ignites that past storyline, but in an interesting way. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
There are currently 18 books (and a few short stories/novellas in between books) in this series, plus a new novel coming out in February 2020. Definitely read this series in order as the plots build on each other and there are some spoilers if books are skipped. There is also a new off-shoot series with Nora Kelly as the main character (with appearances by Corrie Swanson, too)
I listened to the audio book version of this story. The audio (Hachette Audio) is about 16.5 hours long and narrated by Rene Auberjonois. Auberjonois always gives a great performance and his portrayal of Pendergast is spot on as far as I am concerned. Great listening experience!
Another great book in the Pendergast series! I'm glad I decided to re-read this series from the beginning! :) On to the next....White Fire!
Two Graves is the 12th book in the Pendergast series. The action revs up immediately and doesn't stop for the entire book. Pendergast is out for revenge when his wife is kidnapped by a nefarious group of evil scientists. He pursues them to South America and makes a horrifying discovery about his wife's background. The story is quite gripping and definitely action-packed.
I thought this series would turn from this type of plot once the action with Pendergast's brother was concluded earlier in the series. But, this story sort of re-ignites that past storyline, but in an interesting way. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
There are currently 18 books (and a few short stories/novellas in between books) in this series, plus a new novel coming out in February 2020. Definitely read this series in order as the plots build on each other and there are some spoilers if books are skipped. There is also a new off-shoot series with Nora Kelly as the main character (with appearances by Corrie Swanson, too)
I listened to the audio book version of this story. The audio (Hachette Audio) is about 16.5 hours long and narrated by Rene Auberjonois. Auberjonois always gives a great performance and his portrayal of Pendergast is spot on as far as I am concerned. Great listening experience!
Another great book in the Pendergast series! I'm glad I decided to re-read this series from the beginning! :) On to the next....White Fire!
February 9, 2013
FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast is part Sherlock Holmes, part eccentric, brilliant and a force to be reckoned with. In spite of grave injuries, no sleep, odds against him, he is unstoppable-you get the idea! He is one of the most unique protagonists in the thriller genre today! He is often machine-like and mysterious. He is a legend.
The opening pages of the book are cloaked in mystery, an unidentified woman walks slowly through Central Park with her unidentified brother beside her. She is tense, anxious, waiting for someone...and there he is, the world falls away and they are reunited after many years. Pendergast and his wife, Helen are finally together, again. Sadly, it is short-lived and the story takes off from there!
Actually, there are several stories going on at once! Corrie gets her story fleshed out, following lessons learned watching Pendergast. For Pendergast, who has fallen into deep despair over not being able to hold on to his wife, more shocks are in store! He has sons???? One of them is a twisted criminal. One has lived his life as a cast off at the whim of his brother and the Covenant. They are both the product of Nazi experimentation and study. How does the usually unflappable Pendergast deal with this?
From page one I was hooked on this dark mystery. Pendergast's character mold is amazing! His looks belie his actions. He has the ability to either make loyal friends or instant enemies. He never leaves a stone unturned. Be prepared to board the train of intrigue and suspense!
This edition was provided by NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The opening pages of the book are cloaked in mystery, an unidentified woman walks slowly through Central Park with her unidentified brother beside her. She is tense, anxious, waiting for someone...and there he is, the world falls away and they are reunited after many years. Pendergast and his wife, Helen are finally together, again. Sadly, it is short-lived and the story takes off from there!
Actually, there are several stories going on at once! Corrie gets her story fleshed out, following lessons learned watching Pendergast. For Pendergast, who has fallen into deep despair over not being able to hold on to his wife, more shocks are in store! He has sons???? One of them is a twisted criminal. One has lived his life as a cast off at the whim of his brother and the Covenant. They are both the product of Nazi experimentation and study. How does the usually unflappable Pendergast deal with this?
From page one I was hooked on this dark mystery. Pendergast's character mold is amazing! His looks belie his actions. He has the ability to either make loyal friends or instant enemies. He never leaves a stone unturned. Be prepared to board the train of intrigue and suspense!
This edition was provided by NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2022
A controversial book. A book with compelling pages and plots, but also a book with parts that are frankly not credible; a book written with a style that is perfect for those detective book parts, but interspersed with almost zombie-movie parts (those on the island). The protagonist, Aloysius Pendergast, is one of those characters who are really implausible, bordering on caricature: what he does in the first 50 pages of the book is something that can only happen in Hollywood movies. There are other things that I did not like, or rather, that seemed to me great naivety in a book that otherwise has good characteristics of readability: I am referring to the extraordinary abilities of Alban (I will not say who are the protagonists that I quote so not to spoil); the ease with which he gets rid of Proctor, humiliating him; the incredible super-age of Constance, the little time it takes for Tristram to form a conscience and even become a leader in the revolt of the island; the very few people needed to destroy in two days the activities carried out on the island for 70 years, with capital and ideals behind them that had protected them against everything and everyone; the fact that all "good" protagonists always have to face terrible enemies with overwhelming abilities (even Felder with Dukchuck) and then at the very last second they manage to save their lives with a good deus ex machina trick ... In short, a good rhythm, but situations that are frankly unthinkable and not very credible. I assign three stars because two would be too few, and also because the authors, mixing legend, reality, fantasy, focus their attention on the heavy shadow of Nazism and instill in the reader the doubt that many protagonists of those horrible pages of history have continued to pursue their dreams-nightmare even after the end of the war. All in all, therefore, this book is not a jewel not to be missed and not even a masterpiece to be re-read over time, but it is still a book that at least covers its price.
January 2, 2013
As soon as Preston & Child's new book, Two Graves, hit the stands my husband got it for me and here I sit now wondering in what direction the next one will go. I could put the book down only when duty called but I just wanted to lose myself in it.
Pendergast is back and Helen is for a few pages. But this book takes turns...we go back into the undergrand and we see things we never have before.
We meet people we never have before and we see Pendergast facing emotional pain, fearing he won't be able to overcome.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a well written mystery but especially to all the other Pendergast lovers out there.
Pendergast is back and Helen is for a few pages. But this book takes turns...we go back into the undergrand and we see things we never have before.
We meet people we never have before and we see Pendergast facing emotional pain, fearing he won't be able to overcome.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a well written mystery but especially to all the other Pendergast lovers out there.
August 4, 2023
Pendergast is going to meet his wife Helen again, when German speaking agents interrupt, killing her and shooting up NYC.
From there, we get Pendergast meets The Boys From Brazil.
From there, we get Pendergast meets The Boys From Brazil.
September 20, 2012
*SPOILER FREE* Review of Two Graves, but really my thoughts on the Helen Trilogy.
I've been a Lincoln/Child/Agent Pendergast fan since that very first adventure underneath the museum all those years ago. I've liked just about every book the two have put out together, with the huge exception of the newer Gideon Crew series---those are just terrible.
So it was with great glee that I read the advanced reader copy of Two Graves that came across my desk at work. Finally, I thought, all the answers to the Helen question would be answered! And they are answered, don't worry about that.
What I liked most about this book was that it returned (for the most part) to the action/thriller/mystery solving Pendergast adventures of yore, before the Helen trilogy started. Don't get me wrong, Fever Dream was quite the adventure, but its ending left me a little befuddled. Cold Vengeance, while being as much fun as it was frustrating, in retrospect turns out to be a wheel-spinning adventure that delayed answering questions rather than developing it in any fruitful way. What I remember most about the end of that book was a conversation between Pendergast and his brother-in-law.
BIL: Pendergast, I swear I'll tell you everything, but I can't tell you right now because there's not enough time.
Pendergast: We have a two hour boat ride back to dry land. Just the two of us. Alone.
BIL: Everything, I promise, but there's not enough time right now!
Pendergast: 2 hours, not minutes. Hours.
BIL: Not enough time!
Okay, so it's not verbatim, but if you read between the lines it was telling the reader, I can't say anything now because it'll be explained in the next book. And that's frustrating as heck since it was so obvious. I don't remember feeling that way at all with the Diogenes trilogy: each one was perfect on its own but still managed to lead directly into the next one with a sense of happy anticipation. I didn't feel that with these last two books.
Now maybe it's true that I'm looking back at the earlier books through rose colored glasses, but I remember they were always logical and plausible, even with underground monsters, haunted ships, and 150 year old women. But with these final two Helen books, great holes in logic and plot began to appear, things that didn't make sense, events that in the past would have served to complicate matters are instead glossed over with laughable or no explanations. There were a couple of whoppers in Cold Vengeance that really left me scratching my head, and there's a couple more in Two Graves. I can only attribute this to undue influence from the terrible awful no good bad Gideon Crew series. Those are even worst in terms of... well, everything.
So it's with mixed feelings that I started Two Graves, and it's with mixed feelings that I finished Two Graves. Questions are answered, for sure, and the adventure is fun, for sure. But even at the breakneck speed with which I plowed through it, I still felt frustrated with the storytelling.
There are three stories told here, with only one of them being really interesting, and that one keeps getting interrupted by the other two.
Subplot 1 is about a character we've come to really like but it really doesn't involve her. It involves another character trying to find out about her, and while his adventure does take a turn for the bizarre, it felt out of place here, padding that slowed down the momentum of the A-list plot. We get a nice bit of extra information and resolution at the end, and I can see how it's important, but considering how much is glossed over with this (and other) plots, it still feels like extra padding.
Subplot 2 involves another character we've come to really like, but that story too take a left turn and goes off on its own. That story rolls along, rolls along, rolls along, and is cut off when the A-list plot takes over for the long haul to its resolution. I was afraid subplot 2 would be left hanging (much like another plot was left hanging in Cold Vengeance) but no, it was kinda sorta resolved with a throwaway line at the end of the book. After all that was put into it, that's how it ended? Maybe it will be explained more in the next book, but that just shows how out of place it is in this volume.
I don't know, I feel like I'm asking to have my cake and eat it too. I know we have the Constance Green story sort of simmering in the background for far too long now, but I hope it doesn't become a habit that storylines are started but not resolved for several books. As a huge fan of the series I can promise the authors that I'll always read the next book, you don't have to dangle the same carrot over many volumes. There's a fine line between creating anticipation and stringing the reader along.
So my final verdict on Two Graves? It's a great Pendergast adventure and it introduces some interesting complications to his life that hold promise for future books. I might not like so much one of those complications (it could have easily been, ah, 'prevented' in the course of this book, and it feels a little too easy plotwise) but oh well.
So there you have it. If this review is too vague, well, I hate spoiling books, and this is a book worthy of not being spoiled, especially three months before it comes out.
I've been a Lincoln/Child/Agent Pendergast fan since that very first adventure underneath the museum all those years ago. I've liked just about every book the two have put out together, with the huge exception of the newer Gideon Crew series---those are just terrible.
So it was with great glee that I read the advanced reader copy of Two Graves that came across my desk at work. Finally, I thought, all the answers to the Helen question would be answered! And they are answered, don't worry about that.
What I liked most about this book was that it returned (for the most part) to the action/thriller/mystery solving Pendergast adventures of yore, before the Helen trilogy started. Don't get me wrong, Fever Dream was quite the adventure, but its ending left me a little befuddled. Cold Vengeance, while being as much fun as it was frustrating, in retrospect turns out to be a wheel-spinning adventure that delayed answering questions rather than developing it in any fruitful way. What I remember most about the end of that book was a conversation between Pendergast and his brother-in-law.
BIL: Pendergast, I swear I'll tell you everything, but I can't tell you right now because there's not enough time.
Pendergast: We have a two hour boat ride back to dry land. Just the two of us. Alone.
BIL: Everything, I promise, but there's not enough time right now!
Pendergast: 2 hours, not minutes. Hours.
BIL: Not enough time!
Okay, so it's not verbatim, but if you read between the lines it was telling the reader, I can't say anything now because it'll be explained in the next book. And that's frustrating as heck since it was so obvious. I don't remember feeling that way at all with the Diogenes trilogy: each one was perfect on its own but still managed to lead directly into the next one with a sense of happy anticipation. I didn't feel that with these last two books.
Now maybe it's true that I'm looking back at the earlier books through rose colored glasses, but I remember they were always logical and plausible, even with underground monsters, haunted ships, and 150 year old women. But with these final two Helen books, great holes in logic and plot began to appear, things that didn't make sense, events that in the past would have served to complicate matters are instead glossed over with laughable or no explanations. There were a couple of whoppers in Cold Vengeance that really left me scratching my head, and there's a couple more in Two Graves. I can only attribute this to undue influence from the terrible awful no good bad Gideon Crew series. Those are even worst in terms of... well, everything.
So it's with mixed feelings that I started Two Graves, and it's with mixed feelings that I finished Two Graves. Questions are answered, for sure, and the adventure is fun, for sure. But even at the breakneck speed with which I plowed through it, I still felt frustrated with the storytelling.
There are three stories told here, with only one of them being really interesting, and that one keeps getting interrupted by the other two.
Subplot 1 is about a character we've come to really like but it really doesn't involve her. It involves another character trying to find out about her, and while his adventure does take a turn for the bizarre, it felt out of place here, padding that slowed down the momentum of the A-list plot. We get a nice bit of extra information and resolution at the end, and I can see how it's important, but considering how much is glossed over with this (and other) plots, it still feels like extra padding.
Subplot 2 involves another character we've come to really like, but that story too take a left turn and goes off on its own. That story rolls along, rolls along, rolls along, and is cut off when the A-list plot takes over for the long haul to its resolution. I was afraid subplot 2 would be left hanging (much like another plot was left hanging in Cold Vengeance) but no, it was kinda sorta resolved with a throwaway line at the end of the book. After all that was put into it, that's how it ended? Maybe it will be explained more in the next book, but that just shows how out of place it is in this volume.
I don't know, I feel like I'm asking to have my cake and eat it too. I know we have the Constance Green story sort of simmering in the background for far too long now, but I hope it doesn't become a habit that storylines are started but not resolved for several books. As a huge fan of the series I can promise the authors that I'll always read the next book, you don't have to dangle the same carrot over many volumes. There's a fine line between creating anticipation and stringing the reader along.
So my final verdict on Two Graves? It's a great Pendergast adventure and it introduces some interesting complications to his life that hold promise for future books. I might not like so much one of those complications (it could have easily been, ah, 'prevented' in the course of this book, and it feels a little too easy plotwise) but oh well.
So there you have it. If this review is too vague, well, I hate spoiling books, and this is a book worthy of not being spoiled, especially three months before it comes out.
January 16, 2013
Two words.
Hot.
Mess.
Pendergast's genetically engineered, Nazi, serial-killer love child is murdering random tourists in Manhattan (whose addresses are chosen via the Fibonacci sequence because "Fuck you, Dan Brown!") in an attempt to lure the intrepid FBI agent to a remote Brazilian fortress town populated by more genetically engineered members of the "master race" and their knuckle-dragging, organ farm twins. Somehow, Pendergast convinces a small battalion of Brazilian police to come along and get themselves killed in the process.
Back in NYC, the cops decide that since the serial murders have stopped, the problem has been solved and they can get back to drinking in yuppie bars that still have 1980s era decor.
I've enjoyed this series very much in the past, but halfway through "Two Graves," I found myself routing for the death of the hero and an end to the series. That's right Lincoln and Child, you made me root for the Nazis.
Good. Job.
Also, secondary characters have their own unrelated, useless adventures with plot points that get dropped midway through, but whose endings are alluded to as "conversations to be had later" -- because how the hell else are they going to get me to pick up the next one after this?
This book gets two stars instead of one because the authors still manage, while pissing on the altar of the plot gods, to craft complete English sentences, thereby not completely sapping my will to live.
Hot.
Mess.
Pendergast's genetically engineered, Nazi, serial-killer love child is murdering random tourists in Manhattan (whose addresses are chosen via the Fibonacci sequence because "Fuck you, Dan Brown!") in an attempt to lure the intrepid FBI agent to a remote Brazilian fortress town populated by more genetically engineered members of the "master race" and their knuckle-dragging, organ farm twins. Somehow, Pendergast convinces a small battalion of Brazilian police to come along and get themselves killed in the process.
Back in NYC, the cops decide that since the serial murders have stopped, the problem has been solved and they can get back to drinking in yuppie bars that still have 1980s era decor.
I've enjoyed this series very much in the past, but halfway through "Two Graves," I found myself routing for the death of the hero and an end to the series. That's right Lincoln and Child, you made me root for the Nazis.
Good. Job.
Also, secondary characters have their own unrelated, useless adventures with plot points that get dropped midway through, but whose endings are alluded to as "conversations to be had later" -- because how the hell else are they going to get me to pick up the next one after this?
This book gets two stars instead of one because the authors still manage, while pissing on the altar of the plot gods, to craft complete English sentences, thereby not completely sapping my will to live.
June 6, 2013
Over the course of the previous books in the series Pendergast has been led to believe that his wife Helen was killed by a lion and then died at the hands of a murderer. As this book opens we learn that neither of these is true and Helen is still very much alive. At their touching reunion in Central Park, where despite everything Pendergast wants to begin their life together again Helen is abducted. With his dream of a happy life together torn from before his very eyes Pendergast slips into a deep depression and opens his door to no one. The only thing that draws him back from the brink of suicide is a series of murders committed by someone Pendergast believes may be his brother (Presumed dead). Well, Aloysius is about to discover Helen left behind more than the mystery of where she has been for the past several years.
Mr. Preston and Mr. Child never disappoint with this series. Do you have to suspend belief a little bit, of course you do, otherwise it would not be a Pendergast novel. But the roller coaster this book rides makes it worthwhile. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the Constance Green story was featured a little more prominently. Personally, I wouldn’t mind if the authors added a book to the series where her story is the main one.
Mr. Preston and Mr. Child never disappoint with this series. Do you have to suspend belief a little bit, of course you do, otherwise it would not be a Pendergast novel. But the roller coaster this book rides makes it worthwhile. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the Constance Green story was featured a little more prominently. Personally, I wouldn’t mind if the authors added a book to the series where her story is the main one.
December 26, 2012
A 2012 Most Memorable Book Selection
Latest in the series featuring FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. I absolutely love this character. He’s the human equivalent of the honey badger, he just doesn’t give a s**t, and nobody and nothing stands in his way. I find the series especially appealing because of its rich character development and how the authors weave supernatural elements into their story in a manner that allows me to suspend my disbelief. NOTE: Two Graves will not work for you as a stand-alone novel. You need to read “Fever Dream� first and then “Cold Vengeance.� Two Graves is the last book in the trilogy.
Latest in the series featuring FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. I absolutely love this character. He’s the human equivalent of the honey badger, he just doesn’t give a s**t, and nobody and nothing stands in his way. I find the series especially appealing because of its rich character development and how the authors weave supernatural elements into their story in a manner that allows me to suspend my disbelief. NOTE: Two Graves will not work for you as a stand-alone novel. You need to read “Fever Dream� first and then “Cold Vengeance.� Two Graves is the last book in the trilogy.
March 15, 2017
what i ride;
i didn't think these guys could pull off a fourth reich stunt but they did;
stieg heil!
i didn't think these guys could pull off a fourth reich stunt but they did;
stieg heil!
August 21, 2023
I found this to be a satisfying ending to the Helen ‘trilogy� (and no - I don’t mean me reading Troy by Stephen Fry, Ilium by Dan Simmons, and this book so close together 😜 ). Two Graves further answered many of my questions that perplexed me in Fever Dream. In that one it seemed like an awful crazy way to do a cover-up. In the follow-up 'Cold Vengeance' it made a little more sense, but again still left several questions. This time around they answered even more
It's really hard to write a review on this without spoiler tagging nearly everything. I will be taking advantage of that feature a lot below. The new villain � Alban was an interesting foe � and quite unexpected really.
Given that this is the 'Helen Trilogy'
I recently read The Lost City of the Monkey God review by Douglas Preston. As I was reading the jungle parts of Two Graves I was thinking to myself that perhaps Preston had been inspired by some of his true experiences while researching 'Monkey God'. Checking the dates his first trip into the jungle had been 2012... so it kind of lines up. I enjoyed the parts in the jungle on this one.
I thought given the end of the last book � that Corrie Swanson was going to play a bigger role. I was a bit disappointed in that she seemed to be relegated to a Scooby-Doo like side quest. . The car dealership made me think of my late father. After he retired from the military he sold cars for years... because he liked to B.S. with people and he didn't take it too seriously. He always told me that �Car Salesman on the social ladder are one step higher than pimps � maybe...� That's kind of how they are portrayed here. 😜
Another side story that was a little more interesting, but still Scooby Doo like... was Dr Felder's. It kind of reminded me how they wrote side-quests for Smithback. My biggest complaint there wasn't so much the writing... but the fact that every time I got to one of those chapters I got 'Heavy Metal' by Don Felder stuck in my head... but I'm weird that way.
The action sequences were very well done and the book got off to a crazy start. Of course, with most Pendergast stories you have to suspend belief a lot, but that's part of the fun. The lepidoperist bit was humorous (as are all AXLPs disguises � very Sherlock Holmes inspired for sure).
I did find the science aspects interesting � although quite far fetched. P&C like to push the envelope though and I like it when they do. Also, it wasn't like I planned it this way.. but 2 of my last 5 books have involved Nazis.
One thing that struck me as funny were two separate references to 'The Addams Family� by two different characters , for different reasons, and hundreds of pages apart. I wonder if Preston thought he would toss in a pop culture reference...and Child did the same � and they didn't notice when comparing notes and on the final edit. It wasn't like one of the movies was released that year or anything. I just catch silly things like this.
Having read the full trilogy I do like Cold Vengeance the best. This one falls as a close second despite the issues I mentioned above (the ones in the spoiler tags). So for me this was really 4 to 4.5 stars � closer to 4 though. I'm curious how the new developments here will figure into the Penderverse... I 'm still 10 books behind so there are lot's of opportunities for me to find out.
It's really hard to write a review on this without spoiler tagging nearly everything. I will be taking advantage of that feature a lot below. The new villain � Alban was an interesting foe � and quite unexpected really.
Given that this is the 'Helen Trilogy'
I recently read The Lost City of the Monkey God review by Douglas Preston. As I was reading the jungle parts of Two Graves I was thinking to myself that perhaps Preston had been inspired by some of his true experiences while researching 'Monkey God'. Checking the dates his first trip into the jungle had been 2012... so it kind of lines up. I enjoyed the parts in the jungle on this one.
I thought given the end of the last book � that Corrie Swanson was going to play a bigger role. I was a bit disappointed in that she seemed to be relegated to a Scooby-Doo like side quest. . The car dealership made me think of my late father. After he retired from the military he sold cars for years... because he liked to B.S. with people and he didn't take it too seriously. He always told me that �Car Salesman on the social ladder are one step higher than pimps � maybe...� That's kind of how they are portrayed here. 😜
Another side story that was a little more interesting, but still Scooby Doo like... was Dr Felder's. It kind of reminded me how they wrote side-quests for Smithback. My biggest complaint there wasn't so much the writing... but the fact that every time I got to one of those chapters I got 'Heavy Metal' by Don Felder stuck in my head... but I'm weird that way.
The action sequences were very well done and the book got off to a crazy start. Of course, with most Pendergast stories you have to suspend belief a lot, but that's part of the fun. The lepidoperist bit was humorous (as are all AXLPs disguises � very Sherlock Holmes inspired for sure).
I did find the science aspects interesting � although quite far fetched. P&C like to push the envelope though and I like it when they do. Also, it wasn't like I planned it this way.. but 2 of my last 5 books have involved Nazis.
One thing that struck me as funny were two separate references to 'The Addams Family� by two different characters , for different reasons, and hundreds of pages apart. I wonder if Preston thought he would toss in a pop culture reference...and Child did the same � and they didn't notice when comparing notes and on the final edit. It wasn't like one of the movies was released that year or anything. I just catch silly things like this.
Having read the full trilogy I do like Cold Vengeance the best. This one falls as a close second despite the issues I mentioned above (the ones in the spoiler tags). So for me this was really 4 to 4.5 stars � closer to 4 though. I'm curious how the new developments here will figure into the Penderverse... I 'm still 10 books behind so there are lot's of opportunities for me to find out.
December 16, 2012
As my second negative review this year for these two very talented authors this hurts, and as a Pendergast fan this hurts even more.
I first discovered this series with Still Life with Crows and upon finishing that novel I went and read the rest of the series and have pre-ordered every single novel in the series since then. I normally find Preston and Child's writing to be fantastic but recently I've found it lacking and that trend continues with this latest installment of the Pendergast series.
This novel picks up exactly where the previous one left off and us fans are treated right off the bat with a healthy dose of Pendergast being awesome. Things quickly deteriorate however as Pendergast survives a second encounter with the "bad guys" by sheer luck only to fail at saving his wife due to an ironic twist of fate. At this point the authors decided to show us how much Pendergast was grieving at the lost of his wife that he had already thought was dead by having him contemplate suicide. That was where it started to feel flaky to me. They channeled an emo Pendergast who contemplated suicide and talked about it, made it extremely obvious what his intentions were, etc. Then he was "saved" conveniently by the discovery that he has a son, and his son is a serial killer.
It all turns down a bizarre path involving Nazi experimentation, a game of cat and mouse between Pendergast and his Nazi/Serial Killer son and also 2 more or less pointless side stories involving characters from previous novels in the series that are in no way related to the main plot.
The story is filled with characters from previous novels in the series and yet none of them contribute in a meaningful way to the main story. It feels as though they're just tacked on for filler content. In the end this is just yet another Nazi story though this time featuring a depressed Agent Pendergast.
I think one of the most ridiculous moments in the story involved Pendergast thinking that his son might be psychic and noting that in his situation he must consider the impossible or something to that effect. This struck me as ridiculous because we're talking about a guy who is in the middle of a decades old Nazi conspiracy, who has battled sci-fi monsters in at least 3 books in the series, and now he finds the possibility that his son has psychic abilities to be impossible.
The whole thing wraps up with Pendergast channeling Batman and being unable to kill his Nazi Serial Killer son and letting him go free. This is immediately following Pendergast blowing up the entire Nazi fortress.
Hopefully Preston and Child can regroup and take the series back to it's roots in the next installment. When the next novel ends I want to contemplate the nature of the monster in the novel as I did with so many others in the series.
I first discovered this series with Still Life with Crows and upon finishing that novel I went and read the rest of the series and have pre-ordered every single novel in the series since then. I normally find Preston and Child's writing to be fantastic but recently I've found it lacking and that trend continues with this latest installment of the Pendergast series.
This novel picks up exactly where the previous one left off and us fans are treated right off the bat with a healthy dose of Pendergast being awesome. Things quickly deteriorate however as Pendergast survives a second encounter with the "bad guys" by sheer luck only to fail at saving his wife due to an ironic twist of fate. At this point the authors decided to show us how much Pendergast was grieving at the lost of his wife that he had already thought was dead by having him contemplate suicide. That was where it started to feel flaky to me. They channeled an emo Pendergast who contemplated suicide and talked about it, made it extremely obvious what his intentions were, etc. Then he was "saved" conveniently by the discovery that he has a son, and his son is a serial killer.
It all turns down a bizarre path involving Nazi experimentation, a game of cat and mouse between Pendergast and his Nazi/Serial Killer son and also 2 more or less pointless side stories involving characters from previous novels in the series that are in no way related to the main plot.
The story is filled with characters from previous novels in the series and yet none of them contribute in a meaningful way to the main story. It feels as though they're just tacked on for filler content. In the end this is just yet another Nazi story though this time featuring a depressed Agent Pendergast.
I think one of the most ridiculous moments in the story involved Pendergast thinking that his son might be psychic and noting that in his situation he must consider the impossible or something to that effect. This struck me as ridiculous because we're talking about a guy who is in the middle of a decades old Nazi conspiracy, who has battled sci-fi monsters in at least 3 books in the series, and now he finds the possibility that his son has psychic abilities to be impossible.
The whole thing wraps up with Pendergast channeling Batman and being unable to kill his Nazi Serial Killer son and letting him go free. This is immediately following Pendergast blowing up the entire Nazi fortress.
Hopefully Preston and Child can regroup and take the series back to it's roots in the next installment. When the next novel ends I want to contemplate the nature of the monster in the novel as I did with so many others in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2017
Yes. That's correct. It took me almost 1 year to complete this book. It doesn't speak to the quality of the book. It's an excellent read. It speaks to my having overdosed on Pendergast thrillers and their increasingly uncomfortable near destruction of my favorite FBI Special Agent. It's almost unbearable to watch as you begin to suspect that the authors seem intent on killing off one of your favorite fictional characters. But, then, one day, you read that said authors are writing a new book about him, and you realize, hey, I better get caught up, and you finish the prolonged ending of one book, and anticipate reading the next two books in the series, in order, before the new one comes out. Begin at the beginning of the series, but be warned. You will become addicted.
April 2, 2018
I'm reading this series somewhat backwards, so I am not fit to comment on too much that has happened. I felt that there were a few too many threads, but I also do not know the background of some of them - yet.
June 22, 2019
**AVISO**
=No leer si no se han leído los 11 libros anteriores de esta serie=
Una vez que empiezas con esta serie, se convierte en una verdadera adicción, lo más curioso es que me doy cuenta que si cada libro fuera independiente o si saco alguno de ellos del contexto de la serie jamás en la vida me los leería y muy seguramente no me gustarían, pero, la cosa es que por más estrafalaria que resulte cada historia, por más giros, muertes inesperadas, situaciones extrañas, cosas incluso que podrían perfectamente rayar en lo ridículo, no puedo evitar amar cada libro, emocionarme con cada muerte, sentir la adrenalina y la emoción con cada escena extraña, porque más que terminar siendo ridículas, terminan siendo vibrantes.
Este es el doceavo tomo de la serie y el tercero y último de la trilogía Helen, como parte general de la serie, me parece que va creciendo en intensidad que cada libro resulta mejor que el anterior y aun y cuando algunos de los 12 libros hasta el momento es mejor que otro, la historia en general ha ido en un ascenso imparable.
En cuanto a la trilogía, sin duda el mejor de los tres ha sido este y en este libro hay varias cosas que me han gustado y otras que no me han gustado, por un lado, hay que reconocer que mirandolo friamente es un culebrón del tamaño del mundo, es increíble que me sigan sorprendiendo con revelaciones que me dejan literalmente con la boca abierta y es que, bueno, eso de resucitar muertos, hacer aparecer seres extraños inexistentes, tener personajes con vidas prolongadas gracias a experimentos con humanos, un hermano que es asesino en serie, una persecución de muertos vivientes y muchas otras cosas más, casi no me puedo creer que me sigan sorprendiendo estos autores y que se sigan sacando cosas de la manga que, primero son de un culebrón de telenovela y segundo tan imposibles como increíbles y que ¡aun así me emocionan, me vibren y me encantan!.
Por otro lado, hasta el 70% del libro me ha parecido realmente una genialidad, entre la emoción de la aventura, el ir desvelando toda la parte del secreto de Helen, la persecución de los malos, la enorme revelación de los secretos de Pendergast, pero, ha llegado un punto en que se me hizo cuesta arriba, un punto donde he pensando inevitablemente en el “menos es más� y que creo que los autores se han pasado de este punto casi sin poder evitarlo, fue como ver estrellarse a un coche a alta velocidad en un muro, fue inevitable caer en lo exagerado y eso es lo único que me ha hecho fruncir la boca en el último tiro del libro.
Sin embargo, me quedo con lo bueno, sigo con esta serie porque es inevitable, porque es adictiva, porque me gusta mucho el estilo de estos dos autores, porque han creado un personaje fuera de serie, peculiar, raro, extravagante, lleno de secretos, místico, misterioso y atractivo y porque bueno, necesito saber que va a pasar con el gemelo malo.
=No leer si no se han leído los 11 libros anteriores de esta serie=
Una vez que empiezas con esta serie, se convierte en una verdadera adicción, lo más curioso es que me doy cuenta que si cada libro fuera independiente o si saco alguno de ellos del contexto de la serie jamás en la vida me los leería y muy seguramente no me gustarían, pero, la cosa es que por más estrafalaria que resulte cada historia, por más giros, muertes inesperadas, situaciones extrañas, cosas incluso que podrían perfectamente rayar en lo ridículo, no puedo evitar amar cada libro, emocionarme con cada muerte, sentir la adrenalina y la emoción con cada escena extraña, porque más que terminar siendo ridículas, terminan siendo vibrantes.
Este es el doceavo tomo de la serie y el tercero y último de la trilogía Helen, como parte general de la serie, me parece que va creciendo en intensidad que cada libro resulta mejor que el anterior y aun y cuando algunos de los 12 libros hasta el momento es mejor que otro, la historia en general ha ido en un ascenso imparable.
En cuanto a la trilogía, sin duda el mejor de los tres ha sido este y en este libro hay varias cosas que me han gustado y otras que no me han gustado, por un lado, hay que reconocer que mirandolo friamente es un culebrón del tamaño del mundo, es increíble que me sigan sorprendiendo con revelaciones que me dejan literalmente con la boca abierta y es que, bueno, eso de resucitar muertos, hacer aparecer seres extraños inexistentes, tener personajes con vidas prolongadas gracias a experimentos con humanos, un hermano que es asesino en serie, una persecución de muertos vivientes y muchas otras cosas más, casi no me puedo creer que me sigan sorprendiendo estos autores y que se sigan sacando cosas de la manga que, primero son de un culebrón de telenovela y segundo tan imposibles como increíbles y que ¡aun así me emocionan, me vibren y me encantan!.
Por otro lado, hasta el 70% del libro me ha parecido realmente una genialidad, entre la emoción de la aventura, el ir desvelando toda la parte del secreto de Helen, la persecución de los malos, la enorme revelación de los secretos de Pendergast, pero, ha llegado un punto en que se me hizo cuesta arriba, un punto donde he pensando inevitablemente en el “menos es más� y que creo que los autores se han pasado de este punto casi sin poder evitarlo, fue como ver estrellarse a un coche a alta velocidad en un muro, fue inevitable caer en lo exagerado y eso es lo único que me ha hecho fruncir la boca en el último tiro del libro.
Sin embargo, me quedo con lo bueno, sigo con esta serie porque es inevitable, porque es adictiva, porque me gusta mucho el estilo de estos dos autores, porque han creado un personaje fuera de serie, peculiar, raro, extravagante, lleno de secretos, místico, misterioso y atractivo y porque bueno, necesito saber que va a pasar con el gemelo malo.
January 6, 2019
This is book 12 in the Pendergast series which sees Agent Pendergast in another inescapable situation. The book brings together quite a lot of his regular characters, introduces at least one more and as well as a new villain.
There is quite a lot going on in this story, but the main plot concerns a Nazi group that appear to be involved with Pendergast's wife who reappeared in book 11, with him having believed her dead for over a decade.
It is fast paced, gruesome, terrifying and brings a new dimension to this complex central character.
There is quite a lot going on in this story, but the main plot concerns a Nazi group that appear to be involved with Pendergast's wife who reappeared in book 11, with him having believed her dead for over a decade.
It is fast paced, gruesome, terrifying and brings a new dimension to this complex central character.
January 8, 2017
I really enjoyed the book, but only because some let's say magically solved or escaped problems I am giving it 4 stars. Beside that, I really have liked the story.
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