Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Warner Books (2005), Edition: Reprint, 752 pages
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: A body is found in the attic of a fabulous Long Island estate. There is a claw print scorched into the wall, and the stench of sulfur chokes the air. When FBI Special Agent Pendergast investigates the gruesome crime, he discovers that thirty years ago four men conjured something unspeakable. Has the devil come to claim his due? Some things can't be undone..
Media reviews
Lecturalia
De nuevo el talento del tándem Preston-Child se conjuga para ofrecernos una excelente mezcla de terror, investigación policial y aventuras, en esta ocasión aderezada con toques de novela gótica. Nuestro viejo conocido, el inspector Pendergast, se tendrá que enfrentar a una serie de asesinatos
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de tintes diabólicos. La investigación lo conducirá hasta una extravagante familia italiana, propietaria de un violín de una valor incalculable. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member eduscapes
Once again Preston and Child have written an exciting suspense. With much of the book set in Italy, this novel reminded me of the books by Dan Brown. What I particularly enjoy about the books starring Agent Pendergast is the hint of supernatural and unknown that's woven into the otherwise
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traditional mystery. Extremely well-written, these novels are about the only mysteries that I'm willing to read because they keep me thinking from beginning to end. Show Less
LibraryThing member israfel13
This is the book that starts the unofficial "Pendergast Trilogy" and was everything I'd have come to expect from two truly entertaining and talented authors.
LibraryThing member bookwormteri
People's souls are being claimed by Satan...or is there something else involved? Will keep you guessing til the end.
LibraryThing member bellalibrarian
As usual, Preston and Child never fail to completely terrify me. This series is amazing; I wish it would never end. The plot is full of twists and turns that you just do not see coming!
LibraryThing member jmcclain19
Brimstone is my first foray into the world of Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. It's quite the whirlwind of a book, full of thrilling twists & turns, filled with history and a touch of the paranormal, and it features two sleuths with a flair for the dramatic. FBI Agent Pendergast is really unlike
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any other major crime solver I've ever read, even bordering a tad on the unbelievable, with Officer D'Agosta providing a willing foil to Pengergast's brilliance. The story contains a huge mix of contrasts with regard to the story line - defense contractors with espionage tendencies, a serial murderer, the modern day rise of the devil in modern society and the search for the world's greatest violin. But Preston & Child manage to weave all that together quite seamlessly. As a whole, Brimstone was entertaining & enlightening - and I look forward to moving on to future novels about Pendergast & D'Agosta. Show Less
LibraryThing member Grandeplease
Fire features prominently in this "who done it?" that features police officers Laura Hayward and Vincent D'Agosta and FBI Special Agent Pendergast. At times that suspense carries the plot and at other times it is the detail. Preston Child fans are accustomed to thoroughly researched storylines and
I enjoyed this book immensely and if you occasionally buy books in hardback rather than wait for the paperback edition, this is one that is worth the expense.
In the "how I would improve this book" category is the elimination of the annoying habit of the authors to incorporate a unique or particularly effective visual word on multiple occasions in close proximity. In this book the word is "cadaverousness" on page 32 and "cadaverous" on page 40. Editors, please do your job!
I noticed at least one reviewer was critical of some of the chases in the book opining their inclusion was merely a pretext for the movie. I would enjoy a movie with the chases and they certainly did not lessen my enjoying the book. The story does end with a loose end or two. They will undoubtedly be tied in a subsequent tale, which is one of the inherent problems of reoccurring characters - their immorality. It is too painful to kill the franchise.
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this book does not disappoint.I enjoyed this book immensely and if you occasionally buy books in hardback rather than wait for the paperback edition, this is one that is worth the expense.
In the "how I would improve this book" category is the elimination of the annoying habit of the authors to incorporate a unique or particularly effective visual word on multiple occasions in close proximity. In this book the word is "cadaverousness" on page 32 and "cadaverous" on page 40. Editors, please do your job!
I noticed at least one reviewer was critical of some of the chases in the book opining their inclusion was merely a pretext for the movie. I would enjoy a movie with the chases and they certainly did not lessen my enjoying the book. The story does end with a loose end or two. They will undoubtedly be tied in a subsequent tale, which is one of the inherent problems of reoccurring characters - their immorality. It is too painful to kill the franchise.
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LibraryThing member RogueBelle
A worthy entry into the Pendergast series, but far from the best of them. Billing this as the first of the Diogenes trilogy is a bit of a stretch, as Diogenes never appears and is only obliquely and briefly referred to. A single incident sets up the next book, Dance with Death, but other than that,
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this book is fairly self-contained. A perk for me was getting to spend more time with D'Agosta -- Brimstone cuts down on its cast of primary characters, so unlike some of the earlier novels, there aren't quite as many viewpoints on the story, which is both good and bad. I appreciated D'Agosta's heightened importance, but I missed Bill. Brimstone is also at times more of a straight whodunnit mystery than the other novels, though it retains Preston and Child's wonderful thriller blend. Show Less
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
Good mix of supernatural/thriller/mystery elements. Very enjoyable, especially the working relationship between Agent Pendergrast and Officer D’Agosta. Look forward to the next book.
LibraryThing member justagirlwithabook
Another great read in the Pendergast series. While some of these books aren't always a 5-star read, they're still incredibly enjoyable and I always find myself looking to grab the next one of the series at Barnes & Noble when it gets released each year. Hats off to Pendergast and all of his
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investigations. Show Less
LibraryThing member dailyplanit
Eminently dislikable art critic Jeremy Grove is found dead under most unusual circumstances. The scene seems to indicate that the devil had come to claim his soul. Enter Pendergast, arguably the most interesting detective since Sherlock Holmes, a present day FBI agent who is attracted to unique
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cases. More strange deaths occur with eerie similarities, but things are never what they seem, and Agent Pendergast never fails to discover the truth and thwart evil. Show Less
LibraryThing member ken1952
Just finished this fifth Pendergast novel and ready to run over to the library for the sixth. I'm really enjoying these books and I feel myself fortunate that I can read one after another instead of having to wait until the next one is published. Oh, there will come a time when I'll have to wait,
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but until then let Agent Pendergast continue to excite and entertain. Show Less
LibraryThing member tiddleyboom
Well, dummy me, I didn't realize that The Book of the Dead was the first of this 'trilogy', which is not a big deal as they each work well as stand alones. The only issue is that I kind of found out a few spoilers, but still Brimstone was another unputdownable book for me. Good action, unusal
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characters...really unusal. Show Less
LibraryThing member WillyMammoth
Brimstone is the first book in Preston & Child's Pendergast trilogy. Thrown into the mix are multiple characters from earlier novels including Special Agent Pendergast, Vincent D'Agosta, and Laura Hayward. And while the plot might seem like a hodge-podge of varying themes, P&C do a great job
Sound confusing? If you ever read the book, it won't be. As I've said in other reviews, Preston and Child are great storytellers, so it should come as no surprise that they manage to pull it off. This thriller is an good page-turner with easy to digest dialogue, action, and imagery. The characters aren't especially innovative, but they're dynamic. The authors manage to give their characters a layer of complexity that keeps them interesting but keep them somehow familiar.
One of the things I appreciated the most about the novel was the attention to detail when it came to art and history, especially that of Italy. It seems something of an info dump at times, but as it's a subject I'm interested in, I didn't mind. I also had to laugh at how P&C worked tributes to their favorite classics into the novel. There's the nod to Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" at the cliffhanger ending, but even more than that, their main villain is not only modeled after, but bears the same name as one of the villains of "The Woman in White." Some people might be annoyed that they couldn't come up with an original character, but I, for one, appreciated that little bit of classic literary fanfiction.
I did feel like Pendergast's romantic interest was sort of haphazardly thrown in there, a segue into the next novel in the series. In the past P&C novels, Pendergast didn't seem to possess a penis at all, and suddenly he becomes interested a tangental female character. It was kind of out of the blue, if you ask me. I also dislike the perfection of the Pendergast character, but since I've gone into that in other reviews, I'll spare you. The only other gripes concern the villains in the novel. The diabolical device Count Fosco uses to perpetrate his dabolical plan is a bit too diabolically chinchy for my tastes, too pulpy for the tone of the rest of the novel. I like pulp, but only when it fits with the work as a whole. The injection of Pendergast's evil brother and nemesis into the story is equally pulpy (and reminiscent of a Doc Savage tale or two), but I can forgive them that. Overall it's just a good story, and that's what really matters.
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pulling them all together. The story starts off with a grisly death in the Hamptoms, seemingly from spontaneous combustion. It progresses from there to New York City and then to Italy, with more spontaneous combustion deaths, deals with the devil, car chases, Italian nobility, doomsday cults, evil corporations, two romances, and the hunt for a long lost Stradivarius violin. Sound confusing? If you ever read the book, it won't be. As I've said in other reviews, Preston and Child are great storytellers, so it should come as no surprise that they manage to pull it off. This thriller is an good page-turner with easy to digest dialogue, action, and imagery. The characters aren't especially innovative, but they're dynamic. The authors manage to give their characters a layer of complexity that keeps them interesting but keep them somehow familiar.
One of the things I appreciated the most about the novel was the attention to detail when it came to art and history, especially that of Italy. It seems something of an info dump at times, but as it's a subject I'm interested in, I didn't mind. I also had to laugh at how P&C worked tributes to their favorite classics into the novel. There's the nod to Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" at the cliffhanger ending, but even more than that, their main villain is not only modeled after, but bears the same name as one of the villains of "The Woman in White." Some people might be annoyed that they couldn't come up with an original character, but I, for one, appreciated that little bit of classic literary fanfiction.
I did feel like Pendergast's romantic interest was sort of haphazardly thrown in there, a segue into the next novel in the series. In the past P&C novels, Pendergast didn't seem to possess a penis at all, and suddenly he becomes interested a tangental female character. It was kind of out of the blue, if you ask me. I also dislike the perfection of the Pendergast character, but since I've gone into that in other reviews, I'll spare you. The only other gripes concern the villains in the novel. The diabolical device Count Fosco uses to perpetrate his dabolical plan is a bit too diabolically chinchy for my tastes, too pulpy for the tone of the rest of the novel. I like pulp, but only when it fits with the work as a whole. The injection of Pendergast's evil brother and nemesis into the story is equally pulpy (and reminiscent of a Doc Savage tale or two), but I can forgive them that. Overall it's just a good story, and that's what really matters.
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LibraryThing member candlemark
Another one hit out of the park by Preston & Child. I can't help it; I have a soft spot for modern interpretations of Sherlock Holmes, and these guys do it best. Pendergast and D'Agosta are fantastic characters, although D'Agosta could use some more depth, and the mysteries never fail to intrigue
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and excite. Brimstone has moved away from the truly supernatural aspects that marked the series when it started, into high-tech explanations for seemingly supernatural events, but that's okay...it works better with the Sherlockian feel, honestly.I'm going to have to go track down the rest of the Pendergast books now. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjscott
Constance Green Introduced but not Explained, Pendergast off his game, D'agosta meets Laura Hayward, preacher subplot superfluous,
LibraryThing member jewelryladypam
LOVED Cabinet of Curiosities but I was not that impressed with this one. It dragged a bit although it had some interesting twists.
LibraryThing member Meredy
More than a whiff of the infernal realm infuses this series-within-a series, fifth in the Special Agent Pendergast series and the first of the "Diogenes trilogy," in which the chief antagonist is Pendergast's malevolent, hate-driven brother Diogenes. In fact, "the gates of hell" might serve as the
You don't have to be superstitious to think something supernatural could be afoot when a corpse is found horribly burned from the inside out, with what looks for all the world like a hoofprint scorched into the floor nearby. Here, Special Agent Pendergast teams with former NYPD lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta to track down a brilliantly calculating killer who is driven to recover an ancient family treasure at any cost.
Details of setting, history, and lore add a dimension to this gripping tale, lifting it out of the class of mere page-turner and meriting the extra half-star for a rating within the mystery-thriller genre.
Rating: 3½ stars, and 4 within the genre.
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theme of the trilogy, beginning with the seemingly inexplicable diabolical elements of a series of gruesome deaths.You don't have to be superstitious to think something supernatural could be afoot when a corpse is found horribly burned from the inside out, with what looks for all the world like a hoofprint scorched into the floor nearby. Here, Special Agent Pendergast teams with former NYPD lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta to track down a brilliantly calculating killer who is driven to recover an ancient family treasure at any cost.
Details of setting, history, and lore add a dimension to this gripping tale, lifting it out of the class of mere page-turner and meriting the extra half-star for a rating within the mystery-thriller genre.
Rating: 3½ stars, and 4 within the genre.
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LibraryThing member drewsof
This easily would've been a five star review, maybe even higher, had it not been for the unnecessary padding of Laura Hayward's storyline. The rest of the novel is deeply rooted in the occult, in horror stories, in classic mysteries and adventures, and it reads like a modern classic - but the novel
More TK at RB:
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sinks a bit in those wheel-spinning, "oh that's really it?" scenes. That said, it ends on a terrific cliffhanger and I've come to count not just Pendergast but D'Agosta as well as characters who I'm privileged to spend time with - I've already delved into the next book because, well, why wait?More TK at RB:
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LibraryThing member catsinstacks
Another fantastic Pendergast book. Wow...what an ending!
LibraryThing member monica67
Pendergast is my new favorite detective! It would have seemed this modern-day Holmes faced his ultimate challenge in Brimstone but for the great teaser for the next story. Pendergast's ever-cool demeanor and eccentric ways have captured my interest. I liked seeing Pendergast and D’Agosta share
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the limelight pretty equally this time, with intriguing insights into both characters. The villain was a fascinating creation. Be sure to read the authors’ note at the end regarding him. The secondary villain that served to annoy Sgt. Hayward seemed a bit extraneous (and long-winded). But the story and the suspense soon got back on track every time. I admit I didn’t see the final resolution to the mystery coming (not before Pendergast, at least), and that was refreshing. Overall an exciting and enjoyable installment in the Pendergast series. And a note on the audiobook, which I listened to: Scott Brick has been great in the Pendergast series, and in Brimstone his Italian was fairly good. (It can ruin an audiobook experience to have a narrator mangle a language!) It was quite fun to see D'Agosta's discovery about his language skills! Show Less
LibraryThing member Snukes
I have to confess, I listened to this book on audio and wasn't always paying close attention. That happens sometimes, especially when I already know the premise and characters of a book. Because of that, most likely, the plot felt a little disjointed. These murders were really all about an old
And since I read the third book in this trilogy first (oops), I had hoped to see more of Diogenes, but what we got was satisfying in its own way. Whatever, moving happily on to the next book. :)
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violin? Which appeared kind of coincidentally in the hands of Bad Guy A and which acquisition was, coincidentally, the hearts-desire of Bad Guy B who, coincidentally, had done something with Bad Guy A to set up all the murders nearly 30 years ago? Anyway - a bit of a stretch.And since I read the third book in this trilogy first (oops), I had hoped to see more of Diogenes, but what we got was satisfying in its own way. Whatever, moving happily on to the next book. :)
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LibraryThing member burnit99
I'm quite enjoying this duo's suspense novels featuring FBI Special Agent Pendergast, even though my reading of the books is pretty scattered as I pick them up at used bookstores. When I've found them all, I may have to pick a quiet summer and re-read them from the beginning. This one features a
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gruesome killing that seems straight out of medieval days, a spontaneous combustion with features that suggest a pact with the devil. Pendergast, police officers Vincent D'Agosta and Laura Hayward search for an explanation, but as similar murders occur, it becomes apparent that they are linked by an unholy pact made thirty years ago by the victims. Another well-written book by this pair, with a whodunit twist that took me completely off guard. Show Less
LibraryThing member csweder
Each installment of the adventures of Pendergast and company make me more and more excited to read the next. In this novel, we have a twist on the locked-room mystery. Two men have died, in locked bedrooms, by being what appears to be burned/cooked from the inside out.
Pendergast is back on the
A great read!
Pendergast is back on the
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case with his old partner D'Agosta and Haywood. The case takes them to Florence, Italy and is filled with secret societies, lies, money, and infamy. A great read!
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LibraryThing member dchamp
Too long. Too unbelievable. Characters I didn't care about. Won't do another Pentergast novel, although I have liked some of them in the past. Waste of time.
LibraryThing member tovenaar
Wonderful in the latest series of Agent Pendergast. A page turner for me. Contiuation of the quirky and wonderful characters created by Child and Preston in their ongoing series.
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Science Fiction — 2005)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2004
Physical description
6.75 inches
ISBN
0446612758 / 9780446612753