The Dance of Death (Paperback)

I had been waiting for this book for a long time after reading all the previous titles in the series, and I wasn't disappointed. It is the only book I have ever read in a single day - my desperation to see what happened next ensured I raced through it. Truly, Pendergast has never faced such a powerful adversary. A good book in it's own right, I feel it would be best appreciated if you have read the previous novels from which it directly follows, beginning with Relic, Reliquary, Cabinet of Curiosities, Still Life With Crows, and Brimstone. I was pleased to encounter a number of familiar faces, some of who had significant roles in other Preston/Child novels, namely: The Ice Limit and Mount Dragon.

An excellent and recommended read, every bit as good as the previous novels, with the exception of Still Life With Crows, which was a masterpiece. Muh

Following on directly from the events of their previous book, Brimstone, Dance of Death finally introduces a character referred to in past novels, Pendergast's diabolical younger brother Diogenes. Regular Preston & Child readers will know that Diogenes, the yang to Pendergast's ying, has pledged to pull off a perfect and terrible crime and faked his death years earlier in order to be free to prepare for it. In Dance of Death he finally brings his plans to fruition.

The problem is that when finally revealed both Diogenes & his fiendish plot are little more than damp squibs. It could be argued that, after so much anticipation, both character and crime would have been hard pressed to meet readers' expectations, a situation that cannot be blamed on the authors. It is undeniable however, that in the character of Diogenes Preston & Child have come up with one of their weakest villains yet, despite having so much time to work on both him and his machinations.

Described as a perfect criminal mind, without any sense of morality or mercy and with a predeliction for torture, Diogenes should be the stuff of nightmares. Instead he comes across as nothing more than a spoilt child and despite his much touted intelligence he makes several basic errors that endanger a plot he has supposedly taken decades to plan. A plot, it should be said, that is hardly as dastardly as expected, although it does threaten some much loved characters from previous books, placing them in real jeopardy at times.

With Diogenes providing such a weak core to the story however, the whole book is undermined and no amount of tense set-pieces or sense of iminent danger can rescue it. Not even the reintroduction of hitherto unrelated characters from other novels such as the engmatic Eli Glinn from The Ice Limit can resucitate what for two such talented authors is a weak effort at best. To cap it all they even contrive to end the story on yet another open ended note, obliging readers to obtain the inevitable follow-up in order to discover what happens.

The three stars awarded reflect the fact that, even when coasting as they appear to be with Dance of Death, Preston & Child are still able to create thrillers that are far more entertaining and original than most. It must be hoped however, that for their next effort they try a little harder and rely less readers' obvious affection for the characters they have created.

I did have one major grumble though hence only 4 stars. So I couldn't put this down and read it through only to find that while it is not "to be continued" it is certainly not the end of the story and there is still a lot to clear up. The next book is not publlished yet so I have an agonising wait.

This book is a must read, but maybe wait until "Book of the Dead" is out so you don't have to suffer not knowing what happens!! :)