Scan barcode
drireneadler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kiminindy's review against another edition
5.0
Always love these Agent Pendergast novels. There is a serial killer loose in NYC who is cutting off people's heads. Always a nice twist.
posies23's review against another edition
5.0
Another enjoyable entry in the long-running series. This one is much more a stand-alone than many of the previous novels, which is nice. Not that there aren't some of the usual ongoing plot elements, because there are, but it's nice to have a "done in one" every once in awhile.
gatun's review against another edition
4.0
Review coming soonCity of Endless Night
by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Grand Central Publishing
General Fiction (Adult)
Pub Date 16 Jan 2018
Courtesy Netgalley
I first met Agent Pendergast when I read Relic, the first book in the series. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child wrote books that I could not wait to get my hands on. I read the first eleven books as soon as I could get my hands on them. The next six books came and went without me getting to them for a variety of reasons. That being said, when City of Endless Night was offered by Netgalley, I choose to read it. Being the eighteenth book in the series, I hoped that the six books I had missed would not be an issue.
The characters I last saw seven book ago were familiar and I comfortably connected with them again. I did find I had missed some important plot developments and will make time to go back and read those six book. It did not derail my enjoyment of City of Endless Night. Like all the Pendergast books, this is a thriller. It has a mystery at its core but also high levels of suspense.
Back in New York, where many of the books are set, a murder occurs that interest Agent Pendergast. A billionaire’s estranged daughter is brutally murdered and her head is missing. Lieutenant D’Agosta is ambivalent about working with Pendergast who seems off his game, possibly due to personal losses. Then another murder happens, another seemingly impossible crime and the head is missing. As the headless bodies pile up, Pendergast and D’Agosta work individually and inefficiently to solve the crimes. Then it all comes together in an active, tense conclusion.
City of Endless Night was not my favorite book in the series but it also was not my least favorite. The first four books are my absolute favorites. I do not know that I could recommend jumping into the series with this book. If possible I would start at the beginning or at least at book three. Fans of the series will not be disappointed.
by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Grand Central Publishing
General Fiction (Adult)
Pub Date 16 Jan 2018
Courtesy Netgalley
I first met Agent Pendergast when I read Relic, the first book in the series. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child wrote books that I could not wait to get my hands on. I read the first eleven books as soon as I could get my hands on them. The next six books came and went without me getting to them for a variety of reasons. That being said, when City of Endless Night was offered by Netgalley, I choose to read it. Being the eighteenth book in the series, I hoped that the six books I had missed would not be an issue.
The characters I last saw seven book ago were familiar and I comfortably connected with them again. I did find I had missed some important plot developments and will make time to go back and read those six book. It did not derail my enjoyment of City of Endless Night. Like all the Pendergast books, this is a thriller. It has a mystery at its core but also high levels of suspense.
Back in New York, where many of the books are set, a murder occurs that interest Agent Pendergast. A billionaire’s estranged daughter is brutally murdered and her head is missing. Lieutenant D’Agosta is ambivalent about working with Pendergast who seems off his game, possibly due to personal losses. Then another murder happens, another seemingly impossible crime and the head is missing. As the headless bodies pile up, Pendergast and D’Agosta work individually and inefficiently to solve the crimes. Then it all comes together in an active, tense conclusion.
City of Endless Night was not my favorite book in the series but it also was not my least favorite. The first four books are my absolute favorites. I do not know that I could recommend jumping into the series with this book. If possible I would start at the beginning or at least at book three. Fans of the series will not be disappointed.
quietlyrewritingmylife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
vorpalblad's review against another edition
4.0
Another terrific entry in the Pendergast novels. Here Pendergast and D'Agosta take center stage tracking a killer, who leaves his victims with nothing above the shoulders.
With the single thread narrative Preston and Child devote quite a bit of the story to an ex-Jesuit. While an interesting tangent to the main story, it isn't really necessary and ends somewhat flat. If they're making any sort of statement about our country's current state, it was best expressed by Pendergast himself when he says that it is the job of all people of good intention to "make sure we wealthy are not allowed to use our money as a tool of oppression and subversion of democracy."
No matter your political bent, if you love a good thriller, you won't be disappointed to spend some time in the City of Endless Night.
With the single thread narrative Preston and Child devote quite a bit of the story to an ex-Jesuit. While an interesting tangent to the main story, it isn't really necessary and ends somewhat flat. If they're making any sort of statement about our country's current state, it was best expressed by Pendergast himself when he says that it is the job of all people of good intention to "make sure we wealthy are not allowed to use our money as a tool of oppression and subversion of democracy."
No matter your political bent, if you love a good thriller, you won't be disappointed to spend some time in the City of Endless Night.
johnbreeden's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
We seem to have come full circle. We're back in New York, with D'Agosta, in pursuit of a serial killer. In this novel, Pendergast is put on the case of an heiress whose body has been found, sans head. The case, lead by NYPD detective D'Agosta, is a punishment for the events of the last novel, The Obsidian Chamber. What evolves from this case, however, is a life-or-death chase of a seemingly vigilante killer, the Decapitator.
The only real complaint I have is that we do not have first-hand experience of what happens after Pendergast flips the chase at the end of the book. It isn't a major issue, but it felt ever-so-slightly anti-climactic. Of course, we also aren't given the "moments of death" of the victims either, which I'm very okay with. I just felt it was a bit of a miss to not include the murder's reaction of Pendergast's psychological attack.
All told, this was a fun novel and has led me to go straight into the next in the series instead of skipping genres as I usually do.
We seem to have come full circle. We're back in New York, with D'Agosta, in pursuit of a serial killer. In this novel, Pendergast is put on the case of an heiress whose body has been found, sans head. The case, lead by NYPD detective D'Agosta, is a punishment for the events of the last novel, The Obsidian Chamber. What evolves from this case, however, is a life-or-death chase of a seemingly vigilante killer, the Decapitator.
Spoiler
We are back to Pendergast as a true detective and serial killer expert. What this book doesn't have, however, is the near supernatural element. Other than the killer's ability to get into places that should be impossible, murders which we get to witness both from a victim's and the killer's perspective, the events are a little less on the thriller side. The book is a good read - and a reflection of the Pendergast of the earlier novels.The only real complaint I have is that we do not have first-hand experience of what happens after Pendergast flips the chase at the end of the book. It isn't a major issue, but it felt ever-so-slightly anti-climactic. Of course, we also aren't given the "moments of death" of the victims either, which I'm very okay with. I just felt it was a bit of a miss to not include the murder's reaction of Pendergast's psychological attack.
All told, this was a fun novel and has led me to go straight into the next in the series instead of skipping genres as I usually do.
spestories's review against another edition
5.0
As usual, Pendergast rocks and the twist is amazing.
bigfatfruitsalad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
wonder_kinder's review against another edition
5.0
Another fun chapter in the Pendergast story. plot was fun, as usual, and very well paced. I always enjoy the deadpan affect of Aloysius Pendergast played off of the other characters. I highly recommend this if you like crime thrillers. Those novel does not require the reading of the first 16 books in the series.