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campmom03's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
wonder_kinder's review against another edition
5.0
i really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next. i thought it was nice to see the characters branch out a little and address some lingering personality quirks hinted at in previous parts of the series. i also enjoyed the new england history a great deal.
24loricl's review against another edition
1.0
I liked the first half of the book but then it changed into a completely different story. I had to check to make sure my nook hadn't taken me to a different book. It didn't just feel like two different stories to me but like two different genres. I just wanted to get through it.
queenholly's review against another edition
2.0
This book has me re-evaluating my relationship with Pendergast. People need to grow and change, and sometimes there comes a point in a relationship where you have to decide if it's time to move on. The longer I know Pendergast, the more he gets on my nerves. Traits I once found endearing, now make me roll my eyes and want to pull my hair. He's such a pompous, snobby ass. So many other reviewers have pretty much nailed my issues with this book, so I'll just skip the details and say it was a sloppy mashup of previous books, full of inconsistencies. 15 books in, I'll probably read the next one, but I suspect I'm going to outright hate Pendergast by the time it's over, and it could be a messy breakup.
queenholly's review against another edition
2.0
This book has me re-evaluating my relationship with Pendergast. People need to grow and change, and sometimes there comes a point in a relationship where you have to decide if it's time to move on. The longer I know Pendergast, the more he gets on my nerves. Traits I once found endearing, now make me roll my eyes and want to pull my hair. He's such a pompous, snobby ass. So many other reviewers have pretty much nailed my issues with this book, so I'll just skip the details and say it was a sloppy mashup of previous books, full of inconsistencies. 15 books in, I'll probably read the next one, but I suspect I'm going to outright hate Pendergast by the time it's over, and it could be a messy breakup.
lckrgr's review against another edition
4.0
Constance Greene is the queen of sass and I love her for it. Regardless of whatever the mystery was I would have give this four stars because I just loved Constance's attitude throughout.
tiffml's review against another edition
3.0
The first 75% of this book is a classic Pendergast story. A crime is committed, Pendergast shows up and does his thing. I really liked the various interactions he has with the townspeople. I felt the Constance Green angle and little forced, but I didn't hate it.
BUT the last quarter of the book seems like a completely different story. It didn't feel cohesive and seemed like an idea that was never fleshed out. The witch storyline felt tacked on in an attempt to beef up the fairly straightforward crime Pendergast was initially investigating.
Overall the book wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as other Pendergast stories. And the ending seems to be setting up for another battle with a familiar enemy...
BUT the last quarter of the book seems like a completely different story. It didn't feel cohesive and seemed like an idea that was never fleshed out. The witch storyline felt tacked on in an attempt to beef up the fairly straightforward crime Pendergast was initially investigating.
Overall the book wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as other Pendergast stories. And the ending seems to be setting up for another battle with a familiar enemy...
machadofam8's review against another edition
4.0
ARGH!!!!! I should have known how this one would end. Dagnabit! So, so good. Really fast paced and creepy - just perfect. Can't wait for the next one!
mxsallybend's review against another edition
3.0
The first two-thirds of Crimson Shore were absolutely fantastic – the very definition of a page-turner. The Poe-esque hidden burial chamber, they mystery of the lost shipwreck, the terror of the mud flats and salt marshes, the forgotten community of Salem witches, and the creepiness of small town America all combined to provide the perfect Agent Pendergast story. It had plenty of atmosphere, a legitimate mystery, some dark humor, and even a bit of awkward romance.
Fully healed and completely recovered from his last few adventures, Pendergast is once again the fascinatingly enigmatic man-in-black with whom we are most familiar. His eccentricities are on fully display, and his Holmesian knack for reading people is on point once again. While never quite infallible, the almost superhuman aspect of his character is back, both mentally and physically. At the same time, Constance Greene is quickly developing into a leading character in her own right. She’s been displaying more personality in each book, but here she really steps into an investigative arc of her own. Her total lack of social skills, combined with her almost psychotic rage, is a perfect contrast to Pendergast’s polish and perfection.
What’s more, Constance has the opportunity here to be part of two equally awkward romantic entanglements. The weird sort of crush that Sergeant Gavin has on her is perfectly understandable, even if it does go completely off the rails later on. Far more interesting, however, is her romantic tension with Pendergast, a scenario that manages to be both sad and amusing.
As for the final third of the book, it’s as awkward and forced as anything Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have ever written. It honestly feels as if they reached the climax, realized the story wasn’t long enough, and decided to tack on some supernatural adventure. What’s unfortunate is that it really could have worked, if only they’d made an effort to better integrate it with the rest of the plot. Yes, it's connected, and the false end of the original subplot is important to Constance's character, but the narrative link is tenuous, at best. As a standalone novella, I rather enjoyed it, but in the context of the rest of the story it felt tacked on, rushed, and (worst of all) artificially constructed to allow for another Pendergast-is-in-peril cliffhanger endings.
Maddeningly uneven, Crimson Shore is one of those books that I loved . . . and then hated . . . and then enjoyed somewhat ironically . . . and then just became exasperated with. I wish I could be as unreservedly enthusiastic about is as some advance readers, but it’s one structural edit away from being a truly solid Pendergast adventure.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Fully healed and completely recovered from his last few adventures, Pendergast is once again the fascinatingly enigmatic man-in-black with whom we are most familiar. His eccentricities are on fully display, and his Holmesian knack for reading people is on point once again. While never quite infallible, the almost superhuman aspect of his character is back, both mentally and physically. At the same time, Constance Greene is quickly developing into a leading character in her own right. She’s been displaying more personality in each book, but here she really steps into an investigative arc of her own. Her total lack of social skills, combined with her almost psychotic rage, is a perfect contrast to Pendergast’s polish and perfection.
What’s more, Constance has the opportunity here to be part of two equally awkward romantic entanglements. The weird sort of crush that Sergeant Gavin has on her is perfectly understandable, even if it does go completely off the rails later on. Far more interesting, however, is her romantic tension with Pendergast, a scenario that manages to be both sad and amusing.
As for the final third of the book, it’s as awkward and forced as anything Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have ever written. It honestly feels as if they reached the climax, realized the story wasn’t long enough, and decided to tack on some supernatural adventure. What’s unfortunate is that it really could have worked, if only they’d made an effort to better integrate it with the rest of the plot. Yes, it's connected, and the false end of the original subplot is important to Constance's character, but the narrative link is tenuous, at best. As a standalone novella, I rather enjoyed it, but in the context of the rest of the story it felt tacked on, rushed, and (worst of all) artificially constructed to allow for another Pendergast-is-in-peril cliffhanger endings.
Maddeningly uneven, Crimson Shore is one of those books that I loved . . . and then hated . . . and then enjoyed somewhat ironically . . . and then just became exasperated with. I wish I could be as unreservedly enthusiastic about is as some advance readers, but it’s one structural edit away from being a truly solid Pendergast adventure.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration.This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my honest review.
ladyheroj's review against another edition
3.0
I have found a cycle to my enjoyment of the Pendergast series. There will be some duds, usually just one but sometimes two in a row that will make me think "well, it can't go on forever," but then the authors will come up with a fascinating story arc that sucks me right back in. For example, loved the last one! This one, not so much.
The character of Pendergast works best when teamed up with his total opposite (so a normal person), like D'Agosta. God, I miss him! After the Botanic Gardens, I was excited to read more from Constance's POV. Yet the pairing of her and Pendergast, with no relief from their disdain for modern life, became grating. Yes, Constance, you need to stop wearing floor-length lace dresses when you're trying to be incognito. And in what world does an FBI agent not know what Google is? And, vague spoilers, a certain dynamic of their partnership towards the end is just...strange.
There was also a lot of telling. Constance would come back from investigating, and Pendergast will just be like "here's what I found out off-page." Huge leaps will be made from the tiniest of clues, all for the sake of speeding up the story. Which stinks, because the set-up was fairly interesting and almost felt like a return to form of the first couple Pendergast novels. But it felt like the whole novel was just the means to a end.
AND WHAT AN ENDING. Seems like Preston & Child have decided to stop teasing us! So the cycle is about to start anew with the next one, which I am anticipating loving.
The character of Pendergast works best when teamed up with his total opposite (so a normal person), like D'Agosta. God, I miss him! After the Botanic Gardens, I was excited to read more from Constance's POV. Yet the pairing of her and Pendergast, with no relief from their disdain for modern life, became grating. Yes, Constance, you need to stop wearing floor-length lace dresses when you're trying to be incognito. And in what world does an FBI agent not know what Google is? And, vague spoilers, a certain dynamic of their partnership towards the end is just...strange.
There was also a lot of telling. Constance would come back from investigating, and Pendergast will just be like "here's what I found out off-page." Huge leaps will be made from the tiniest of clues, all for the sake of speeding up the story. Which stinks, because the set-up was fairly interesting and almost felt like a return to form of the first couple Pendergast novels. But it felt like the whole novel was just the means to a end.
AND WHAT AN ENDING. Seems like Preston & Child have decided to stop teasing us! So the cycle is about to start anew with the next one, which I am anticipating loving.