Pulp-thrillers of Preston & Child

Techno-thriller authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have put out several works together and separately. Most of their works together have a certain, interesting character: FBI Special Agent Pendergast.

It is these stories we will be looking at in this post. Mainly because Ron Fortier calls Pendergast a “modern Shadow,” and I kind of agree. I’ve been enjoying the series for the past few years.

The following works are in the “Pendergast” series:

• “Relic” (1995)
• “Reliquary” (1997)
• “The Cabinet of Curiosities” (2002)
• “Still Life with Crows” (2003)
• “Brimstone” (2004), first in the Diogenes Trilogy
• “Dance of Death” (2005)
• “The Book of the Dead” (2006)
• “The Wheel of Darkness” (2007)
• “Cemetery Dance” (2009)
• “Fever Dream” (2010), first in the Helen Trilogy
• “Cold Vengeance” (2011)
• “Two Graves” (2012)
• “White Fire” (2013), not yet published

In addition to these, they have a new hero, Gideon Crew, which I’ll cover in a future posting. They have also written several stand-alone works that tie with the Pendergast novels (they are set in the same “universe”) that should be noted:

• “Mount Dragon” (1996)
• “Riptide” (1998)
• “Thunderhead” (1999)
• “The Ice Limit” (2000)

So, who is Agent Pendergast? His full name is Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergast. Over the course of the books we learn more about him. He is independently wealthy, and his salary at the FBI is an annual honorarium of $1. He maintains an apartment in the Dakota building in New York, but we learn he also has a plantation house near New Orleans, and later inherits a mansion in Harlem.

He drives a Rolls Royce, and has at least two (one he keeps in New Orleans, the other in New York). He is from an old and rich family from New Orleans, one touched by madness. But the family has dwindled, so he probably has inherited more and more wealth. He visits a great aunt who is locked up in an insane asylum near New York for poisoning her family! We later learn he was married, and the matter of his wife’s death is dealt with in the Helen Trilogy.

Physically, Pendergast is unusual. He is tall and thin, with light blond hair and silvery eyes. He is not an albino. He is very cultured and knowledgeable, having two PhDs. He was in the Special Forces (which I find surprising), and was asked to join the FBI (ditto. Does this mean he skipped going through the FBI Academy?).

He usually involves himself in cases he feels are important. What is strange is he’s attached to the FBI office in New Orleans, but is living and working in New York. He must have some powerful allies, as he sometimes runs afoul of FBI bureaucracy but somehow comes out okay. He is a master of disguise and weapons, which makes him a very dangerous opponent. He is not someone you want to cross!

Over the course of the books, several other characters are introduced. These characters aren’t in every book.

The first is New York detective Vincent D’Agosta, who is the closest to a friend Pendergast has. D’Agosta assists Pendergast in several cases, sometimes putting his career on the line. Margo Green is introduced as a student in the first novel, and later moves onto other things (and more or less out of the series). Journalist William Smithback appears in many works. He is sometimes a pain, but has been more of an ally than not.

Proctor (no first name given) is Pendergast’s chauffeur and butler, but there is more to the character then we know. It’s clear he has military training. Dr. Nora Kelly is a researcher who later marries Smithback and appears in several books (in some ways taking the place of Margo Green).  She was actually introduced in Thunderhead.

Captain Laura Haywood is another New York cop, who becomes D’Agosta’s lover and perhaps future wife. She has issues with Pendergast (mainly because of his tactics, but also because he gets D’Agosta in trouble), but has helped him.

Constance Greene is a mysterious young lady that Pendergast finds in that mansion in Harlem, and becomes Pendergast’s ward. You’ll need to read the books to learn more about her. I’m not going to give anything away here.

Corrie Swanson is a young lady that helped Pendergast in a case (Still Life with Crows), and he sort of took under his wing, helping her get into college. While seeming to be a troublemaker and possible juvenile delinquent, it seems she is studying law enforcement and may embark on that as a career.  She’ll be the main character in White Fire.

There are other minor characters who help out in the background, like the mysterious Wren and even more mysterious Mime. And there is Eli Glinn of Effective Engineering Solutions, who also figures heavily in the Gideon Crew novels and originally appeared in The Ice Limit.

Because of the changes in these characters, it’s best to read the books in publication order.

“Relic” is the first novel, and surprisingly, Pendergast is more of a secondary character. It deals with a mystery in the New York Museum of Natural History. There may be a serial killer on the loose. Or is that what it is? This book was made into a movie, with the location moved to Chicago because the American Museum of Natural History in New York saw the NYMNH as a slam on them. Sadly the character of Pendergast does not appear in the movie. Or maybe not. As he was a minor character, perhaps it was easier to leave him out. It may have been a good thing, as they might not have gotten the character right.

“Reliquery” is a direct sequel to “Relic,” with all the main characters back. Pendergast is still more of a secondary character. Laura Haywood is introduced.

In “Cabinet of Curiosities,” Pendergast is now the main character, aided by Smithback and Nora Kelly. They look into what seems to be a serial killer from the past, and with this novel, Pendergast inherits the mansion in Harlem, which is linked to Pendergast. How? Read it and find out.

“Still Life With Crows” takes Pendergast to Kansas, dealing with a serial killer. Again, strange, why would an FBI agent from New Orleans living in New York do that. But that’s Pendergast. He is aided by teen troublemaker Corrie Swanson.

The next three novels comprise the Diogenes Trilogy, which has Pendergast dealing with his dangerous and deadly brother, Diogenes! It seems that Diogenes is insane, and there may be some connection between Diogenes and the destruction of the family mansion they grew up in and the death of their parents. Constance Greene appears, and Eli Glinn enters the series to help break Pendergast out of prison after he has been framed by his brother.

After the events of the trilogy, Pendergast takes Constance on a whirlwind world tour in “The Wheel of Darkness,” taking her to Tibet to the monastery where he spent time learning mental and martial skills. They are soon on the trail of a dangerous item stolen from the monastery.

In “Cemetary Dance,” a long-standing character is murdered, and Pendergast and D’Agosta are on the trail of a mysterious community living in a New York City park that uses zombies and voodoo.

Pendergast has thought his wife Helen had been killed in a hunting accident in Africa 15 years prior, but soon learns that it was murder. In investigating, he opens an even bigger can of worms that reveals things about his wife he never knew (and we, the reader, learn more about Pendergast than we knew before), and is brought to the brink of suicide. This is all resolved in the Helen Trilogy of books. D’Agosta and Haywood have major roles, and even Corrie Swanson comes back into the picture. And a new character joins the cast. Again, read the books to find out!

The next book planned, “White Fire,” should have Corrie Swanson and Pendergast investigating a mysterious matter in Colorado. Sounds like Corrie is becoming a more important character in the series after being regulated to the side for so long.

As I noted, their non-Pendergast novels actually tie in to the Pendergast series, all set in the same universe.

“Mount Dragon” focuses on the genetics company whose equipment is used in “Relic” and “Reliquary” and Mime makes an “appearance.” This book focuses on genetics research — dangerous genetics research.

“Riptide” has minor tie-ins. The book focuses on a site that is very similar to the mysterious Oak Island.

“Ice Limit” introduces Eli Glinn and his company, and explains why he is in a wheelchair. It’s a simple story of an expedition to obtain a meteor. Or is it? (Hey, it’s a techno-thriller. It never is simple.)

“Thunderhead” introduces Nora Kelly and has Smithback, as this is where they meet. They are on an expedition in the American Southwest, looking for a lost pueblo.

Check out their works, and maybe you’ll also agree that Pendergast is a modern Shadow!