The Inner Circle
Page 90
“One terrific story. Old New York, present-day New York, serial killers, archaeology, forensics, museums, and so on and so forth. Everything was there. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more… The story was fast-paced and it kept me up reading late into the night.”
—KAREN BUDISIN (Mahopac, NY)
“I got THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES in the mail yesterday morning, and after a sleepless, nail-biting night, I finished it a couple hours ago. You’ve created complex new characters and embellished old ones, making them even more endearing. The last page was equally as moving as the entire book.”
—MEG FERGUSON (Scappoose, OR)
“I have finished the novel (in just under six hours, I might add), and my interests are now even more piqued as I have found something that I never thought possible: a fictional character who is more captivating and thought-provoking than many I have read in my studies of nonfiction—Agent Pendergast.”
—JORDAN SPRINGER (Lake Zurich, IL)
“I just finished THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, which I enjoyed as fervently as all your previous collaborations. Your writing style is engrossing and addictive.”
—CHRIS STEEB (Barium Springs, NC)
“THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES was incredible… like its predecessors, its plot ricocheted across Manhattan like a historical pinball.”
—DAVID DEDIN (Phoenix, AZ)
“The only downside comment is—after reading your books everything else is boring.”
—WENDY DOUGHTY (Atkinson, NH)
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR
THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES AND DOUGLAS PRESTON AND LINCOLN CHILD
“Featuring fabulous locales, colorful characters, pointed riffs on city and museum politics, cool forensics, and paleontological speculation and gripping set pieces including an extended white-knuckle climax… It all comes together with a zing.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Intelligent, witty, fast-moving, and fun.”
—San Jose Mercury News
“An absolutely terrific thriller… wonderfully spooky… This adventure has all the elements of the perfect summer read… Preston and Child here score another big winner.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Fascinating and creepy… a gripping story of suspense that is a thrill-a-page.”
—Brunswick Times Record News (ME)
“A marvelous work… compelling… rich in detail… the scientific thriller at its very best.”
—Tacoma Reporter (WA)
“Keeps the reader’s interest right to the end.”
—Baton Rouge Magazine
“Another thunderous triumph for this awesome author duo… The story line is exciting [and] the action never slows down.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Great fun… As always, they keep the action moving and their characters simple yet dynamic… Perfect summer beach reading.”
—Portsmouth Herald (NH)
“This is one of their best… sharply drawn characters, snappy dialogue, and plenty of action… Its mix of suspense and archaeology is sure to please the thriller crowd.”
—Booklist
PAGE-TURNING THRILL FROM PRESTON AND CHILD!
FEVER DREAM
Yesterday, Special Agent Pendergast mourned the loss of his beloved wife, Helen, who died in a tragic accident in Africa twelve years ago. Today, he discovers she was murdered.
Tomorrow, he will learn her most guarded secrets, leaving him to wonder: Who was the woman I married? Why was she murdered? And, above all… Who murdered her?
Revenge is not sweet: It is essential.
CEMETERY DANCE
[clipped news article]
New York, Thursday, October 8
JOURNALIST SLAIN
William Smithback Jr., a prominent New York Times reporter, was killed in a brutal attack last night in his Upper West Side apartment. His wife, Nora Kelly, an archaeologist at the Museum of Natural History, was injured as well. Multiple eyewitnesses identified the assailant as a neighbor in the building, Colin Fearing: a man who, by all reports, was dead and buried ten days ago. There are reports that FBI Special Agent Pendergast has taken an interest in the case, but no further…
THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS
A luxury ocean liner on its maiden voyage across the North Atlantic, awash in wealth and decadence… An ancient Tibetan box, its contents unknown, sealed with a terrifying warning…
An FBI agent destined to confront what he fears most—himself…
The waters shall rise up in fury…
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
A brilliant FBI agent, rotting away in a high security prison for a murder he did not commit. His brilliant, psychotic brother, about to perpetrate a horrific crime. A young woman with an extraordinary past, on the edge of a violent breakdown. An ancient Egyptian tomb about to be unveiled at a celebrity-studded New York gala, an enigmatic curse released. Memento Mori…
DANCE OF DEATH
Two brothers. One a top FBI agent. The other a brilliant, twisted criminal. An undying hatred between them. Now, a perfect crime. And the ultimate challenge: Stop me if you can…
BRIMSTONE
A body is found in the attic of a fabulous Long Island estate. There is a hoofprint scorched into the floor, 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?
STILL LIFE WITH CROWS
A small Kansas town has turned into a killing ground. Is it a serial killer, a man with the need to destroy? Or is it a darker force, a curse upon the land? Amid golden cornfield, FBI Special Agent Pendergast discovers evil in the blood of America’s heartland.
THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
In an ancient tunnel underneath New York City a charnel house is discovered. Inside are thirty-six bodies—all murdered and mutilated more than a century ago. While FBI agent Pendergast investigates the old crimes, identical killings start to terrorize the city. The nightmare has begun. Again.
THE ICE LIMIT
The largest known meteorite is discovered entombed on a frigid, desolate island off the southern tip of Chile. Palmer Lloyd is determined to have this incredible find for his museum. Stocking a cargo ship with the finest scientists and engineers, he builds a flawless expedition. But from the first approach to the meteorite, people begin to die…
THUNDERHEAD
Archeologist Nora Kelly receives a letter written sixteen years ago, yet mailed only recently. In it her father, long believed dead, hints at a fantastic discovery—the lost city of an ancient civilization that vanished a thousand years ago. Now Nora is leading an expedition to find her father and his glory, but she unearths the newest of horrors…
RIPTIDE
In 1695, a notorious English pirate buried treasure in a maze of booby-trapped tunnels on an island off the coast of Maine. Now a treasure hunter and his high-tech, million-dollar recovery team plan to unearth the bounty. The island has guarded its secrets for centuries, and it isn’t letting them go—without a fight.
Copyright
The events and characters in this book are fictitious. Certain real locations and public figures are mentioned, but all other characters and events described in the book are totally imaginary.
Copyright © 2002 Splendide Mendax, Inc., and Lincoln Child
Excerpt from Still Life with Crows Copyright © 2003 by Splendide Mendax, Inc., and Lincoln Child. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by Flag
Cover art by Tony Greco
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First eBook Edition:
ISBN: 978-0-446-61123-7