The Book of the Dead (novel)

The Book of the Dead  
Author(s) Douglas Preston
Lincoln Child
Cover artist Stanislaw Fernandes
Country United States
Language English
Series Diogenes Trilogy
Genre(s) Thriller
Publisher Vision
Publication date July 1, 2007
Media type Paperback
Pages 640
ISBN 0-446-61850-0
OCLC Number 144811105
Preceded by Dance of Death
Followed by The Wheel of Darkness

The Book of the Dead is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It is the third and final installment to the trilogy concentrating on FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast and his relationship with Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta in their pursuit to stop Pendergast's brother, Diogenes.

Preston and Child call these books the Diogenes trilogy. The three books in the trilogy start with Brimstone in 2004 and continue with Dance of Death in 2005. This final book was released on May 30, 2006 and has been on the New York Times Best Seller list, reaching as high as #4 on the list.

Contents

Synopsis

Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast is the focus of this novel as his evil brother Diogenes puts several plans into effect. One plan involves targeting Aloysius's dearests friends...and casual acquaintances.

Concurrently, the New York Museum of Natural History has re-opened an old tomb, closed down decades ago. Rumours abound of the tomb being cursed, but most tombs do have a curse on them as a matter of course, as a protection against grave robbers. Not much is thought of the curse until a lighting technician is found disembowled. Later, a British Egyptologist goes mad and attacks a colleague; security is forced to shoot and kill him. When a replacement Egyptian specialist turns out to be the one woman Pendergast is in love with, his friends begin to suspect something even more horrible is going on than originally suspected.

Connections to other works by Preston and Child

Near the beginning of the book, Nora Kelly studies yellow micaceous Anasazi potsherds and begins to plan an expedition to find their source. This references Thunderhead.[1]

Sequel

Though this novel ends the trilogy, Agent Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, appear next in the novel The Wheel of Darkness which picks up very shortly following the events depicted here.

References

  1. ^ Preston, Douglas; Lincoln Child (2007). "Ch. 6". The Book of the Dead. pp. 32–34. ISBN 0-446-61850-0. 

External links