For a long time, the Pendergast novels teetered on the edge of the supernatural for me. That made many of the novels interesting as I tried to figure out non-supernatural explanations for those factors which seemed to be supernatural. On some occasions, Preston and Childs tantalized without offering any overt explanation. I liked that, too. There should always be room for some mystery in ones mystery novels. Fever Dream doesnt offer any hint of the supernatural. This one teeters on the verge of science-fiction for me. The solution to the mystery presumes certain biochemical research to be probable if not possible. The idea is fascinating, though it isnt developed enough to argue yea or nay. It seems possible.Since both a blurb on the back cover of this novel and my own previous posting has compared Special Agent Pendergast (the most unorthodox F.B.I. agent youre ever likely to encounter inside or outside of literature) to Sherlock Holmes (Doyles great detective as opposed to the bumbling incompetent of the M. J. Trow canon), it seems fair to note that whereas Pendergast had his genius villain (his brother) in previous novels, the mastermind behind the conundrum in Fever Dream is as much a victim of his genius as perpetrator of his scheme. And, even as other Pendergast novels have occasionally left a loose thread hanging in cliffhanger fashion, there is a cliffhanger at the conclusion of Fever Dream.Fever Dream is fascinating in that the original mystery to be solved occurred twelve years ago in Pendergasts fictional chronology, but the key to the mystery is locked (as it were) in another centuryin the work of John James Audubon. Pendergast's wife has been killed and the realization hits him at the beginning of this novel. And the mystery, the globetrotting mystery that takes you from the veldt of Africa to the swamps of Louisiana, is a fascinating mix of genius, greed, ghosts (figuratively speaking) and gators (whats a swamp without em?). To be sure, the solution had nothing to do with my original expectation. When I discover that a protagonists spouse or lover had a secret life, I have a temptation to jump to a very different conclusion than was warranted in this novel. The authors even telegraphed the issue in one way, but I was too busy hurdling to a premature conclusion to be able to track the initial clue.And, just in case you are a reader who, like me, loves novels in a series because of the way the lives of supporting characters unfold, youre going to love Fever Dream. Detective DAgostas relationship with Captain Hayward finds a new level in unexpected ways and Pendergasts ward, Constance Green plays an eerie but important role. Her baby, spawn of what was heretofore the series ultimate bad guy, plays a very different role than I had expected when that plot wrinkle was introduced.In short, Fever Dream was everything I would normally expect from a novel in this series and more. It offered that mixture of comfort and surprise that keeps me coming back for more. What better recommendation can I give than to say that even though I have a huge stack of books to get through, Im looking forward to getting the next one.

In their latest novel about Agent Pendergast (their 10th??), Preston and Child return to form with a great page turner that stands well on its own while providing a great deal of background on the enigmatic FBI Agent. It begins with a flashback to the accidental death (by lion!) of Pendergast's wife, some 12 years earlier. Returning to the "now", the agent makes an unexpected discovery that completely changes his understanding of her death. What follows is a crazy roller-coaster ride involving John James Audobon, an extinct parrot, a missing painting and the mysterious figures we've come to expect from Preston and Child. Their best in years.

Soo good. this one hearkened back to the first several books in the series. the relic, Cabinet, still life, the Diogenes trilogy! the good ones. I really enjoyed not being able to put it down. Now patience for the next Pendergast novel and the new Gideon series!!!

Ahhhh! Curse these authors! I was up past dawn reading this book, slept for a few hours, and after bolting awake, made some coffee and got back to reading. And I won't know the final end of this plot line until the next book, so will have to wait another year at least! Not really a spoiler so much, since the authors do this with like 90% of the Pendergast series. Part of why these books are so clever and fiendishly addictive is because the reader kibitzes for most of it. I'm not going to reveal Villain #1, but the authors do fairly early on. Very few suspense novels or movies do this, which is strange because it's so effective. Knowing something that the protagonists do not and seeing how they're going to fall into a trap, I think heightens things rather than just springing cheap surprises on the reader. Also because I'm so distracted with information I know that the heroes don't, when twists do come I'm totally taken aback by them. So kudos to Preston & Child--they can work a plot that very very few other authors can do (I put them up there with Christie in how they can pace a story--and perhaps are better than her, because she is the Queen of Trick Endings). One thing I am a little bored with is the Constance Green plot lines. I think more could have been done with her from the her introduction and I was okay with her being promoted to a more major role in the Diogenes Trilogy of books, even though I found her slightly annoying in those. However, Wheel of Darkness (and the whole stupid Tibetan monastery drama) was by far the worst book of the whole series in my opinion and her popping up here kind of continued that line which I hoped was forgotten. Maybe something good will come of it though. And bits with her were very minor--obviously just setting something up for the next book or books (since the note to reader says not to worry, more Pendergast books are coming, even though they're working on a new series). All the Audubon parts were neat as well. Did not know that John James Audubon was French and came to America to escape conscription to Napoleon's Army. I read up on him after reading this book and yeah, all the facts of his life neatly synched up with the plot (though I'm sure not the big reveal at the end). Not sure how I'm going to make it till the next book comes out. I hate waiting!

first time fun: laura hayward finally got a firsthand experience of the pendergast sop;get well soon, vinnie;wassup with constance, though?