Cemetery Dance [Hardcover]

Douglas Preston (Author), Lincoln Child (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 12, 2009

Pendergast-the world's most enigmatic FBI Special Agent-returns to New York City to investigate a murderous cult.



William Smithback, a New York Times reporter, and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museum of Natural History archaeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Eyewitnesses claim, and the security camera confirms, that the assailant was their strange, sinister neighbor-a man who, by all reports, was already dead and buried weeks earlier. While Captain Laura Hayward leads the official investigation, Pendergast and Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta undertake their own private-and decidedly unorthodox-quest for the truth. Their serpentine journey takes them to an enclave of Manhattan they never imagined could exist: a secretive, reclusive cult of Obeah and vodou which no outsiders have ever survived.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestsellers Preston and Child kill off a regular supporting character at the outset of this suspenseful tale of urban terror, their ninth to feature FBI special agent Aloysius Pendergast (after The Wheel of Darkness). William Smithback, a New York Times reporter, and his wife, Nora Kelly, an anthropologist with the New York Museum of Natural History, are celebrating their first anniversary when Smithback is fatally stabbed in their Manhattan apartment, apparently by a creepy neighbor, Colin Fearing, an out-of-work British actor. Given eyewitness descriptions of the killer, including one from Kelly herself, as well as surveillance footage showing a blood-stained Fearing emerging from the apartment building right after the crime, the case appears to be open and shut—until Pendergast and his NYPD ally, Lt. Vincent D'Agosta, learn that Fearing died almost two weeks earlier. This taut page-turner can only add to the authors' growing fan base. 8-city author tour. (May)
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From Booklist

It takes a certain amount of guts to start a novel by killing off a popular recurring character, but no one has ever accused this writing team of lacking guts. The latest Pendergast thriller begins with a murder that is apparently committed by a man who, 10 days earlier, was pronounced dead and then buried. But the eyewitness is sure it’s the same man, and footage from a security camera appears to confirm it. How does a dead man commit murder? And why this particular victim? Pendergast, the FBI special agent who frequently takes on personal assignments on a freelance basis, teams up once again with New York police lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta to solve a crime that has ties to the supernatural. Individually, these two writers turn out books that are solid, competent, workmanlike. Together, they manage to kick it up several notches, producing novels that are elegantly written and feature unique characters and eerie, compelling stories. For fans of the Pendergast series, this is a must-read. --David Pitt

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (May 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446580295
• ISBN-13: 978-0446580298
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (238 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Simply Not as Good as the Earlier Pendergast Novels June 15, 2009

By Thriller Lover VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I'm a fan of the "Agent Pendergast" novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, but the last few entries in the series have been less than stellar. While CEMETERY DANCE is a readable effort, it is ultimately a disappointment.

I think the major flaw of this series is that the only really interesting character is the central one, FBI Special Agent Pendergast. Unfortunately, Pendergast plays a relatively small role in CEMETERY DANCE. Much of the book is instead devoted to familiar but ultimately two-dimensional characters like Vincent D'Agosta (the hot-headed Watson to Pendergast's Holmes) and Nora Kelly (who mainly plays the victim role here).

The plot is more silly than interesting (voodoo and zombies play a key role) and doesn't seem to move forward with the rapid-fire intensity that made the earlier Pendergast books so successful. The flat, cartoonish characterization also dampens the suspense. In the end, there are too many action scenes, and not enough character development. The result is a repititive read that didn't really engage me.

In short, CEMETERY DANCE is a pretty minor effort -- enjoyable enough, but not worth your valuable reading time. If you've never read Preston & Child before, my advice is to read RELIC, BRIMSTONE, CABINET OF CURIOSITIES or STILL LIFE WITH CROWS instead. They are far superior to this middling effort.

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Agent Pendergast rides again May 28, 2009

By Nancy O VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've decided that I'm going to designate this book as a "ripping good yarn" because, by golly, that's what it is. This is one of those books where you just have to say to yourself, okay, this is totally escape reading and it's so far-fetched that it can't possibly ever be true. Once you get past that hurdle, then you can do what the authors intended for you to do: sit back, relax, and have fun with it. If you can't do that, then move along, because this book is definitely not for you. Literary snobs need not apply.

I enjoy "ripping good yarns" (aka escape fiction) once in a while, especially from these two authors both together and independently. I especially enjoy the Agent Pendergast series, which I've been following since he first came out of Preston and Child's collective imaginations. He's an enigma and I like enigmas. I've read all of these stories; I've pre-ordered or bought each one as soon as I heard of its release, and I happen to like them. I am a Pendergast junkie.

I absolutely cannot tell you much, because of the plot twists in this book. To tell is to ruin. The book opens with the murder of an old friend from other books in the series (whose name I will not divulge here -- but if you're a Preston and Child follower, you'll be a bit sad). The identity of the murderer is not in doubt -- it was one Colin Fearing, who lived in the same building, and was caught on tape at the building at the time of the murder. Several people recognized him. The only problem is that Colin Fearing was dead at the time the murder was committed -- his body had been even been identified by a relative. So...enter Agent Pendergast, who was a very good friend to the murder victim, and another recurring character, Lt. Vince D'Agosta of the NYPD. What begins as a bizarre case of murder gets even more bizarre as the investigation takes our heroes into the bizarro world of religious animal sacrifice and voodoo. But when a second killing occurs at the hand of another dead person, it just gets very weird, and their efforts to find the killer puts Pendergast and his pals in a very dangerous situation where their very lives are at stake.

This book has it all...the supernatural, mystery, suspense...that is the hallmark of the writing of Preston and Child. There are plot twists that you won't see coming (or at least I didn't), and it's generally a very fun novel with quite a bit of action.

Yes, it's a bit unbelievable, and it's a bit over the top in some spots, but the authors managed to grab me from the start and I didn't stop until I was finished. I think you'd want to read the other Pendergast novels rather than making this your first foray into the minds of these two authors. This book was much better than the last one -- Wheel of Darkness -- and I hope there are many more Pendergast novels in their futures.

I'd recommend this book to people who enjoy fun escape fiction or to those who like a supernatural cast to their mysteries. These two authors are very good at their craft and now I'll just wait patiently until the next installment arrives -- sigh --

39 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The dance of death. May 12, 2009

By Marcus A. Lewis VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The first review is always a tough one to follow, but I'll do my best. I have been anticipating this book for more than a year and the wait was worth it. Once again the authors deliver one of those creepy tales set in contemporary New York City. I particularly like the way they always center their plots around the Museum of Natural History because it can be a scary place even on a good day. Special Agent Pendergast returns in his role as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. He speaks very little, but he takes everything in. His Aunt Cordelia also returns and never fails to send chills down my spine. The inciting incident is shocking, but I don't think I'd want you to know what it is up front. It's difficult to see a recurring character die, especially one who is this likable. If you follow the series you will not be disappointed with the latest installment. And if you are a "newby" you'll want to go back and read the previous books. Either way, enjoy!