Customer Reviews

Cemetery Dance (Pendergast)

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

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.

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 --

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!

When I see a new Pendergast Novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, my heart gets all a flutter. Nothing could brighten my day more then carrying it on home and cracking it open. This is my favorite series.

In Cemetary Dance, there is some bad mojo in the way of murderous zombies, terrorizing New York and FBI Special Agent A. Pendergast and fearless Lt. Vinnie D'Agosta, are on the case in the ninth book of the series. This story is a gristly gem if you like late night visits to the cemetary, sprinkled with some voo doo, and bloody zombiis. Personally, for me, it doesn't get any better then that.

Cemetary Dance has the great characters that make up this series and some new ones such as Monsieur Bertin, Pendergast's former tutor from New Orleans who is an expert at identifying certain religious practices.

I think all of the Pendergast novels can be read as stand alone stories, so if you are new to these guys, take the plunge. If you enjoy reading Cemetary Dance, then you are lucky that you have the other eight to read. Brimestone and Cabinet of Curiosities are my favorites. I love the back drop of New York City and all of the atmosphere and the characters. I really enjoy one old researcher that Pendergast relies on whose name is Wren. You can find him amidst his dusty piles of old manuscripts and books down below in the belly of the New York Public Library.

Cemetary Dance is a page turner and a great get away without leaving your livingroom. Lincoln & Childs are masterful story tellers. I always look forward to their books and they are always a delight to read. They can be a little gross and disturbing, but that's half the fun.

This book came out yesterday and I finished it in less than a day. As usual, Preston-Child succeeded well at creating a story that is as addictive and all-encompassing as I imagine an opium den of the turn of last century would be.

For those of you who are seasoned readers of their somewhat ethereally connected series, you will certainly NOT be disappointed. Big plusses (no spoilers):

1). Appearances by the New York Museum of Natural History and its varied faces.
2). Many many favourite recurring characters (I will refrain from naming names, because part of my pleasure is to see a familiar name pop up unexpectedly and bring a smile to my face).
3). A lovely juxtaposition of Modern Manhattan and Historic Manhattan (a feature almost exclusive to big cities that harbour so much of their past while existing with a patina of their present).
4). The shocks that accompany so many of the Preston-Child novels. I resent them because they are sooooo unexpected and often graphic and, too put it mildly, upsetting (does anyone remember the almost cavalier gruesomeness in "Thunderhead"?), but they are also a tribute to how loyal the authors are to the story and their characters -- I am all the more affected by the fragility of life demonstrated in these books when it occurs unpredictably and to the three-dimensional, as opposed to peripheral, characters; I am all the more engrossed and all-believing.
5). Aloysius Pendergast. In fine form (is there any other way?).

I could go on, but instead, I say, "Start reading!" You may be brought to tears, you will be brought to chuckles, if not outright laughter, and you will certainly be brought to catching your breath. What are the minuses, you ask? Only that we have another seemingly interminable wait before reading the next installment of Preston-Child's intricate, fact-fictional, imaginative, and utterly disarming works.

I bought this book on preorder because I love the Preston/Child series, even though I have been let down recently with them. This book could have been much better than it turned out to be, and frankly should have been.
The power Douglas and Lincoln have in their creativity lies in creating monsters that are fearsome, terrible, and very believable, and in the end grounded in some kind of scientific fact (or fictional psudofact that works in the plotline). This book really had none of that. To me the storyline plodded along to a very predictable end with little or no real involvement on the part of the central characters.
Pendergast really did nothing but "slip in" and out of chairs, look at things with his silvery eyes, and stash things in his pockets. D'Agosta was angry and frustrated until he was not angry anymore. There was a lack of depth that I did not appreciate. I had been getting a little irritated with the Superman aspect of Pendergast, and maybe the authors were trying to tone that back a bit. If that is the case they did so at the cost of the fullnes of the story.
There is an endpaper in the book written by the duo listing all their collaborative efforts and suggesting the sequence they should be read in (while denying all the while they are doing so). I think it is time for Messers. Preston and Child to divorce themselves from their fan base long enough to put compelling characters in a compelling horror story again. I know they can do it. Both are seasoned and accomplished talents.
It had a few minor frights, but the rest was stock in trade chase scenesm a riot, a clash with a pushy martinet or two, and then it was over.
And hey: no Constance Green.
I am sure to buy the next one because these fellas always have potential. On second thought, perhaps I'll get on the library waiting list and see how they improve.
Better luck for all of us next time.

I am a big fan of the Lincoln/Child Penderast novels. They are always fun, full of action, and of course, they feature Agent Pendergast, who happens to be a favorite character of mine. You can learn more about Agent Pendergast here. All that being said, I did enjoy this novel, but not as much as previous offerings from the authors.

Cemetary Dance begins with an attack on a pair of familiar characters (one of my favorite things about these guys, they are never afraid to do away with someone for the sake of the story), William Smithback and Nora Kelly, which leaves Smithback dead. This isn't much of a spoiler as it happens in the first ten pages of the novel. D'Agosta and Pendergast quickly find themselves investigating the case in an effort to protect the bereaved Nora, and to find justice for their murdered friend. Their investigation will lead them to a mysterious religious community located in the forgotten and isolated wilderness of a New York city park; a community which seems to have ties to the mystic beliefs of Obeah. They also find themselves forced to confront the notion of modern day zombiis as the body count mounts.

Personally, I didn't find the mystery as compelling in this novel, as compared to previous story lines. Still, the authors did do a great job of keeping me turning pages. Pendergast was certainly in fine form, and there were plenty of his trademark antics to keep me smiling and anxious for more. The book ended with the promise of more to come, and it is safe to say I'll be running to the bookstore for their next Pendergast novel when it arrives.

If you haven't read a Lincoln/Child novel previously, I'd recommend The Cabinet of Curiosities, which in my opinion is their best.

I agree with previous reviewers that this is not as good as some of the earlier works by Preston & Child. Relic, Reliquary, and Cabinet of Curiosities are still the best three books in the series. However, this one is as good or better than Still Life with Crows, the Diogenes Trilogy, and Wheel of Darkness. I'm partial to the books where Pendergast and D'Agosta work together (it's a modern day Holmes-Watson dynamic, and I like it.) This was my first introduction to this series of books, and it was good enough that I went back and read them all; Cabinet is still my favorite, but none of them are bad, and they are all exciting page-turners. I think it takes some guts for the authors to kill off a major character, especially a likable one like Smithback. Overall this is a worthwhile read, but I would recommend starting with Relic and reading them in order; understanding the background of the characters will help you to appreciate the story more.

Let me first mention that I'm a huge fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. When I say huge fan, I mean that I've read all their works, multiple times -- in fact, every time another comes out, I reread the series to get myself all prepared for the next part of the story.

I have to say that I found this book oddly disappointing. Wheel of Darkness utilized Greene and Pendergast, neglecting the others, and I anticipated a healthy return to the group of people we know and love. Unfortunately for me, one of my favorite characters is killed off in the first chapter, and the events that unfold after said death baffle me. The book is a roller coaster of changing viewpoints -- which we're used to -- but because the killed-off character was a beloved one, it made the changing between emotional states hard for me. The shattered spouse dealing with loss, the rageful friend/cop D'Agosta(I didn't realize they were that close?), Pendergast's almost-apathy (he showed more emotion over a certain quickly dispatched character in Cabinet of Curiosities), Hayward's odd focus on Pendergast, and a handful of non-scary villains. So the voodoo (or obeah/vodou) aspects were well-done, and the whole zombii storyline is intriguing, the overall villain and plot of the story - not to mention the motive behind it all - seemed subpar to the other stories.

Either way, they do not fail to disappoint in providing an interesting story with a fun, hard-to-put down writing style. Because of this, I'll still give it a 4/5, rather than the 5/5 they normally earn from me. I'll still purchase anything they write, and look forward to the next (which they so cleverly hinted at right before the epilogue). I do, however, look forward with trepidation, as I know my favorite character is gone for good.

I have always enjoyed the Agent Pendergast books but this was nothing short of terrible. Rather than relating the plot, let me just say that the characters are thin and basically unbelievable. There is nothing to intelligently follow and the story line is convoluted and contrived. Pendergast is almost ancillary to the events of the book and D'Agosta is just mad and irrational throughout. While in the past the detective work has been interesting to follow, here they just stumble along.

While not trying to spoil anything, I do want to note that giving someone a lobotomy will not make them into a super-killer, it will render them instead a dysfunctional mess. I like stories that push the envelope, but I want them to make some sense, and this one just doesn't.

Don't read this book.