ANGEL OF DEATH

 

ANGEL OF DEATH

A Pendergast Novel

By Preston& Child

Grand Centra Publishing

333 pages

 

“Angel of Death is the 22^nd Agent Pendergast novel by writers Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It is most likely the last. The book is the second half of a story begun in the previous outing, “The Cabinet of Dr. Leng.” In that adventure, Pendergast’s ward, and paramour, Constance Greene has travel into the past of New York City circa 1881 to rescue her brother and sister from the genius madman, Doctor Leng. Upon discovering this, Pendergast, accompanied by his loyal friend, Detective Vincent D’Agosta, follows her. There they discover Constance has created a new persona for herself and woven an elaborate plan to destroy her nemesis. Unfortunately, despite her own cunning, Constance has been exposed and is now at the mercy of Dr. Leng. He threatens to murder her siblings unless he gives him the formula for immortality. 

If you’ve never read a Pendergast adventure before, this isn’t the place to start. In fact, this reviewer would logically assume this final entry was dedicated to the legion of Pendergast fans around the world. Yes, the series has been that popular and is clearly one of the most exciting pulp sagas ever created. In “Angel of Death,” our heroes match wits Leng, a cruel and soulless master strategist. If they fail, the threat is he will somehow travel into our present time and pose a threat to all of mankind. As a finale, this is a gripping, suspenseful entry and a most satisfying conclusion to what has been one hell of a literary thrill ride.