Happy New Year everyone! As you can see, I’m starting off this year by reviewing a book I finished late last year. I have a number of books I plan to read this year, though hopefully I will have some new original material to share in the coming months (cross fingers!) For now, allow me to tell you about the latest book in a series I have been following for years.
Bloodless (Pendergast, #20) by Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author), Lincoln Child
Amy Caudill‘s review
It isn’t often that authors can have a character so decidedly return to the roots of what made a book so intriguing in the beginning, but the writing team of Preston and Child have successfully done just this thing.
FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast began his fictional career by hunting a gigantic monster through the NY Museum of Natural History. Now, he’s chasing another, even larger monster through the streets and cemeteries of Savannah, Georgia.
Pendergast has made a career of handling curious cases that often border on paranormal intrigue. So it is not surprising that though they are still recovering from the ordeal that became their last investigation, Pendergast, along with his recent partner Agent Armstrong Coldmoon, and his ward, Constance Greene, are intercepted by Assistant Director Pickett before they can part ways. A series of troubling murders has beset Savannah, and rumors of the bodies being found completely drained of blood seems tailor-made to Pendergast’s expertise.
Will the investigators find proof that the legendary Savannah Vampire actually exists? A group of ghost hunters making a movie certainly hope so, even if part of the crew has to fake the evidence. Meanwhile, an overbearing Senator seeking re-election causes another complication to an already difficult investigation that includes twists with a device that can see into the future and the true identity/fate of D.B. Cooper from the famed unsolved mystery fifty years earlier.
The authors, as usual, have done a superb job with well-developed plots, enormously well-researched locations and scenarios, and enough twists and turns for a roller coaster. For long fans of the series, I don’t want to give anything away about the relationship developments between certain characters. For those who have never read this series before, don’t be afraid to give it a shot. You will be able to pick up most of the important points, though I suggest after reading this book you go back and start the series from the beginning to see what you may have missed.
I award this novel five stars and recommend Bloodless to fans of detective procedurals, thrillers, and paranormal stories. It really has something for everyone. Happy Reading!