Brimstone

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Rene Auberjonois

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Behind the gates of a fabulous Hampton estate, FBI Special Agent Pendergast discovers the carnage of a gruesome crime, a nightmare of seemingly supernatural origin. The smoldering remains of infamous art critic Jeremy Grove, a melted cross branding his chest, are found in a locked, barricaded attic. The hoofprint singed into the floorboards and the smell of brimstone recall the legendary horrors that befall those who make a pact with the Devil.

Reuniting with police officers Vincent D'Agosta and Laura Hayward, Pendergast combs New York hoping for a simple explanation: a villain who is merely a man. But his search takes him beyond the exclusive clubs and luxury penthouses of Manhattan to a crumbling, legend-shrouded castle in the Italian countryside, where 30 years ago four men conjured something...unspeakable.

Featuring bone-chilling suspense and Preston and Child's trademark meticulous research and vivid detail, Brimstone is the duo's, and Pendergast's, most dangerous and gripping adventure yet.

©2004 Splendide Mendax, Inc. and Lincoln Child (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Fiction (Abridged), 2005

"The perfect thriller to stuff into a beach bag....Fans of cerebral action adventure novels know that, outside of Michael Crichton, no one delivers the goods like the veteran writing team of Preston and Child." (Publishers Weekly)
"A highly compelling thriller." (Entertainment Weekly)

Very entertaining tale!

Preston & Child always tell a great story, and this is no exception. Agent Pendergast has become an intriguing character and the story line in which he appears is very consistent from book to book, along with his associates and friends. Brimstone is the first of the so-called Diogenes trilogy where the younger, and very insane, brother of agent Pendergast is bent on the crime of the century that also happens to include an exacting revenge on his older brother for past wrongs in their youth. The only drawback with this recording is that it is only available in the abridged form.

Great book

The story is excellent, the narrator is excellent--no other reader seems to capture the characters as well. Like most of the books by this author, you need to be a thinking reader/listener--and sometimes you need to forget to be...but overall, an excellent listen.

Brimstone

Pendergast is great. I listened to "Still life with crows", and "The cabinet of curiosities". I love Special Agent Pendergast. Brimstone is amazing and fast paced with interesting characters. Maybe not totally believable.......But so what!

Pretty good read...

I have read several Preston/Child books and this one, like the others I have read, is certainly enjoyable. The storyline was interesting but I did figure out the "twist" about 2/3 through. My only complaint about the Pendergast novels that that the characters follow their tropes just a little too closely and it was hard to identify with them. Pendergast is just a little too detached and cool, the criminals are just a little to omnipotent at the beginning and silly at the end, the sidekick is just a little too impulsive, etc. Once I decided that Pendergast was just a reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes (at least in my own mind) then I could enjoy it more.
While this book works as a stand-alone, it is actually the first of a trilogy and the second and third books are better - the characters get more humanized and started to surprise me just a little.

Pendergast is Back!

I've been waiting eagerly for this one to come to Audible! I couldn't wait & bought the hardcopy too! I love the Pendergast FBI stories and this one has a lot of returning characters and a really spooky plot! Spontaneous Human Combustion leaving a lingering smell of brimstone...

Jerkily abridged

I have followed the career of Special Agent A. Pendergast since his first deliciously horrible experiences in the New York Museum of Natural History. The descriptions in the earlier books were lovingly detailed and I agonized and thrilled and lived several hours a day with the characters. "Brimstone" promised to be a wonderful sequel to the series but was badly ripped apart in this version. There are no transitions from one scene to another. You are abruptly ripped from one point in the story and kicked into another. Several times I "scrolled" back to see if I'd dropped off to sleep and missed something. But no, it was the sound editor's blue pencil butchering the narrative. If there is a full length verion out there, that's what you should hear.

Amazing

Wow absolutely amazing. This was my first Audible ebook and I couldn't put it down (so to speak or is that hear). The Characters were so believable and the storyline was truely unique and kept me wanting more. I am now craving more, so I'm back to the searching of my next Audible ebook.

Nice reading, although...

I enjoyed the reading and resuming the life of Agent Prendergast (from Cabinet of Curiosities). This book actually focuses on a case where Prendergast is the main protagonist and not just an acolyte. The story is well constructed, and while the mystery of the brimstone lets you expect some supernatural phenomenon - esp. wonder if the devil is under it somewhere, you'll have to read till the end to know more about it, I'm not telling. There is ample reference to history of the Italian as the second part of the book takes place there, and I appreciated the visit to Cremona and the violin makers. So I'm looking forward to more pleasant and entertaining listening from the duo of authors (still life with crows comes next).

My only criticism about this book is that it's constructed on a clever idea and well put into gears, but still remains a bit too anecdotical. It lacks the grandeur and universality of themes that the authors have gotten me used to in their other books. But it's an entertaining listen and I don't regret it.

Another great listen

Really enjoyed it. lots of twist .this book also reveals more of our main characters past

Not happy

I love this series but, this audiobook completely
wiped out major parts of the book. I will not buy an abridged book again and certainly not in this series. All the charachters are woven together and help continue the plot to it conclusion.