Cold Vengeance

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Rene Auberjonois

Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Devastated by the discovery that his wife, Helen, was murdered, Special Agent Pendergast must have retribution. But revenge is not simple. As he stalks his wife's betrayers - a chase that takes him from the wild moors of Scotland to the bustling streets of New York City and the darkest bayous of Louisiana - he is also forced to dig further into Helen's past. And he is stunned to learn that Helen may have been a collaborator in her own murder.

Peeling back the layers of deception, Pendergast realizes that the conspiracy is deeper, goes back generations, and is more monstrous than he could have ever imagined - and everything he's believed, everything he's trusted, everything he's understood... may be a horrific lie.

©2011 Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (P)2011 Hachette Audio

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The suspense in this book was unnerving, but I love the story Pendergast never disappoints me, I just wish she had an assistant, who was good as he!

Another winner!

Story super,Characters clearly memorable. Can't wait to read the entire series! this author is on my must read list.

Waiting for the Next One

I love the Pendergast series. Do not read this as your first book. It would be more confusing without the background from some previous books in the series. For those reviewers that seem to be intolerant of cliffhangers, then I suggest you avoid all trilogies and absolutely avoid Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series! And for our friend who thinks there is too much violence - this is the Mysteries and Thrillers genre - by definition they tend to have violence. So, if you like a series that continues to develop characters and storylines, and appreciate the genre, then I think you'll enjoy this book and the others in the series.

Pendergast - The Romantic?

This is the second installment of the Helen Pendergast saga. It is a good story but I hope this series ends with "Two Graves" ? This is particularly so, as the series seems to require reading all 3 books (so far) to get the gist of what's going on. Other references to earlier novels are also included but not required reading. What began as an enjoyable multi--book story is now evolving into an undergraduate course on Pendergast, that requires juggling much information, and with no end in sight.

On the upside, Rene Auberjonois does a terrific job with portraying Pendergast, a complicated hero with a multitude of skills, as well as the other myriad characters who come and go in this novel and series.

On the downside, the authors' effort to portray Pendergast's love for his elusive wife Helen was clumsy and amateurish. Gazing together upon a "buttery moon" was one of many cringe-inducing scenes that showed the authors are far better at writing fast-paced thrillers with subtle twists than syrupy teenage romances.

Bottom line: Still a good read, but let's hope a satisfying conclusion is not too far over the horizon.

High melodrama

As a continuation of the storyline from Fever Dream, this book suffers from being in the middle of an apparent trilogy. Fever Dream started an interesting story that almost came to a conclusion, but left some unfinished business that was taken up in Cold Vengeange, but not finished here either. So this book doesn't stand well on its own - which is not necessarily a bad thing (witness the Harry Potter franchise), but the direction taken to continue the story is too far fetched and unbelievable. SO many close calls with unbelievable escapes, by the good guys and the bad guys, ultimately didn't enhance the tension so much as it strained the credibility. Pendergast, for all his apparent brilliance blunders into traps that he should have anticipated, and gets out of those traps through coincidences that are beyond belief (the sheep in the mire??). A healthy dose of D'Agosto and Haywood would have lent a welcome dose of reality to the story, but they were sadly left in the background (except for D'Agosto's own unrealistic escape from peril.). The melodrama quotient was way higher in this story than other Pendergast offerings I've read. I will probably still download the next episode (hopefully the final one) just to see it through to the end, but I hope it is better than this one.

Great book!

I read this book out of order, after reading the first two, but wasn't lost and thoroughly enjoyed every minute!

very good

I absolutely love the Pendergast series of books. keeps your attention making you never want to stop listening. highly recommend

Love these guys..Less than Half a Story..Why?

There is no reason to go into too much detail about the story as other reviews do that. I am a long time follower of these authors consuming their individual efforts as well as the collaborations. The last thing I want to write is that I believe they have gotten complacent but I have to ask the question...why do I feel this is a thin effort? Their older books were/are knockouts, rich with locations, characters, intriguing situations, stimulating implications and real storytelling. Here is less than half a story that would have taken them less than half of one of their previous books. The action sequences and set pieces seem to be to be not written by the same authors. When compared to Relic, Riptide, Thunderhead, Cabinet of Curiosities, Ice Limit this effort is simply a fraction. Hopefully they will read reviews like this and ask themselves if respecting their readers with complete efforts isn't important. I love their writings and I would love to return to the relationship I had with their earlier works. I love Pendergast but even their coolest character is flat and dimensionless. I hated writing these thoughts but there you go...2 cents.

COLD VENGEANCE IS A HOT BOOK!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. I would be doing them a favor if they like the flavors and the smells of the swamps of my childhood.

What did you like best about this story?

Rene's powerful performance in so many voices which made the story line come alive. The not knowing what had happened to Pendergast, the definitive swamp accounts in which you could almost smell the muddy water and hear the buzz of the bugs. But, best of all the posse in the swamp and the out come there and back in town. I felt like I was really there. Goosebumps as I listened to Rene's performance as Pendergast and that wonderful way he sounds.

Which character – as performed by Rene Auberjonois – was your favorite?

Always Pendergast.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Extreme? Yes. Laugh or cry? No.

Any additional comments?

Eagerly awaiting the next book, due out soon, but, not soon enough.

I didn't realize I was only buying half a book!

I understand (now) that this book was part of a series but shouldn't each book at least stand on its own even a little bit. I enjoyed what I heard and, after part two, I was sure I must have missed downloading part three. Nothing was resolved at the end of this book! I don't need happy endings but at least resolve a few issues. It feels like a cheap ploy to get me to buy the next book but, guess what, I don't trust this author so I won't.