Fever Dream

By: Lincoln Child, Douglas Preston

Narrated by: Rene Auberjonois

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

At the old family manse in Louisiana, Special Agent Pendergast is putting to rest long-ignored possessions reminiscent of his wife Helen's tragic death, only to make a stunning - and dreadful - discovery. Helen had been mauled by an unusually large and vicious lion while they were big game hunting in Africa. But now, Pendergast learns that her rifle - her only protection from the beast - had been deliberately loaded with blanks. Who could have wanted Helen dead...and why?

With Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta's assistance, Pendergast embarks on a quest to uncover the mystery of his wife's murder. It is a journey that sends him deep into her past where he learns much that Helen herself had wished to keep hidden. Helen Pendergast had nursed a secret obsession with the famed naturalist-painter John James Audubon, in particular a long-lost painting of his known as the Black Frame.

As Pendergast probes more deeply into the riddle - the answer to which is revealed in a night of shocking violence, deep in the Louisiana bayou - he finds himself faced with an even greater question: who was the woman he married?

©2010 Lincoln Child (P)2010 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Once again, the bestselling authors show they have few peers at creating taut scenes of suspense. Their restraint in the book's early sections make the payoffs all the more compelling." ( Publishers Weekly)

great read

If you could sum up Fever Dream in three words, what would they be?

it was just a really great book to listen to

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

yes it did

What about Rene Auberjonois’s performance did you like?

yes he was good

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

if i had the time yes

Fever Dream

The plot was a big stretch for me; victim is a doctor who works like international-without-borders-teams in third world countries, but she is also an African big game hunter, guns and ammo and everything? Who is then eaten by a lion with henna dye job in his mane, but it's actually a murder.(?) okay... Then the main character was a rich southern gentleman "b-hole" really, who's sidekick is a cop who will follow him on a revenge killing, didn't quite make a compelling match, the connection was weak, the rest was laughable with crazy lady who's over 100 and a cliff hanger. Now for the good news, they use an inordinate amount of 50 cent words and the narrator Rene Auberjonois is so worth the price of admission, his voice is butter. I would listen to him sweep through a verbal maze of difficult dialog and he never missed a beat or fell into a cadence of the tongue twisters he read. He'd keep the pace with the story. His female voices are great! So many times male narrators (good ones) sound like they turned into a ventriloquist act when they hit the female voices, you can probably tell I wasn't a fan of Mrs. Doubtfire. Bravo Rene! Loved him in Boston Legal, but I really have to give him a big xo for saving my entertainment dollar here. Thank you Rene.

Winner

I’ve lost track of how many times I have listened to Fever Dream. All the Pendergast stories keep me thinking and focused.

Well done

I have been drawn into this series since the first book. The narration is excellent and the flow and pace is as good as it gets. I sincerely hope they continue writing more.

Another good story

I really enjoy all of the Pendergast stories but I do believe this was my favorit. I am looking forward to the next one.

The series that keeps on giving

I buy the new entry in this series the first day it comes out because I'm such a big fan, so I'm admittedly a bit biased.

However, this book was rock solid. The scenery, the plot twists and the ending all left me not wanting to turn off my MP3 player upon the end of my commute.
Also, the ending sequence is absolutely fantastic. There were points where I saw my knuckles going white from gripping the steering wheel so hard because of the suspense, action and uncertainty.
My only regret: I now need to wait another year or so for the next installment!

Thrilling Start to a New Pendergast Trilogy

Preston & Child hit a home run with this newest installment of the Pendergast saga. Here we meet a more fully-realized Pendergast who is searching for the killers of his wife, Helen (aptly named by fans of the series). Pendergast is just as quirky and brilliant as before, but we see a more human side to him replete with tenderness, compassion, sentimentality, anger, and sadness. The story travels from Africa to the back waters of the Mississippi as the authors weave the lives of Pendergast, Captain Hayward, Lt. D'Agosta, John Audubon, and Constance Greene in a taut, well-crafted mystery that keeps the heat turned up. Add the honey-tones of Rene Auberjonois who brings perfect narration to the characters and you have a winning start to a new series.

The best yet

I love the Pendergast series. I don't know where people saw that this is the first in a 3 part series, but I sure hope so. It will be interesting to learn more about Helen Pendergast and the new series villin.

It was good until it stopped.

An excellent book, I have read it before. The download stopped during chapter 71 even after multiple attempts to correct it.

my favorite narrator. Preston & Child deliver

loved it! the reader is wonderful, plot is intelligent, gripping, it's definitely a "page turner"!