Relic

Pendergast, Book 1

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Relic, a Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child thriller that introduces FBI Special Agent Pendergast

Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human....

But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.

Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who - or what - is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?

Prolong the suspense: listen to the sequel, Reliquary.

©1994 by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. (P)1995 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"With its close-up view of museum life and politics, plausible scientific background, sharply drawn characters and a plot line that's blissfully free of gratuitous romance, this well-crafted novel offers first-rate thrills and chills." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Wildly cool....Thrill hounds couldn't ask for a creepier environment....a thriller staged in the world's scariest building, with no room for the squeamish." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Great story!

I have read this book many times over the years. Once you start you can’t put it down. I decided to listen to it this time around and it was a wild ride! Love it! Highly recommend!

Relic

The Story dragged on a bit. It was We’ll written and enjoyed listening to the book.

Glad this wasn’t my first of the series

Like many others, I happened to first read some of the later Pendergast books and really liked them. So I wanted to go back and start at the beginning. This is not the best the series offers. However, I know of many great books and tv series that take a bit of time to get going, so I’ll stick with it. This book reminded me a bit of The Poseidon Adventure in structure. Bit of a spoiler: the first part is where we get to know all the characters, then the second part is following various groups trying to escape the ship, or museum as it were. The second part got pretty tedious, especially as it’s all pretty cliché. I actually finally sped up the audio a bit to just finish, and I always have to listen at regular speed.

The narrator would be pretty good if not for the ridiculous, over the top accents he gives people. He’d be going along in his native accent then, bam, one of the worst, fake, stereotypical southern drawls or NYC accent you’ve ever heard and it would rip you out of the story. One character is straight up Thurston Howell III. Another is Groundskeeper Willie from the Simpsons. One character is supposed to be a good guy but he’s given this smarmy, cringy cartoon mobster voice that makes you hate him. You picture him with a hug cigar in his mouth saying “yeah, see, you want I should waste him, see?” Also, the narrator insists on calling D’Agosta “degusta”. The female lead is read with the same overly exaggerated, languid, soft spoken voice as so many men in farcical comedies use when pretending to play women. I’d probably rate this higher with a different narrator. I guess it could be worse.

Excellent

Excellent story! Was not expecting much but this book and performance was truly wonderful! It was interesting, original, and at points very intense. Solid story and 5 stars!

Big fan of these two just not this book or series

I've read some amazing books by these two, and I was really hoping to like this series and get into the whole thing. It just wasn't the case.

It wasn't awful, but it had no teeth leaving me wanting to read more. I struggled to get through the end as it was one really long scene that wouldn't come to a conclusion.

ok. I wouldn't recommend this book.

not very original. reminds me of Jurassic park. I didn't like it either. seems a bit formulary

Outstanding!!!

This series is as brilliant as Michael Criton books but with the addition of the delightful Agent Pendergast, I am an addict. This first book has been made into a movie with some alterations that is entertaining too.

Fascinating book

An intriguing, masterfully written book. It kept me engaged since the first chapter. Highly recommend it.

Disappointed

Story dragged on as if to fill time for the reader. Only the epilogue was interesting. The reader performance was also barely tolerable.

lots of twists and turns

this book kept my attention from 1st chapter to last. great character development. Looking forward to more books from this author.