The Book of the Dead

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Museum of Natural History receives their pilfered gem collection back, ground down to dust. Diogenes, the psychotic killer who stole them in Dance of Death, is throwing down the gauntlet to both the city and to his brother, FBI Agent Pendergast, who is currently incarcerated in a maximum security prison.

To quell the PR nightmare of the gem fiasco, the museum decides to reopen the Tomb of Senef. An astounding Egyptian temple, it was a popular museum exhibit until the 1930s, when it was quietly closed. But when the tomb is unsealed in preparation for its gala reopening, the killings, and whispers of an ancient curse, begin again. And the catastrophic opening itself sets the stage for the final battle between the two brothers: an epic clash from which only one will emerge alive.

©2006 Splendide Mendax, Inc. and Lincoln Child. All Rights Reserved. (P)2006 Time Warner AudioBooks. All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"Another gripping, action-packed page-turner...with a tantalizing, ominous twist at the end." (Publishers Weekly)

Great story. Second time around.

I’m going back through all the Pendergast series and still enjoy them immensely. Scott brick gets an A-. He’s a great narrator, I just know there are one or two that pull off Pendergast slightly better.

Excellent conclusion to the mini series

Enjoyed the tying up and allowing a wonderful, it’s not that simple moving forward.
Looking forward to the next.

This was INSANELY GOOD!!

I loved every minute! I saved my full review for when I’d finished the trilogy, so I’m speaking of all the titles here. I listened to the Audio Book versions and Scott Brick’s narration was perfection. Such multi-layered characters, plots, and locales. Without a doubt, this was a suspenseful tale that even came with a dash of romance if you can believe it! So glad I took a chance on these authors and their elegant, action-packed, and intelligent world of mystery.

Fantasic Conclusion to the Trilogy

This is the third book of the trilogy in which Diogenes Pendergast seeks revenge for the pain inflicted on him at childhood by his FBI brother. Digogenes is a character you love to hate and in this installment he sinks to new and lower levels of deceit and depravity. There are many turns and the unraveling of the story is performed artfully. All of the cast from previous novels make an appearance in this novel and so there is a great deal of backstory development. I loved this novel and Scott Brick did a masterful job narrating. The Pendergast series suffers from inconsistently written novels. Just when you are about to say, forget it, I don’t want to listen to another, they pull out a story like this one. I wish they could just consistently deliver – but in this novel they did.

Fantastic

I recently discovered this author duo. I picked up the series with 'Still Life with Crows,' though I skipped 'Cemetery Dance' (can't tolerate animal cruelty) based on what reviewers said.

I especially like how smart the writing is and the unexpected twists and turns. The protagonist seems to pull off Rambo-like feats, but without the "Rambo" cliche. He has faults and makes mistakes, but credibly still manages to triumph -- and he does it with true honor.

The secondary characters are very well developed and provide great color to the stories.

This particular installment is excellent! Though the Helen trilogy books are my favorites. I think you could pick this one up and read it as a stand alone, but it would probably be more meaningful if you went back to at least 'Still Life with Crows.'

The narrator is absolutely excellent. In a rare class.

My favorite so far

Wow! Tense, exciting, interesting, kind of unbelievable (MacGuyver kind of unbelievable,) but overall awesome.

I just started reading this series with this trilogy and I'm hooked. This was my favorite of the three but all have been great.

I have to mention that the audiobook version of this one let me down. I don't care for dramatic music in my books. This had too much of it.

Some of the prison details really stretched the imagination but it still worked.

I want to know why Constance didn't stay in her hiding place in the Riverside Drive house.

But, all in all, a fabulous book.

The narration is wonderful.

Scott Brick is stellar as the narrator. The book is solid and fun. I really enjoyed it.

the book of the dead

Great book. keeps you on the edge of your seat and you wish it would keep on going. Scott Brick is the best reader, which is another plus. These authors are great together.

love and friendship

I love this series and the people who make up the whole sorted tales. would love to see in film

A satisfying end?

Or is it?
I find the loose ends tied up well. A satisfying read for Pendergast lovers