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)

A thesaurus might be helpful, boys.

Here's a new drinking game. Every time you hear "It was the work of..." take a swig. You'll be plastered in no time. Already heard this three times in the next book, and I'm only on chapter 18.

An aural treat!

Scott Brick does well overall but painfully mispronounces a number of words (which seems quite preventable). Preston and Child again write compelling work. The occasionally cheesy or predictable lines, like twice referenced howls or shrieks of the damned, are forgivable per their brilliant storytelling.

Great!

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It kept me wanting more all the way through, and I often had trouble putting it down, so-to-speak. Scott Brick gave a great narration to this book, and I highly recommend it. I would, however, suggest reading The Dance of Death first to really enjoy this book. This book literally picks up right where Dance of Death leaves off, and while the former was not as entertaining, it is pretty necessary to completely understand all of the nuances of this plot. Preston/Child did not, in my opinion, make this a "stand alone" book. At any rate, this is a great listen! Enjoy!

Good read!

This was my first title from this author. I was a little lost with the scene changes at first, then I was OK about 1/3 of the way through. By half way I was enjoying the style quite well. I will read another from these guys. I'm also a Brick fan and he did great as usual.

The Brothers Pendergast

The final book in P&C's The Brimstone Trilogy. Really should be read in order. The Duel To The Death between the Pendergast Brothers is reminiscent of Holmes vs Moriarty.

I didn't care for the final 45 minutes but the bulk of the story is as riveting as any of the eight Pendergast stories I've read so far.

Read Them All

I enjoy this series so much. The listener really needs to listen to this trilogy in order starting with Brimstone, Dance of Death, then this one. The others (e.g., Cabinet of Curiosities, Still Life with Crows) can be read anytime, but these three must be done in order to really understand the plot. I got used to Rene Auberjonois in the earlier books and it's hard to shift gears to Scott Brick (whom I like and did an able job), but I thought Auberjonois really shined in his rendition. Glad to see he's back in the newly released Wheel of Darkness.

A fun suspenseful ride!

I enjoyed this book as a take-me-away thriller. It was suspenseful and fun, keeping you rolling with cliffhangers. you could close your eyes and imagine the movie version. Not always believable, but a great escape.

A great page turner

Good luck moving fast especially if you picked up from the previous novel. A lot of excitement adventure twists and turns . A lot of imagination was used in putting this book together.

More Pendergast

This series always leaves wanting more. It's a fun read! There are a plethora of eccentric characters and the authors provide interesting details about the characters as well as the setting.

Read the entire triology - sorry it's over!

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

Yes, I would recommend this book to some friends, and not others. For the people that I think like this type of suspense novel, then I would say that I highly recommend it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pendergast, of course! He is somewhat like an intellectual James Bond, an intriguing character, always capable of coming up with surprises right up through the last chapter of the last book. I'm sure there will be another book in the "Diogenes" series, and I hope it will be soon.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

In my opinion, Scott Brick is possibly the best overall narrator out there. I have produced videos for the past twenty five years, and have sought out and directed more narrators than I can count. The first time I heard Scott Brick read in a sample for a book, I did a mental double take. Wow! The first thing that came to mind was that I wished I could have retained Scott Brick to do the voiceover for some of my programs.I just shake my head in bewilderment at the bad reviews this narrator gets at times. Naturally, the match between an individual program and any particular actor is very selective, and Scott Brick wouldn't be my choice for every book on the shelf. But what he does, he does beautifully. I think the Pendergast series is a perfect fit, and Brick's narration contributed a lot to keeping me fully engaged for the many, many hours it took to finish all three books.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't remember any moment that sticks out, since the the story line(s) seem to supply a steady stream of gripping moments.

Any additional comments?

This is the last book (so far) in a three book series the authors call "The Diogenes Trilogy." I don't think it's necessary to read the preceding books to enjoy any of the three individually, but I would most recommend starting with the first one, "Brimstone," then moving on to the second book "Dance of Death" before reading "Book of the Dead."I also suggest going to the Preston and Child Official Website where you can find a complete list of novels with the Pendergast character in chronological order, including the "Diogenes Trilogy." I guess I can say this here, because they are all available on Audible.