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)

Intelligent, spooky thriller

Preston and Child never miss a beat. In fact, with each outing they seem to improve, don't they? "Fever Dream" tells us another exciting story in the Agent Pendergast series. With each episode, Preston and Child always find some primal human phobia to tap into. Frequently, they take us underground, into dark tunnels; but this time they bring us into a Louisiana swamp, teeming with alligators, bugs, and snakes. Even more than the scare factor, Preston and Child triumph with intelligent, well-researched, scientifically plausible plots. Like Sherlock Holmes, Pendergast seems to know everything needed to solve the most arcane riddles; and, like James Bond, he can wield the weapons needed to punish the bad guys. In this case, he unearths the deadly secret that had gotten his beloved wife murdered twelve years before. Then he issues the bad guys their belated just deserts. Rene Auberjonois does a good job of reading "Fever Dream," giving each character a unique voice. I don't know exactly how to classify the Preston/Child thrillers -- they contain elements of horror, techno, sci-fi, adventure, and mystery -- but any fan of any of those genres will love "Fever Dream." (By the way -- explaining the title would give away the plot; so you will just have to listen to the audiobook in order to get it.)

Finally, some of Agent Pendergast's History

To be honest, I've not read most of the Pendergast books. Only (Relic, Reliquary, and Still Life with Crows). I thought that I had probably missed to much in the intervening books to enjoy "Fever Dream", but this has got to be best book of 2010 that I've read. As you have probably seen from the author's notes that this story reflects around the revelation that Agent Pendergast wife death was actually a murder and the ensuing investigation by Pendergast and D'Agosta. I usually expect the story to revolve around Pendergast et al. trying to solve a seemingly supernatural case, but this one is a bit different, and I think that is what makes it so good. It shows a hastier, edgier, more impulsive Pendergast with D'Agosta as the more balanced character. For me, this really fleshed out Pendergast, showing that even he had a breaking point. This book doesn't really do anything new and remarkable with the characters. Rather it dives deeper into their histories, and showing sides we haven't seen before. The book starts out with a great deal of action, and while a large part of the book centers around the investigation, you never feel like the book is dragging its feet, or that its giving back ground information just to fill space. Also since, apparently I've missed a lot of the Pendergast books, I was able to glean enough in this book to know what I need to know without giving away the prior books story lines.

Rene Auberjonois does a great job with the narration. The best part of his narration though, is that since he's been in Star Trek's Deep Space Nine, you can almost picture him as Pendergast when he is reading those lines. I hope audible comes out with the rest of Pendergast Books in Unabridged format so I can see what I missed over the years.

I Could Not Stop Listening

Having read everything written by Douglas Preston and/or Lincoln Child, I was really looking forward to "Fever Dream" and it was worth the wait. Except for quick mentions here and there, nothing was ever told about Helen Pendergast in all of the other books. But it's all here. The story is good and the action is intense. I hope there will be a "book 2" here because they left some things hanging. It's an absolute must read for Pendergast fans.

Excellent! Weird FBI Agent Pendergas at his best.

Lots of action, twists and turns. No need to read prior books of the series to get into this one.


If you have not read "Cabinet of Curiosities" you will want to after reading this book (or you can read it first).

Suspenseful thriller

This was my introduction to Preston & Child, and I have mixed feelings about the book. Extremely well-written, I DID listen to the entire book, mostly because I was interested in how it would end. Would I listen to another book by these authors? Hmmm. At this point in time, having just finished the book, I'd probably say no. I'm quite "picky" about what books I like. I do not care for books that assault the listener with expletives and very descriptive sex. This book has both. Yet, I must admit, NOT on every page. Actually, only one sex-scene. So, if you're reading this, and you are offended (as I am) by these things, then I'd recommend looking elsewhere. If not, and you're interested in whodunits and FBI agents, etc, you might like it. Rene Auberjonois (probably best-known as "Odo" on Star-Trek's Deep-Space Nine) is a fantastic narrator!

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.

Great listen

This is my first Pendergast book but it will not be the last. I loved the main character, the plot that pushes but does not cross the edge of believability, and the setting. I didn't like the opening chapters - they were almost enough to make me stop listening - but as I got into the book, I found it more and more compelling, even as major pieces of the story fell into place.

I am sick of formulaic books with named serial killers and overly serious characters, and recommend this to others looking for a smart but almost tongue-in-cheek story. Usually the main character being shot at over and over is a sign of a poorly plotted story, but I am ignoring that and going to buy the other books in the series.

Best Pendergast Yet

Loved it, didn't want it to end. As other reviewers have said, you don't have to have read the whole series to know what's going on.

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.

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 Story continues.

Having enjoyed the series since the beginning, I think this is one of my favourites. Great exploration of the depths of Pendergast's (still enigmatic) character as well of those of D'Agosta and Hayward. A real whistle-stop tour of Pendergast's global travels with the usual thoroughness of detail and a "couldn't put it down" plot.

Slow plot but gradually gets going.

I was a little disappointed with the pace of the story, but it eventually gets going. Maybe the abridged version would be a better listen?
It doesn't have the edge of the seat storyline that some of Preston's earlier works have but its still an enjoyable listen.