Two Graves

After his wife, Helen, is brazenly abducted before his eyes, Special Agent Pendergast furiously pursues the kidnappers, chasing them across the country and into Mexico. But then, things go terribly, tragically wrong; the kidnappers escape; and a shattered Pendergast retreats to his New York apartment and shuts out the world.

But when a string of bizarre murders erupts across several Manhattan hotels-perpetrated by a boy who seems to have an almost psychic ability to elude capture-NYPD Lieutenant D'Agosta asks his friend Pendergast for help. Reluctant at first, Pendergast soon discovers that the killings are a message from his wife's kidnappers. But why a message? And what does it mean?

When the kidnappers strike again at those closest to Pendergast, the FBI agent, filled anew with vengeful fury, sets out to track down and destroy those responsible. His journey takes him deep into the trackless forests of South America, where he ultimately finds himself face to face with an old evil that-rather than having been eradicated-is stirring anew... and with potentially world-altering consequences.

Confucius once said: "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, first dig two graves." Pendergast is about to learn the hard way just how true those words still ring.

Rene Comes across flat

Would you listen to Two Graves again? Why?

Rene's reading of "Two Graves" comes across flat. His tonal quality leaves much to be desired. The reader should put more character infliction in the reading to be more enjoyable.

What other book might you compare Two Graves to and why?

I enjoy all of Child's books.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Yes, the flat reading was like emotionless narration quite often.

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

No, I could not listen for long due to the narration.

Any additional comments?

N/A

my favorite character

very difficult to see my favorite character struggle in the last few books. but puncturing a whole in his armor has made him so much more human.

as always I loved the book and will continue to read the I'm a long as they last.

Plenty of action, adventer and oddness!

I live this series! Agent Pendergast never disappoints! the narrator is exceptional and the authors certainly deliver. Read it!

I love Preston and Childs books

I always love their books. I am sort of new to audio books, and now I'm hooked. The only thing I don't like is the interstitial music. That makes it feel a little bit like a soap opera, but it's not a huge problem.

Pendergast Lost

The Special Agent Pendergast series is character driven; he is a shadow of his former self in this book, and the character we've grown to love is largely absent until the last five minutes of the book. His motivation for this absence involves the back-story of his wife Helen. It's very hard to believe that Pendergast, as he's been constructed over the series, would be so blind to evidence generated by his own wife. His usual hyper-awareness seems totally absent for her; she is truly a blind spot, and yet it wasn't so in past books. This back-story provides the plot of the book, and Pendergast's motivation, and because we expect a lot more of him, it's disappointing.

This isn't one story line either. These other threads revolve around Constance, Corey and to a lesser extent, D'Agosta. They add nothing to Pendergast's mainline, and I wonder at their inclusion. Yes, it was interesting to fill in Constance's story, but unnecessary.

The main story is lackluster not only because Pendergast is out of character, but because the plot relies on grisly details in parts to move it along. There's a lot of stereotyping so that most of the characters are also one-dimensional.

Renee Auberjonois does an excellent job of narration. Without him, I'd have downgraded my overall rating to just two stars.

I hope that Preston/Child aren't making the same mistake made by Cornwell in the Scarpetta series. Eviscerating a popular character that has sold millions of books carries the risk that loyal readers will use their dollars in search of more deserving works. I've stopped reading Cornwell; I hope that won't be the case with the Pendergast series.