The focus of my blog is to review book series and not individual novels, but writers are going to continue writing novels within a series even after I have done my review, so I plan on reviewing the individual novels as they come into circulation.   Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have just recently added book #15, Crimson Shore, to the Pendergast series.

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The Pendergast series is one of my favorite series not only because it is really fun, but also because I love the character Aloysius Xingu L. Pendergast, whose eccentricities often give me a chuckle. So as soon as I knew that the next in the series was coming out, I checked every day on NetGalley to see if they were offering an advance reader copy and thanks to the powers that be, I got my copy. I started reading Crimson Shore on my lengthy daily commute on the bus and one of the best indication to me that a book is really good is when I come close to missing my bus stop, as I am so engrossed in what I am reading, I don’t notice that everybody is getting off the bus. Well I would rank Crimson Shore as an ‘I almost miss my bus stop book’.

Crimson Shore begins with Pendergast and Constance Green relaxing in the parlor of the mansion at 891 Riverside Drive when they get an unexpected visitor. The visitor is Percival Lake, a famous sculptor and connoisseur of wine, who had recently had a break-in at his seaside home in Exmouth, Massachusetts and a large collection of his fine wines were stolen. Lake wants to hire the services of Pendergast to investigate into the theft of his precious collection. Just before Pendergast was about to dismiss Lake’s request, Lake mentions that the thieves ignored a box of a very expensive vintage wine which piqued the interest of Pendergast who is also a lover of fine wines. So for the exchange for one of these bottles of wine, Pendergast would offer his services to investigate the crime.

After the incident that occurred in the previous novel, Blue Labyrinth, Pendergast felt that it would benefit Constance Green to join him in his investigation, so both Pendergast and Green, at their pretentious best, engage the sleepy little town of Exmouth. Pendergast and Green’s investigation causes quite a stir for the residents of Exmouth and nothing will be the same for this little seaside hamlet. What ends up seeming like a straight forward investigation which Pendergast seems to solve, turns out to be a convoluted nightmare which has a lasting destructive effect, not only on Pendergast and Constance Green but on every resident in the town of Exmouth, Massachusetts.

Constance Green plays a great role in Crimson Shore and after Blue Labyrinth, she is becoming one of my favorite female characters. Also after Blue Labyrinth, it became quite clear on her feelings toward Pendergast and we see more development on that subject in Crimson Shore.

This book is undoubtedly for the long time Pendergast fan as it includes elements of Relic, Cabinet of Curiosities, Blue Labyrinth and the Diogenes trilogy. This is not a standalone novel and it would greatly enhance the enjoyment of Crimson Shore if these books are read beforehand. Preston and Child end the novel with a humdinger of a cliff hanger which will have you contemplating on it for days. I just hope that Preston and Child don’t make us wait too long until the next Pendergast novel comes out.

Crimson Shore will be released to the public on November 10, 2015

I would like to thank NetGalley for my Advance Reader Copy of Crimson Shore.

To learn more about the series check out Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Pendergast series.