(2004)Very good thriller as FBI agent Pendergast tries to figure out how people are being killed in a manner that suggests the Devil did it. Seems to end with Pendergast's death, but wait maybe not.From Publishers WeeklyFans of cerebral action adventure novels know that, outside of Michael Crichton, no one delivers the goods like the veteran writing team of Preston and Child (Relic; Still Life with Crows; etc.). As if invigorated by their recent solo efforts (Child: Utopia, etc.; Preston: The Codex, etc.), the two now deliver their best novel ever, an extravagant tale of international intrigue. As their admirers know, one reason Preston and Child thrillers work is because most feature arguably the most charismatic detective in contemporary fiction: FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, a wealthy, refined yet ruthless descendant of Holmes who's very much his own character. Pendergast, as well as other Preston and Child semiregulars, notably rough-hewn former NYPD cop Vincent D'Agosta, Watson to Pendergast's Sherlock, tread nearly every page of this vastly imagined, relentlessly enjoyable thriller. The body of a notorious art critic is found in his Hamptons, L.I., mansion, wholly burned, with a cloven hoofprint nearby: the devil's work? [...] Erudite, swiftly paced, brimming (occasionally overbrimming) with memorable personae and tense set pieces, this is the perfect thriller to stuff into a beach bag.

In this installment, people are bursting into flame and all clues point to the devil being responsible. ( )

Same old review for this book, as in, enjoyable, but nothing spectacular, took me too long to read and we all know what that means... A bunch of characters return, some new ones added, including Pendergast's brother, who is implied but never actually met...or is he? Big twist ending for this one, but the inclusion of more books in the series kind of ruins that, I'd say. Anyway, no need to make this review run on and on, the main theme behind the review for almost every book in this series remains the same. ( )

http://pro-libertate.net/node/19 ( )

Brimstone is a very long winded story of wannabe supernatural detective fiction. The situations are impossible or rather not believable. The characters have almost supernatural powers. It takes a long time to get from one end of the book to the other. It was given four stars in this review because it was basically a good story anyways. ( )

I picked up this book because I see a lot of Preston & Child's books purchased at the store where I work and wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Brimstone is one of those stories that's intricate with lots of surprising and unbelievable plot elements, but I read the whole thing. Enjoyable, but at least at this time I'm not tempted to run out and buy more of their books. ( )

Was given this book as a gift and haven't read any others in the series or by these authors. It's not a bad book but I feel like I was dumped into the middle of a story and was missing details on events that went on before. I also found the dialogue a bit cheesy at a few points and details that didn't feel like they lined up with the characters. ( )

I read this book a long time ago and really loved it then just as I loved again this time around. It grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go till you get to the end. I had forgotten some of what happened in the book, but it slowly started coming back as I re-read it. To me it was as thrilling the second time around. Love Pendergast!

If you are not familiar with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child or you are new to the horror genre, then you need to read these authors and especially their series on Pendergast as you will not be disappointed. These authors know how to weave a story and pull you into their world! This book gets a five star rating! ( )

An acquaintance recommended Preston & Child to me. Brimstone is my introduction to Special Agent Pendergast. It took me almost a year to listen to all 16 compact discs. I wasn't exactly grabbed at first. Then, especially after the visit to Pendergast's home, I got more interested. Was this book in the urban fantasy genre? The murders are gruesome and certainly seem to be the result of black magic. I count several urban fantasies among my favorite series, so I was all set to enjoy.

Around CD eleven, I was ready to give up in disgust. The book seemed to be headed for the kind of conspiracy that annoyed me so much in my least favorite episodes of 'The X-Files'. Besides, my local library was open again and I'd been vaccinated against Covid-19. I started checking out audio books again. Brimstone was allowed to languish unfinished for a little over seven months until the Omicron variant made me decide to stick to my own audio books again.

I'm glad to say that with CD twelve, the direction I feared disappeared. The book was good again. The last disc was pure torture to listen because I couldn't be sure of the outcome. I loved the villain's fate and the very end. I also enjoyed the outcomes of the Preacher Buck subplot. It helps that this book came out in 2004, before the revelations of the worst about the New York City Police Department and its officers.

There was no point in feeling smug about figuring out what the villain intended to do to Pendergast from his first hint. The epilogue left me feeling chagrined. It has been too long since I last read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (and Marian Halcombe was my favorite character anyway). I had not recognized the homage done in Brimstone.

Scott Brick's narration was very good. ( )

These get better and better.
This one's the first part of a trilogy. Very much looking forward to the rest. ( )

Oooohh. I hate Diogenes. ( )

From the wealthy mansions of the Hamptons to crumbling ancient castles in Italy, Agent Pendergast investigates the strange Faust-like death of Art Critic Jeremy Grove. Grove's body, discovered in a locked room, is strangely burned, as if it burned from the inside out. Pendergast joins forces with two police officers he has worked with before: Vincent D'Agosta and Laura Heywood. As other bodies are found, similarly burned, the three investigators try to unravel the mystery. Is the devil himself coming to Earth to claim these men? If not, how are the bodies being burned, and who is behind the killings?

I love the Agent Pendergast series. Each novel is creepy and thrilling. Brimstone is the 5th novel in the Pendergast series. I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The narrator was Actor Rene Auberjonois. He did a wonderful job, reading clearly and using proper accents for Pendergast (New Orleans southern drawl), the east coast, and Italian characters. I have hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand all parts of this audiobook.

This story was another awesome Agent Pendergast thriller. The idea that Satan himself might be coming to collect on debts owed by nefarious, greedy characters was intriguing. The mystery had many twists and turns. I didn't see the ending coming....the tale ends on a wonderfully chilling final twist.

I'm definitely going to be reading more of this series. It's creepy-cool without being overly gory or cheesy. The books are well-written and the plots are complex but entertaining. I recommend this series for readers who like supernatural thrillers and action/adventure.

There are 16 books in the Agent Pendergast series. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are also the authors of many other books. To find out more about their collaborative novels, check out their website at www.prestonchild.com ( )

This is a fantastic series. The novel Brimstone is a set within a series, called the Diogenes Series. Preston and Childs have really upped their game with this novel, and the entire thing literally had me spell-bound.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel by Books On Tape, available at your local Wilbor.com page. The narrator, Scott Brick, was absolutely superb in his many renditions and inflections. This is a semi-large cast, and not one voice sounded like the other, male or female. American or Italian. I don't care that Count Fosco was literally borrowed (or, ripped?) from the pages of Collin Wilkie's novel Moonstone, I thought he was a very well-rounded, self-actualized character, and I enjoyed every scene with him in it. (!!!!). The story had me guessing, from one chapter to the next, what on earth could possibly show up next.

HOW is it possible that these authors were able to link together two subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with each other, and still make sense...??!? (Not only make sense, but wow, what a storyline...!). The real Stradivarius violin in danger of being ruined, could not possibly link to someone pretending to be Lucifer, while killing people in a very violent and gory way, and come out comprehensible....but Preston and Childs did this. And they did it amazingly well. This ability makes you want to rush out and purchase the three books in the Diogenes series, just so you can read straight through! I had the hardest time getting through every-day life, so I can get back to this story, and see what happens next. The murder weapon was straight out of sci-fi novels.

In their first two novels together, "Relic" and "Reliquary", authors Preston and Childs created two very memorable characters; Special Agent Pendergast & Lt. D'Agosta. While the books not involving these characters have been good, "Brimstone", which reunites them for the first time since "Reliquary", is the best book they have ever written and is certainly one of the best thriller/mysteries out there today.

Easily better researched and written than other mystery novels, "Brimstone" deals with several bizzare, suppernatural seeming deaths in New York. D'Agosta is back, now an angry Sergeant working in Southampton. Pendergast, who is quickly becoming a bit of a modern day Sherlock Holmes, is attracted to the odd aspects of the killings, as he usually is, but his character and past are fleshed out in ways that will delight long time readers. I dare not spoil them. Pendergast has evolved over the years. The stand alone novel "Still Life With Crows" proved Pendergast could stand by himself. Now, on a much bigger case with a larger canvas, "Brimstone" will aternate make you laugh, or creep you out. It reads as fast as anything that's come out lately, and is far smarter than your average mystery.

"Brimstone" will be a delight for all Preston/Child fans, hopefully the book that puts them firmly on the map for all mystery readers. I believe that even a casual reader can appreciate it's scare factor, the excellent characterization, and the respect the authors show for their readers and their protaganists. "Brimstone" sets not just a high mark for them, but all thrillers to come.

5 stars, & easily one of my favorites. ( )

When a Hamptons resident appears to have died from spontaneous combustion in which the body is burned but nothing else in the room of the estate, FBI Special Agent Pendergast is assigned to investigate. The only other clue is a cloven hoof that has been burned into the floor near the body. Already present at the scene is Southhampton Police Sgt. Vincent D'Agosta, who was initially introduced to the reader in Relic. D'Agosta is assigned to assist Pendergast in the investigation, which soon leads to a NYC penthouse, when an acquaintance of the first death dies in a similar method, however the cloven hoof is replaced by a facial representation of the devil. Their investigation eventually takes them to Florence, Italy where they will find themselves in the midst of several dangerous people who are not hesitant in using deadly means to thwart Pendergast.

Although this novel was similar to previous novels which finds Pendergast and those assisting him in life-threatening situations, I found the thrills in this book so intense that I found myself driving around the neighborhood when nearing home to listen to a few minutes more. Since there are now nineteen novels in this series, I know that Pendergast "lives for another day", however, this novel was left with a cliffhanger. If you enjoy thrillers where the protagonist uses ingenuity to escape apparently insurmountable odds, you should read the Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. ( )

Loved how creepy this book was. How the murders were being committed was a huge mystery to me. When the truth was revealed, I wasn't sure if it was possible to kill someone like they did in the story, but it sounded like it could be true and that was good enough for me. ( )

A real page turner ( )

Pendergast continues to be a fascinating character, but the answer to the central mystery of this one ends up being vague and disappointing, and almost an afterthought in many ways. ( )

Another great read in the Pendergast series. While some of these books aren't always a 5-star read, they're still incredibly enjoyable and I always find myself looking to grab the next one of the series at Barnes & Noble when it gets released each year. Hats off to Pendergast and all of his investigations. ( )

Another enjoyable step forward in my reading of all the Pendergast novels in the order written. This is the first of the Diogenes trilogy - although technically had has not yet made a personal appearance (or has he...based on ending cliffhanger??).

These authors' Pendergast novels are so readable - this one took me only a week or so. Looking forward to the next chapter of this series to be started soon.

In this Pendergast novel, someone is found, seemingly burned from the inside-out and there is a burnt hoof-print in the room.

I liked the beginning and end of the book, but much of the middle lost my interest. I’ve listened to many of the Pendergast novels, but have not been happy with them, so I finally tried an ebook, but I’m not sure it’s worth another chance. This one was way too long, and I don’t think I’m enjoying them enough to continue on. The ending has me a bit intrigued, but I’m not sure it’s enough. Hmmm, I’ve looked back and I liked more than I thought of the previous books. I guess it’s just the couple I didn’t like as much that stuck in my head. Maybe I should keep going, after all. ( )

Once again, the authors have produced an intense and intriguing read that had me in its grip from the first page. I love Pendergast and I love how he is constantly changing with each novel. There are so many aspects to him and I cannot wait to catch more glimpses of them! I'm glad that the authors brought D'Agosta back; he was a really interesting character and I hope that he continues to play a strong role in the series. There are two other characters who were introduced in this novel, but I'm not going to mention anything about them for fear of spoilers; I'm looking forward to seeing how the authors will flesh them out in the upcoming novels. I found the mystery itself to be very intriguing; anything hinting at paranormal activity will get me going! With the Pendergast series, I find that I'm always tricked into believing that something supernatural is the cause, only to find out I'm completely wrong. I will admit that this was not one of my favorites; the reveal was not as strong as it could be and the ending was a tad bit lackluster compared to other novels in the series. However, it was still an engaging read and I'm excited to see what the authors have in store in the next Pendergast novel!

For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com ( )

Enjoyed reading this, but was a tad disappointed. Starts out GREAT ... deliciously spooky murder - perfect challenge for our favorite special agent Pendergast, who is reunited with D'Agosta (from the first two books of the series).

However, the book is longer than necessary ... the whole Rev. Buck & Harriman subplot seems unnecessary and added to the impressions of drag towards the last third of the book.

So far, my least favorite of the Pendergast novels.

( )

This was a better installment in the Agent Pendergast series. This time Preston and Child got the ending correct. There was an ending then an epilogue. They did not drag out the drama with multiple endings. I loved the premise of the mystery. It was very intriguing and thought-provoking. The characters were fun and interesting. And of course, Pendergast both intrigued and frightened me once again.
( )

Brimstone is part of the Agent Pendergast series, but it is possibly to read it on its own. The series is written as single crime stories, but throughout the series the reader finds out, a little bit at a time, more about the mysterious Agent Pendergast. Brimstone is interesting because the murders involved seem like they must be the work of the devil, and they test the faith of many people involved. It was an interesting (if gruesome) read that has a good pace and keeps the reader guessing, never quite sure of what is really going on until the end.

Well Agent Pendergast got to travel a little bit in this story. Half set in New York, and half in Italy. With Mysterious killings that appear to be the work of the devil Mr. Buck travel to New York to save souls and Sargent Agusta and Pendergast travel to Italy to find the more out on the devil killings.

This one is suspenseful until the end. ( )