Preston & Child – Verses for the Dead – Review

 

This is a later novel of the Special Agent Pendergast series. After all the melodrama with his evil twin across international lines, Pendergast is assigned back to the FBI, though with a slight caveat. He is given a partner even though the special agent always works alone. Special Agent Coldmoon, a native Indian, who unknown to Pendergast, is a plant reporting any unusual activity back to the FBI director. After reading this, my instant thought was because of Pendergast's uncanny observational skills, this ruse wouldn't last too long. Of course, as these stories go, there is a twist to their partnership.

There is a string of unusual ritualistic murders in the city of Miami, Florida. Women are randomly killed by a single slice across the throat and their heart removed with apparent precision. On the other side of the city, the victims heart is discovered on the head stone of an old suicide victim. Attached to the heart is a note with verses from literature. The murderer also states that these brutal acts are an effort for atonement. Atonement for what or whom remains a mystery.

Digging into the case, there is no apparent connection with the killing of these women and the buried suicides. In fact, the murders and the suicides are decades apart. What is the connection?

Pendergast is not one to follow protocol. As a genius of crime detection, thinking outside of the box is common practice. This has upset the bureaucracy at the FBI. In spite of Pendergast's case-close rate on major crimes, the top brass are after him and want him gone. He is a lone wolf. Similar to reality, those who break the rules to attain results are frowned upon by mediocrity.

Pendergast is a wealthy man. And he is not afraid to spend his money at first class hotels and any resource required to solve the case. I believe because of his wealth, aristocratic bearing and perfect close rate, this opens the door to envy on a massive scale. When one is smarter and richer than everyone else, hate is bound to flow in his direction.

The plot of the novel at first reads a bit convoluted. The detectives are chasing records for decades-old suicides and running down the killer: Mr. Brokenhearts. I was just as confused as the investigators in their attempt to make connections and discover a motive.

The final twist I found to be disappointing and not up to the level of the author's previous books. It felt that the other villain behind the scenes was a second thought and a hurried effort to finish the tale.

Over all, Verses for the Dead did not reach the standards of the previous Pendergast novels. If you have the time, however, on a lazy, cloudy afternoon, not a bad thriller.