An admission here must be stated from the start: Of the 21 novels published in the Pendergast series (I've read most), Relic is the first novel, and I only picked it up for the first time last week. This is a cardinal sin for me as a "fanboy" of these novels. Needless to say, what a gripping story.
As stated many times, this series combines detective mystery, science fiction, and great gothic tales of the 19th century. This novel introduces the enigmatic billionaire and FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast. For all 21 novels to become best sellers, there is a certain attraction for many. Why? Because Pendergast is a modern Sherlock Holmes with many skills and talents that sparks the reader's imagination.
Relic is a wild tale. On face value, and for many discerning readers, the subject matter belongs in a comic book. I would disagree. This novel is polished. The research alone in archaeology and genetic science is accurate. The possibility of an unknown species is valid.
The introduction of Detective D'Agosta, aside from Pendergast, is my favorite character. He's a hard-nosed, persistent, and honest NYPD detective. The man's sense of humor is purely New York American, The fact he gets along with the highly intellectual, southern FBI agent is ironic in the least. Both men are loyal, smart, honest, and basically good men.
The story begins in the early 1980' in the Amazon jungle. An anthropologist is in search of a legendary tribe. He comes across a small hut, an altar, displaying a small statue of a "god." An old woman comes out of the jungle screaming about the evil of the spirit. The scientist captures the "relic" and returns it to The New York Museum. Years later, gruesome deaths in the museum begin,
Agent Pendergast shows up in New York because he's investigating similar murders. Then, of course, the fun begins.
After reading most of these novels, I'd have to say I enjoyed this one as much as the rest.
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