Special Agent Pendergast arrives at an exclusive Colorado ski resort to rescue his protégée, Corrie Swanson, from serious trouble with the law. His sudden appearance coincides with the first attack of a murderous arsonist who--with brutal precision--begins burning down multimillion-dollar mansions with the families locked inside. After springing Corrie from jail, Pendergast learns she made a discovery while examining the bones of several miners who were killed 150 years earlier by a rogue grizzly bear. Her finding is so astonishing that it, even more than the arsonist, threatens the resort's very existence.
Drawn deeper into the investigation, Pendergast uncovers a mysterious connection between the dead miners and a fabled, long-lost Sherlock Holmes story--one that might just offer the key to the modern day killings as well.
Now, with the ski resort snowed in and under savage attack--and Corrie's life suddenly in grave danger--Pendergast must solve the enigma of the past before the town of the present goes up in flames. - from Amazon.com
I finished this one a few weeks ago, and wanted to take my time with my review. When I saw it had finally been published, I anxiously snatched up a copy to read, as having read all the other novels on Agent Pendergast, there was no way I wanted to miss one. But let's get to the basics ...
This story centers around Corrie Swanson, the girl introduced in STILL LIFE OF CROWS, who has now 'grown-up' and is a Junior at some prestigious law school. Corrie is Pendergast's protege, short of anything better word, is attending on his dollar. Wanting to basically create a name for herself, she come across an old mystery that needs to be solved, and she can coup some special achievement at the school at the same time. In the process, she runs into some problems with the authorities, and Pendergast arrives on the scene to help her out. From there, the mystery splits into three, dealing with the suppposed mystery Corrie is working on, a new one that deals with an old hearsay story about Oscar Wilde and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and a third about a modern day arsonist that is burning homes in the area.
As usual I enjoyed seeing/reading another Pendergast story, but I was a bit let down on this one. Pendergast didn't seem to have the involvement he usually does, meaning he is not the centered character here. I perceived him as being a bit standoffish, and that may be because he is still working on issues/things that happened in the near previous novels. Keeps him human, I guess. With that being said, the usual mystery that comes around that needs Pendergast's assistance in solving, is usually a bit more ... well, unusual. Granted there were details that only he could find out (due to perseverance and money) I just felt a bit let-down.
Overall, the story wasn't bad. It opens more possible stories for Corrie to be intertwined with, though I would like to see more of Pendergast. Maybe he is just starting to get a bit too old and worn-out to use much anymore.
No comments:
Post a Comment