Frighteningly Good Read #8

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are both prolific and talented writers. Whether they work together or separately, I always love their books. My hands down favorite character that they have created is Special Agent A.X.L. (Aloysius) Pendergast. Pendergast is the coolest person I have never met (who doesn’t exist) and if he is in the story I am buying the book. In fact, you can go to Douglas / Child’s website and sign up for the Pendergast Newsletters that as wonderful, weird and varied as Pendergast himself.

There are at least fifteen books with Pendergast but the one that really scared the socks off of me was Wheel of Darkness. It is right smack dab in the middle of all the stories but it deserves accolades galore for freaking me out. It should be noted that the authors made this book different enough that it could easily be read as a stand alone.

Wheel of Darkness is bizarre and eccentric. In this story Special Agent Pendergast and his ward Constance are wrapping up a World Tour in Asia where they find that a rare and dangerous artifact hidden and guarded by monks has been stolen. Of course, Pendergast offers to track and retrieve the relic.

I cannot pinpoint one particular part that scared me the most. The pace and anticipation of the book was fast and thrilling. Perhaps it is because large sections of the book take place on a cruise ship which is where all my nightmares begin. The big red boat is my idea of hell. I know so many people that find cruises relaxing but I just know I would be stuck on a ship with Norovirus and a hurricane outside. Plus, so many strangers…. no, thank you!

Some people did not enjoy this book. It was absolutely a departure in tone for many of the other Pendergast stories but I loved it. It was thrilling and terrifying and definitely deserving of being called a FGR. One person told me she was a huge fan of the series until this book and it scared her too badly to continue reading. Most importantly, did I mention it has Pendergast?

Tell me, please?

What is something everyone else enjoys that is a nightmare for you?