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infi85's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ithilwen22's review
5.0
Verses for the Dead opens with a recently acquired heart found on a grave. By a dog. Dark humor ensues. With the recent change in administration, Pendergast’s eccentric ways are under scrutiny, and he gets saddled with an unwanted partner, Coldmoon. As more hearts turn up, everything seems to point to a serial killer, but no one can find any connection between the victims. Then, Pendergast finds a connection–not between the recent victims, but between the graves of the long-deceased…
This felt like a return to the Pendergast I grew to love, while still putting him in an unusual situation. It had enough freshness to keep things interesting. Pendergast’s method of doing things, while not always advisable, gets more results than his superiors care to admit. I found myself enjoying Coldmoon’s character; I loved that they threw in references to his Lakota upbringing without making it awkwardly stereotypical, as too often happens.
As usual, the plot grabbed interest, but the characters interested me more. The Gentlemen like juxtaposing Pendergast with lower class people who are more than used to the less finer things in life and are perfectly happy about it. Coldmoon’s camp coffee sounds utterly atrocious, but I like that even though it’s played for humor, neither character is judged for their choices. Pendergast is amusingly finicky; Coldmoon prefers burnt coffee filled with grounds over Starbucks.
Read the entire review at Eclectic and Eccentric
This felt like a return to the Pendergast I grew to love, while still putting him in an unusual situation. It had enough freshness to keep things interesting. Pendergast’s method of doing things, while not always advisable, gets more results than his superiors care to admit. I found myself enjoying Coldmoon’s character; I loved that they threw in references to his Lakota upbringing without making it awkwardly stereotypical, as too often happens.
As usual, the plot grabbed interest, but the characters interested me more. The Gentlemen like juxtaposing Pendergast with lower class people who are more than used to the less finer things in life and are perfectly happy about it. Coldmoon’s camp coffee sounds utterly atrocious, but I like that even though it’s played for humor, neither character is judged for their choices. Pendergast is amusingly finicky; Coldmoon prefers burnt coffee filled with grounds over Starbucks.
Read the entire review at Eclectic and Eccentric
posies23's review
4.0
Another in a long line of solid, entertaining thrillers. The 18th(!) book in the series is a bit of a change-of-pace, as it introduces some new characters and doesn't feature as much of the quasi-mystical that occurs in some books.
Pendergast finds himself with a new partner and a puzzling mystery to solve: Who is leaving hearts on gravestones in Florida? As usual, Pendergast finds himself getting pulled deeper and deeper into the mystery, and danger. This book is more procedural in nature than many of the previous books, almost as if the authors said, "let's try something different." The good news is that it works, for the most part, although the ending felt a bit rushed to me, which is why I knocked it back a star.
Pendergast finds himself with a new partner and a puzzling mystery to solve: Who is leaving hearts on gravestones in Florida? As usual, Pendergast finds himself getting pulled deeper and deeper into the mystery, and danger. This book is more procedural in nature than many of the previous books, almost as if the authors said, "let's try something different." The good news is that it works, for the most part, although the ending felt a bit rushed to me, which is why I knocked it back a star.
lizardmcscience's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
caitdrisc's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
showell's review
4.0
There is something comforting about returning to a series with so many predictable plot elements. I know what I’m going to get with a Pendergast mystery down to the language in which the characters are going to be described, and that sort of familiarity is especially valuable to me right now.
I started reading these series back in the day when print was the only option. Over the years, I began reading them as ebooks. But lately, I've taken to simply checking the audiobooks out as they become available from my local library.
Although they had different narrators for the earlier books in the series, Rene Auberjonois has narrated every Pendergast audiobook I've listened to so far. At first, I didn't care for his style. He was a little too snooty for my taste.
Listening to this book in quarantine however, I found the little extra touch of arrogance that creeps into his voice when he explains yet again that Pendergast is one of the few humans to have ever mastered the deep meditative art of Chongg Ran, taught to him in only a year by Tibetan monks oddly comforting. It turned what could have been an irritating repetitive description into an essential part of the Pendergast experience. The sheer campiness of it was comforting. This, at least, remains the same.
I started reading these series back in the day when print was the only option. Over the years, I began reading them as ebooks. But lately, I've taken to simply checking the audiobooks out as they become available from my local library.
Although they had different narrators for the earlier books in the series, Rene Auberjonois has narrated every Pendergast audiobook I've listened to so far. At first, I didn't care for his style. He was a little too snooty for my taste.
Listening to this book in quarantine however, I found the little extra touch of arrogance that creeps into his voice when he explains yet again that Pendergast is one of the few humans to have ever mastered the deep meditative art of Chongg Ran, taught to him in only a year by Tibetan monks oddly comforting. It turned what could have been an irritating repetitive description into an essential part of the Pendergast experience. The sheer campiness of it was comforting. This, at least, remains the same.
fredsteram's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable thriller/mystery. As always with Pendergast a big twist at the end. I could not put it down.
vorpalblad's review
4.0
My blood alone remains. Take it, but don't let me suffer long.
Preston and Child have another great entry in the Pendergast series, and redeem themselves from the mess that was The Pharaoh Key.
Pendergast's longtime boss at the FBI's New York office, Longstreet, has died. Now Pendergast must deal with a new boss, Pickett, who is on the fast-track because of his ability to organize and encourage, but he sees Pendergast as a maverick who must either return to the fold or be banished to the hinterlands of FBIdom. Of course, that means teaming Pendergast up with an outward polar-opposite in Agent Coldmoon, a casual dressing Oglala Sioux. It appears that Pickett's plan is to give Pendergast enough rope to hang himself by.
This time Pedergast is sent to Miami to deal with "Mister Brokenhearts," a cold-blooded killer who leaves freshly removed hearts and letters of remorse on the headstones of a series of unrelated suicides.
As usual, the authors plow full-speed-ahead on the plot. And I have to say, that they surprised me a couple of times. I thought they were going to take the easy way out, but they didn't. Several story lines begin to converge and there are one or two plot twists I never saw coming. Preston and Child also throw us several side-characters who appear to be perfect fodder for the killer, and based off of past novels, I was just waiting to see who took an ax to the chest. Now you'll have to find out for yourself. I also liked how they played the Pickett angle. Let's just say he's not what he first appears to be.
I have read several novels lately that would never be considered "the canon" but have used poetic and literary devices to great effect and this is no exception. From the quote above, attributed to Marie Antoinette, to the letters left on the graves, each of which uses a reference to a work of literature, including Ian McEwan's Atonement, the authors use literature to not only define the unknown killer but to set the tone of the novel, where two men of different backgrounds find commonality by sharing quotes and sayings that create a kind of shorthand for friendship and trust.
I took a star off for overplaying Pendergast's wealth. It's almost as though they felt that since he didn't have his Rolls and wasn't home in his mansion, they had to make sure everyone understood just how wealthy Pendergast is. We got it. I don't need to know about his "especially fine" hat. There was also one line of dialogue that pulled me right out of the book's atmosphere. Pickett says "I want you to accept my condolences on the death of Howard Longstreet." Hmmm... Do people say such things? "I want you to accept my condolences" instead of "I want to offer my condolences"? It was just odd.
Overall, if you like this series I don't think you'll be disappointed with this entry.
Preston and Child have another great entry in the Pendergast series, and redeem themselves from the mess that was The Pharaoh Key.
Pendergast's longtime boss at the FBI's New York office, Longstreet, has died. Now Pendergast must deal with a new boss, Pickett, who is on the fast-track because of his ability to organize and encourage, but he sees Pendergast as a maverick who must either return to the fold or be banished to the hinterlands of FBIdom. Of course, that means teaming Pendergast up with an outward polar-opposite in Agent Coldmoon, a casual dressing Oglala Sioux. It appears that Pickett's plan is to give Pendergast enough rope to hang himself by.
This time Pedergast is sent to Miami to deal with "Mister Brokenhearts," a cold-blooded killer who leaves freshly removed hearts and letters of remorse on the headstones of a series of unrelated suicides.
As usual, the authors plow full-speed-ahead on the plot. And I have to say, that they surprised me a couple of times. I thought they were going to take the easy way out, but they didn't. Several story lines begin to converge and there are one or two plot twists I never saw coming. Preston and Child also throw us several side-characters who appear to be perfect fodder for the killer, and based off of past novels, I was just waiting to see who took an ax to the chest. Now you'll have to find out for yourself. I also liked how they played the Pickett angle. Let's just say he's not what he first appears to be.
I have read several novels lately that would never be considered "the canon" but have used poetic and literary devices to great effect and this is no exception. From the quote above, attributed to Marie Antoinette, to the letters left on the graves, each of which uses a reference to a work of literature, including Ian McEwan's Atonement, the authors use literature to not only define the unknown killer but to set the tone of the novel, where two men of different backgrounds find commonality by sharing quotes and sayings that create a kind of shorthand for friendship and trust.
I took a star off for overplaying Pendergast's wealth. It's almost as though they felt that since he didn't have his Rolls and wasn't home in his mansion, they had to make sure everyone understood just how wealthy Pendergast is. We got it. I don't need to know about his "especially fine" hat. There was also one line of dialogue that pulled me right out of the book's atmosphere. Pickett says "I want you to accept my condolences on the death of Howard Longstreet." Hmmm... Do people say such things? "I want you to accept my condolences" instead of "I want to offer my condolences"? It was just odd.
Overall, if you like this series I don't think you'll be disappointed with this entry.
jcravo's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75