Preston And Child Agent Pendergast Series Books In Order

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Agent Pendergast Books In Order

FBI Special Agent Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergast is the brilliant and enigmatic investigator at the heart of Preston and Child’s Agent Pendergast series, which blends elements of mystery, thriller, and supernatural horror. Pendergast is drawn to the macabre and frequently takes on complex cases, often involving eerie or supernatural elements that lead him to remote archaeological sites, creepy museums. and other atmospheric settings. The cases drive him to explore ancient mysteries, confront dangerous adversaries, and delve into the occult and dark secrets.

Pendergast is often likened to a modern Sherlock Holmes due to his eccentric personality, extraordinary intellect, and uncanny ability to disguise himself. He is a cultured investigator with degrees in philosophy, anthropology, and criminology, but he also has a tragic past that is gradually revealed throughout the series — most notably in the two internal trilogies. The Diogenes Trilogy details his confrontation with his criminal genius brother, Diogenes, while The Helen Trilogy focuses on the story of his wife, Helen. The series features several recurring characters, including Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta and Constance Greene, as well as formidable enemies within Pendergast’s family.

Readers appreciate the books’ meticulous research and excellent writing, often noting that they always learn something new as the plots skillfully blend science, history, and supernatural arcana. Many strongly recommend reading the series in order due to the character and plot developments that unfold as it progresses.

When asked which Pendergast novel is the best to start with, the authors suggest beginning with Relic (Book 1). However, they also recommend, ‘Another great novel to start with is The Cabinet of Curiosities (Book 3). Two others we might suggest, if you don’t want to go all the way back to the beginning, are Still Life with Crows (Book 4) and White Fire (Book 13). They are all stand-alone novels that require no background.'”

There are several short stories related to the series: Extraction (Book 12.5) and Gaslighted, which is co-written with RL Stine. Recurring characters Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson also both appear in Preston and Child’s Nora Kelly series. The Agent Pendergast series has two internal trilogies and one quartet that are best read in sequence.

The Diogenes Trilogy consists of:

Brimstone (Book 5)
Dance of Death (Book 6)
The Book of the Dead (Book 7)

The Helen Trilogy consists of:

Fever Dream (Book 10)
Cold Vengeance (Book 11)
Two Graves (Book 12)

The authors said of the two trilogies, “Those stories were way too big for one book. We love presenting our readers with complex, multi-layered stories containing many intersecting plot threads. It’s sometimes hard to do that in a single novel. We’ve never set out intending to write a trilogy, but sometimes Pendergast hijacks the story from us.”

The Dr. Leng Quartet begins with seeds planted in The Cabinet of Curiosities (Book 3) and finishes with Angel of Vengeance (Book 22). The books included in the Dr. Leng Quartet are:

The Cabinet of Curiosities (Book 3)
Bloodless (Book 20)
The Cabinet of Dr. Leng (Book 21)
Angel of Vengeance (Book 22)

1. Relic

The New York Museum of Natural History is built over a subterranean labyrinth of neglected specimen vaults, unmapped drainage tunnels and long-forgotten catacombs. And there’s something down there.

2. Reliquary

Hidden deep beneath Manhattan lies a warren of tunnels, sewers, and galleries, mostly forgotten by those who walk the streets above. There lies the ultimate secret of the Museum Beast.

3. The Cabinet of Curiosities

FBI agent Pendergast discovers thirty-six murdered bodies in a New York City charnel house . . . and now, more than a century later, a killer strikes again.

4. Still Life with Crows

When a series of murders strikes small-town Kansas, FBI Special Agent Pendergast must track down a killer or a curse — either way, no one is safe.

5. Brimstone

When FBI Special Agent Pendergast discovers a murder in the attic of a Long Island estate, a scorched claw print leads him down a dark trail of unspeakable terror.

6. Dance of Death

Hot on the trail of a killer in Manhattan, FBI Special Agent Pendergast must face his most brilliant and dangerous enemy: his own brother.

7. The Book of the Dead

Can FBI Special Agent Pendergast stop a cursed Egyptian tomb from terrorizing New York City — or will he stay trapped in a maximum security prison, punished for a murder he didn’t commit?

8. The Wheel of Darkness

At a remote Tibetan monastery, FBI Special Agent Pendergast must find a powerful and ancient artifact before it falls into the wrong hands.

9. Cemetery Dance

Pendergast, the world’s most mysterious FBI Special Agent, investigates a murderous cult in New York City that no one has ever survived.

10. Fever Dream

As he stalks his wife’s traitors from Scotland to New York City, Special Agent Pendergast discovers layers of deception and conspiracy that will shatter everything he believed to be true.

11. Cold Vengeance

Twelve years ago, Special Agent Pendergast’s beloved wife was murdered during an African safari — and now, he’s on a quest for revenge.

12. Two Graves

Join Agent Pendergast in the heart of the South American jungle as he investigates a string of murders that lead him to his wife’s kidnappers — and spark memories that may haunt him forever.

13. White Fire

Past and present collide as Special Agent Pendergast uncovers a mysterious connection between a string of 19th century bear attacks in a Colorado mining town, a long-lost Sherlock Holmes story, and a deadly arsonist.

14. Blue Labyrinth

When a longtime enemy shows up dead on Pendergast’s doorstep, the murder investigation leads him into his own dark past as a vengeful killer waits in the shadows.

15. Crimson Shore

When a straightforward murder case spirals out of control, Pendergast and his ward investigate an ancient witches’ colony in a sleepy New England town where a terrible evil awaits . . .

16. The Obsidian Chamber

After Pendergast is presumed dead from a supernatural encounter, his bodyguard Proctor is the only one who can chase a kidnapper across international waters and into the deadly unknown.

17. City of Endless Night

Special Agent Pendergast must stop a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City with a trail of headless victims.

18. Verses for the Dead

FBI Agent Pendergast reluctantly teams up with a new partner to investigate a rash of Miami Beach murders . . . only to uncover a deadly conspiracy that spans decades.

19. Crooked River

Racing to uncover the mystery of several severed feet found floating in the Gulf of Mexico, Agent Pendergast is faced with the most inexplicable challenge of his career.

20. Bloodless

Agent Pendergast faces his most unexpected challenge yet when bloodless bodies begin to appear in Savannah, GA.

21. The Cabinet of Dr. Leng

Preston and Child continue their #1 bestselling series featuring FBI Special Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene, as they cross paths with New York’s deadliest serial killer: Pendergast’s own ancestor…and now his greatest foe.

22. Angel of Vengeance

A desperate bargain is broken…Constance Greene confronts Manhattan’s most dangerous serial killer, Enoch Leng, bartering for her sister’s life – but she is betrayed and turned away empty-handed, incandescent with rage.