Wheel of Darkness

July 16, 2007
In the exciting eighth supernatural thriller from bestsellers Preston and Child (after 2006’s The Book of the Dead
), FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, seek peace of mind at a remote Tibetan monastery, only to fall into yet another perilous, potentially earthshaking assignment. The monastery’s abbot asks them to recover a stolen relic, the cryptic Agozyen, which could, in the wrong hands, wipe out humanity. The pair follow the trail to a luxury cruise ship, where a series of brutal murders suggests the relic’s evil spirit might already have been invoked. Fans of earlier books focused on a thinly disguised American Museum of Natural History may find less at stake among the new cast of secondary characters, but the fate of Constance, who claims to have aborted the child of Pendergast’s villainous younger brother, remains a potent subplot. While not as frightening as others in the series, this entry still shows why the authors stand head and shoulders above their rivals in this subgenre.

November 15, 2007
A new Preston/Child book is like a gift that keeps on giving. Through every story featuring FBI special agent Pendergast, the authors weave a tale of terror so engrossing that putting it down is an act of will. The first half of The Wheel of Darkness finds Pendergast and his ward, Constance Green, in a Tibetan monastery in an effort to rid their minds and hearts of the horror that Pendergast's brother, Diogenes, put them through in The Book of the Dead. Pendergast is asked by one of the monks to help recover a most valuable stolen artifact, something that could prove to be a threat to the entire world. One slight problem: the monks have no idea what the artifact looks like since no one has dared to gaze at it for centuries. Once Pendergast discovers the missing item's location, the stage is set for part two: the maiden voyage of the Britannia, the largest ocean liner in the world and one that will soon be the victim of a terrifying series of events. Ren Auberjonois, veteran of previous Pendergast novels, is a master of voices and of maintaining suspense throughout. Through his skilled narration, readers will find themselves in perhaps the best Pendergast novel of all. Every library should have this in their audio collection; a great story presented by a great reader.Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 27, 2007
Hachette once again smartly enlists the services of Auberjonois (who won an Audie Award for reading Preston and Child's Dance of Death) to read the latest high-flown supernatural thriller from the bestselling team. His rendition of even the most outlandish adventures of FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, provides exactly the calm, cool atmosphere that makes the occasionally hard-to-swallow story into a tasty snack. On a retreat from their action-packed lives at a Tibetan monastery, Aloysius and Constance are asked by the abbot to save the world. Upon boarding a luxury liner on its maiden voyage, they discover an ancient relic that promises bloody death. Auberjonois brings the three lead characters to life-the crusty Pendergast, the troubled Greene and the Yoda-like head monk. As for the bad guys-natural and supernatural-Auberjonois provides just enough menace to make them really frightening and never goes over the top or makes them cartoonish. This might not be the best of Child and Preston's popular efforts, but under Auberjonois's expert guidance, it should keep listeners very diverted. Simultaneous release with the Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, July 16).