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Pendergast #0.5
Pendergast: The Beginning
From the #1 New York Times bestselling duo Preston and Child comes THE Agent Pendergast origin story – an event for longtime fans of the beloved series and for new readers who want to start at The Beginning.
512 pages, Paperback
Published January 27, 2026
1360 people are currently reading
11184 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
183 books13.5k followersDouglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
December 7, 2025
Step into the captivating realm of Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast, a remarkable man whose extraordinary journey with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is nothing short of legendary. From facing spine-chilling supernatural entities to battling ancient horrors, and even navigating the twists of time to track down a Victorian-era serial killer, Pendergast’s adventures are truly awe-inspiring!
Get ready to uncover the thrilling origins of this exceptional agent as we explore his early days with the FBI! You'll be entranced by the haunting cases that marked the start of his career—each filled with peril and intrigue, where deadly consequences lurked just around the corner. Join us on this enlightening journey as we reveal the truths behind the man, the myth, and the intriguing mysteries that sculpted Special Agent Pendergast into the extraordinary figure we’ve come to admire.
"Pendergast: The Beginning" invites readers on an exhilarating and nostolgic adventure into the formative years of Aloysius Pendergast, as he embarks on his thrilling path as a junior FBI agent in the vibrant, often dangerous streets of New Orleans in the early 1990s. The story dives into Pendergast’s fascinating family legacy, brimming with secrets and unique eccentricities, while introducing his wise mentor, Agent Chambers. This dynamic duo works together to unravel the mysteries posed by a sinister, twisted serial killer.
With every page turn, authors Preston and Child skillfully weave a rich tapestry of suspense and intrigue, filled with unexpected plot twists and clever misdirection that will keep you on the edge of your seat. They create a chilling atmosphere that draws you into harrowing crime scenes, presenting unforgettable villains who will haunt your thoughts long after you’ve finished reading. This gripping installment is genuinely a page-turner, compelling you to stay lost in its intoxicating narrative until the final shocker unfolds. It’s such an engaging story that you may find it impossible to put down! I genuinely encourage you to grab a copy. Whether you’re new to the Pendergast series or a seasoned fan, this book is a fantastic entry point that will surely enchant you.
Mark your calendars—the anticipated publication date in the UK is set for January 29, 2026, while readers in Canada and the US can look forward to its release on January 27, 2026!
A heartfelt thank you to Zoe at Head of Zeus, NetGalley, and Aria & Aries | Head of Zeus for providing the widget to download the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.
Get ready to uncover the thrilling origins of this exceptional agent as we explore his early days with the FBI! You'll be entranced by the haunting cases that marked the start of his career—each filled with peril and intrigue, where deadly consequences lurked just around the corner. Join us on this enlightening journey as we reveal the truths behind the man, the myth, and the intriguing mysteries that sculpted Special Agent Pendergast into the extraordinary figure we’ve come to admire.
"Pendergast: The Beginning" invites readers on an exhilarating and nostolgic adventure into the formative years of Aloysius Pendergast, as he embarks on his thrilling path as a junior FBI agent in the vibrant, often dangerous streets of New Orleans in the early 1990s. The story dives into Pendergast’s fascinating family legacy, brimming with secrets and unique eccentricities, while introducing his wise mentor, Agent Chambers. This dynamic duo works together to unravel the mysteries posed by a sinister, twisted serial killer.
With every page turn, authors Preston and Child skillfully weave a rich tapestry of suspense and intrigue, filled with unexpected plot twists and clever misdirection that will keep you on the edge of your seat. They create a chilling atmosphere that draws you into harrowing crime scenes, presenting unforgettable villains who will haunt your thoughts long after you’ve finished reading. This gripping installment is genuinely a page-turner, compelling you to stay lost in its intoxicating narrative until the final shocker unfolds. It’s such an engaging story that you may find it impossible to put down! I genuinely encourage you to grab a copy. Whether you’re new to the Pendergast series or a seasoned fan, this book is a fantastic entry point that will surely enchant you.
Mark your calendars—the anticipated publication date in the UK is set for January 29, 2026, while readers in Canada and the US can look forward to its release on January 27, 2026!
A heartfelt thank you to Zoe at Head of Zeus, NetGalley, and Aria & Aries | Head of Zeus for providing the widget to download the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.
January 29, 2026
This is the origin story of FBI agent Pendergast. I have read every book in this series, but this book works perfectly as a standalone and is an excellent introduction to the wonderful creation that is Pendergast. In this book, he is newly installed in the New Orleans office and is assigned to a senior agent who theoretically is supposed to show him the ropes. However, that is not how Pendergast works, and he and his partner are soon exiled from the office and turn to an old case. The case is very creepy, the bodies pile up and Pendergast’s adversary has special skills. Unfortunately for him, so does Pendergast.
This book was perfect for me. It had a great plot. Pendergast is restored to the character I love (unlike the unrecognizable character in the more recent books). There is no Constance (I hate her guts) and it gives more of the Proctor backstory (if you’ve read this series you’ll know who these are). And the audiobook is narrated by Jefferson Mays. The ending of this book leads you right into “Relic”. Also a great book.
This book was perfect for me. It had a great plot. Pendergast is restored to the character I love (unlike the unrecognizable character in the more recent books). There is no Constance (I hate her guts) and it gives more of the Proctor backstory (if you’ve read this series you’ll know who these are). And the audiobook is narrated by Jefferson Mays. The ending of this book leads you right into “Relic”. Also a great book.
January 27, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for the pre-release copy of Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Below is my honest review.
I am *super* excited that we are getting a pre-Relic Pendergast tale. There is so much history that's hinted at and revealed over the course of the extremely long series, so having full length stories going into depth for some is such an awesome thing.
I really loved this one. It's classic Pendergast, but it's early on in his career and explains some really lingering questions: why was he transferred to NYC? Why is Proctor so loyal? What happened to his New Orleans partner agent?
It had a great plot, some very Pendergast-novel murders, and some fun little tidbits of sci-fi goodness.
Keep at it, Doug and Linc. We need more Pendergast stories, and I'll gladly devour any stories about him from ANY point on the timeline.
Five stars, highly recommended, AND since it's a prequel that was specifically written to be another potential starting point for new readers, you can start with this one if you'd like.
I am *super* excited that we are getting a pre-Relic Pendergast tale. There is so much history that's hinted at and revealed over the course of the extremely long series, so having full length stories going into depth for some is such an awesome thing.
I really loved this one. It's classic Pendergast, but it's early on in his career and explains some really lingering questions: why was he transferred to NYC? Why is Proctor so loyal? What happened to his New Orleans partner agent?
It had a great plot, some very Pendergast-novel murders, and some fun little tidbits of sci-fi goodness.
Keep at it, Doug and Linc. We need more Pendergast stories, and I'll gladly devour any stories about him from ANY point on the timeline.
Five stars, highly recommended, AND since it's a prequel that was specifically written to be another potential starting point for new readers, you can start with this one if you'd like.
December 30, 2025
Have you been reading Pendergast books for a while, entranced by this man, his shadowy background and almost otherworldly skills, involved in solving often peculiar, often shocking crimes? Or have you heard of Pendergast but read little of the Preston and Child series? Have I got a book to recommend to you both. Pendergast: The Beginning is the foundational story of the man as an FBI agent. With new hints of his life before the Agency, we see the man hit the road running in his probationary placement in the New Orleans field office in 1994.
Beginning by taking a look at older unsolved cases, Pendergast begins to see what he considers a possible trail of a serial killer, linked to a current murder case. In a style that will make many of his bosses and co-workers irritable or downright angry in coming years, Pendergast works with Chambers, his mentor, before going rogue with his own theories and investigations. The case that he discovers uncovers layers and years of strange events and death. The men he has identified as involved are interesting and the chase becomes a very exciting fight to the death.
I really enjoyed this outing with Aloysius Pendergast as he begins making his unusual mark on the world of fighting crime and unusual criminals. I plan to continue reading new works about his exploits.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I’m happy to provide a review.
Beginning by taking a look at older unsolved cases, Pendergast begins to see what he considers a possible trail of a serial killer, linked to a current murder case. In a style that will make many of his bosses and co-workers irritable or downright angry in coming years, Pendergast works with Chambers, his mentor, before going rogue with his own theories and investigations. The case that he discovers uncovers layers and years of strange events and death. The men he has identified as involved are interesting and the chase becomes a very exciting fight to the death.
I really enjoyed this outing with Aloysius Pendergast as he begins making his unusual mark on the world of fighting crime and unusual criminals. I plan to continue reading new works about his exploits.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I’m happy to provide a review.
December 8, 2025
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
Preston and Child take us back to the year 1994, when Agent Pendergast was new to the FBI, stationed in his home town of New Orleans. For his first real action, he discovers an old cold case ties in with a recent killing, and eventually connects more, proving there's a serial killer. Already displaying his trademarked tendency to ignore authority and conduct investigations as he sees fit, even if it means going rogue with regards to department policy, Pendergast will have a challenge persuading his mentor that the deaths they're investigating aren't as clear cut as they appear.
It was great going back in time to the early days of Pendergast, to see him operate and feel what it was like in the earlier novels as opposed to how far down the rabbit hole the series has gone in recent years. And, of course, an introduction to his driver/bodyguard Proctor and how evnetually those two came together. I wouldn't mind seeing more retro stories in the series.
Preston and Child take us back to the year 1994, when Agent Pendergast was new to the FBI, stationed in his home town of New Orleans. For his first real action, he discovers an old cold case ties in with a recent killing, and eventually connects more, proving there's a serial killer. Already displaying his trademarked tendency to ignore authority and conduct investigations as he sees fit, even if it means going rogue with regards to department policy, Pendergast will have a challenge persuading his mentor that the deaths they're investigating aren't as clear cut as they appear.
It was great going back in time to the early days of Pendergast, to see him operate and feel what it was like in the earlier novels as opposed to how far down the rabbit hole the series has gone in recent years. And, of course, an introduction to his driver/bodyguard Proctor and how evnetually those two came together. I wouldn't mind seeing more retro stories in the series.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This review was originally published at FanFiAddict.
According to the Goodreads star-ratings metric, two stars means a book was OK. If one must use a star-rating, this works well enough since Pendergast: The Beginning is the textbook definition of a supremely OK book. Coming along as entry #23 in the Pendergast series, co-authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child go back in time to just before their collaborative debut with The Relic to explore the titular FBI agent’s first case a newbie investigator in ye olden days of 1994.
This makes for a neat trip down memory lane, although I shudder at the realization that some of you reading this now might not even have been born then (a thought that has prompted me to sprout at least three more gray hairs), but Pendergast itself feels less like a story the authors were in urgent need of telling than a book written to fulfill a contractual obligation. Sure, they throw in the requisite twists and turns, transforming a rote serial killer story into something more nefarious and deeper, not to mention something straight out of another ‘90s staple, The X-Files, but it lacks that particular spark of yesteryear.
Keeping a series character feeling fresh after 30 years is a difficult task for any author. I stopped reading the Pendergast books roughly 15 years ago after Cemetery Dance and have only occasionally dipped back into the various other series Preston & Child have dreamt up since. I haven’t felt much of a need to check back in with Pendergast, but nostalgia and curiosity once again got the better of me with The Beginning. I’m happy to report this wasn’t a complete waste of my time, but I probably won’t feel the need to pick up a Pendergast book for at least another 15 years.
Pendergast, for me, is a character that has always worked better in small doses as a supporting character. He’s an eccentric, anachronistic, know-it-all oddball. He’s a Deep South Hercule Poirot derivative, a moneyed aristocrat who never feels like a contemporary character but one that has been plucked from a Holmesian mystery book several centuries past and plopped into the present-day, of which he is completely oblivious to. Pendergast is not without charm, but it’s easier to relate to senior Agent Chambers, the Lestrade to Pendergast’s Holmes, whom he is partnered with in The Beginning. Chambers is often completely exasperated by and at wits end with the ostensibly younger agent’s roguish deductions, leaps of logic, and overall strange behavior. I, too, have come to find myself more exasperated than charmed by Pendergast over the years, particularly as he has become the central focus of so many books that have served to progressively strip away the mystery and deepen the soap opera of his weirdo life. See again: small doses.
Pendergast: The Beginning is written with a certain irony, of course. At one point, Chambers thinks of the clues his partner has uncovered as the kind that can only exist in fiction. It’s also a wink and a nod to readers, given that Pendergast is the type of character that can only exist in fiction. He’s a striking work of imagination, but every time he appears on page we are forced to reckon with the uncanny valley of his artificial existence. Nobody speaks or behaves like this in the real world. He’s a comic book character writ large, a sort of Batman for popular fiction airport reads, with his master of disguise schtick, which we see in the book’s opening, and suit jacket cum utility belt filled with hidden compartments chockfull of the investigator’s tools. Pendergast isn’t an FBI agent so much as he’s the imaginary ideal of an FBI agent, working for the imaginary ideal of a competent federal investigatory agency that, even in this entirely made-up world, has a hard time putting up with his shit.
Said shit eventually culminates in a fiery climax set aboard a paddle wheel steamboat, because not even Pendergast’s nemeses can behave even the least bit contemporary, forcing one to question why these guys aren’t caught sooner. If you want to know who the killer in any given Pendergast book is, look for the guy who acts like he’s a Jame Bond villain that’s at least two centuries past their expiration date.
Part of the problem with Pendergast: The Beginning is that it’s tonally inconsistent. It tries to be everything for everyone and ultimately feels like nothing more than a mish-mash of incongruent oddities. Lincoln & Child have their fun crafting a modern-day Sherlock Holmes howdunit (who the bad guy is is never in question for long, to either readers or Pendergast himself), right down to giving Pendergast his own Moriarty (something they’d already done previously in the Diogenes trilogy). Their wannabe brainy horror-mystery then devolves into a straight-up actioner that reads like Under Siege on a riverboat. Readers, it is impossible not to feel some degree of whiplash swinging from Sherlock Holmes straight into a ‘90s-era Steven Seagal set piece.
As a teenager in the ‘90s, I couldn’t help but think of The Relic as one of literature’s greats. It helped scratch that particular itch I had as an X-Files obsessive. Thirty years later, I can’t help but see Pendergast, with all its pastiche derivations and its central character’s baggage of oddities, as pure silliness. Fun, certainly, but still supremely silly, with Pendergast and all his affectations, coming across as the silliest of them all. In another year, in another country, under a different presidential administration, I might question how he’s managed to keep himself employed in the FBI, but considering the state of our constantly norm-defying, increasingly AI slop-ridden, real world and the agency currently being led by the ever-embarrassing Trump cultist Kash Patel, I suppose I must give him yet another pass. I don’t know if Pendergast is any sillier than what’s happening outside these book’s pages, but I do know he’s certainly less harmful.
According to the Goodreads star-ratings metric, two stars means a book was OK. If one must use a star-rating, this works well enough since Pendergast: The Beginning is the textbook definition of a supremely OK book. Coming along as entry #23 in the Pendergast series, co-authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child go back in time to just before their collaborative debut with The Relic to explore the titular FBI agent’s first case a newbie investigator in ye olden days of 1994.
This makes for a neat trip down memory lane, although I shudder at the realization that some of you reading this now might not even have been born then (a thought that has prompted me to sprout at least three more gray hairs), but Pendergast itself feels less like a story the authors were in urgent need of telling than a book written to fulfill a contractual obligation. Sure, they throw in the requisite twists and turns, transforming a rote serial killer story into something more nefarious and deeper, not to mention something straight out of another ‘90s staple, The X-Files, but it lacks that particular spark of yesteryear.
Keeping a series character feeling fresh after 30 years is a difficult task for any author. I stopped reading the Pendergast books roughly 15 years ago after Cemetery Dance and have only occasionally dipped back into the various other series Preston & Child have dreamt up since. I haven’t felt much of a need to check back in with Pendergast, but nostalgia and curiosity once again got the better of me with The Beginning. I’m happy to report this wasn’t a complete waste of my time, but I probably won’t feel the need to pick up a Pendergast book for at least another 15 years.
Pendergast, for me, is a character that has always worked better in small doses as a supporting character. He’s an eccentric, anachronistic, know-it-all oddball. He’s a Deep South Hercule Poirot derivative, a moneyed aristocrat who never feels like a contemporary character but one that has been plucked from a Holmesian mystery book several centuries past and plopped into the present-day, of which he is completely oblivious to. Pendergast is not without charm, but it’s easier to relate to senior Agent Chambers, the Lestrade to Pendergast’s Holmes, whom he is partnered with in The Beginning. Chambers is often completely exasperated by and at wits end with the ostensibly younger agent’s roguish deductions, leaps of logic, and overall strange behavior. I, too, have come to find myself more exasperated than charmed by Pendergast over the years, particularly as he has become the central focus of so many books that have served to progressively strip away the mystery and deepen the soap opera of his weirdo life. See again: small doses.
Pendergast: The Beginning is written with a certain irony, of course. At one point, Chambers thinks of the clues his partner has uncovered as the kind that can only exist in fiction. It’s also a wink and a nod to readers, given that Pendergast is the type of character that can only exist in fiction. He’s a striking work of imagination, but every time he appears on page we are forced to reckon with the uncanny valley of his artificial existence. Nobody speaks or behaves like this in the real world. He’s a comic book character writ large, a sort of Batman for popular fiction airport reads, with his master of disguise schtick, which we see in the book’s opening, and suit jacket cum utility belt filled with hidden compartments chockfull of the investigator’s tools. Pendergast isn’t an FBI agent so much as he’s the imaginary ideal of an FBI agent, working for the imaginary ideal of a competent federal investigatory agency that, even in this entirely made-up world, has a hard time putting up with his shit.
Said shit eventually culminates in a fiery climax set aboard a paddle wheel steamboat, because not even Pendergast’s nemeses can behave even the least bit contemporary, forcing one to question why these guys aren’t caught sooner. If you want to know who the killer in any given Pendergast book is, look for the guy who acts like he’s a Jame Bond villain that’s at least two centuries past their expiration date.
Part of the problem with Pendergast: The Beginning is that it’s tonally inconsistent. It tries to be everything for everyone and ultimately feels like nothing more than a mish-mash of incongruent oddities. Lincoln & Child have their fun crafting a modern-day Sherlock Holmes howdunit (who the bad guy is is never in question for long, to either readers or Pendergast himself), right down to giving Pendergast his own Moriarty (something they’d already done previously in the Diogenes trilogy). Their wannabe brainy horror-mystery then devolves into a straight-up actioner that reads like Under Siege on a riverboat. Readers, it is impossible not to feel some degree of whiplash swinging from Sherlock Holmes straight into a ‘90s-era Steven Seagal set piece.
As a teenager in the ‘90s, I couldn’t help but think of The Relic as one of literature’s greats. It helped scratch that particular itch I had as an X-Files obsessive. Thirty years later, I can’t help but see Pendergast, with all its pastiche derivations and its central character’s baggage of oddities, as pure silliness. Fun, certainly, but still supremely silly, with Pendergast and all his affectations, coming across as the silliest of them all. In another year, in another country, under a different presidential administration, I might question how he’s managed to keep himself employed in the FBI, but considering the state of our constantly norm-defying, increasingly AI slop-ridden, real world and the agency currently being led by the ever-embarrassing Trump cultist Kash Patel, I suppose I must give him yet another pass. I don’t know if Pendergast is any sillier than what’s happening outside these book’s pages, but I do know he’s certainly less harmful.
November 25, 2025
***Slow And Unevenly Paced Through The First 70% But Finishes Strong!
Pendergast: The Beginning is one of those books that’s both satisfying and somewhat disappointing at the same time. As an early but lapsed fan of the series in recent years, I looked forward to reading this book in order to get a closer look at the early life of Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast—his family, his formative experiences, and the shadows that shaped him. There are some genuinely very good moments here and, as always, Preston & Child continue to do a very good job in building atmosphere.
But… this is also a rare case where the authors’ own mythology works against them. By pulling back the curtain on Pendergast’s past, the book inevitably removes some of the mystique that made him such a compelling character in the first place. Certain revelations feel a bit too tidy, and I found the pacing to oftentimes be uneven—slow throughout a considerable portion of the book, then suddenly rushing once the actual plot kicks up the excitement level during the final 30% of the book. Further, several side characters come off as flat; more archetype than flesh and blood.
Still, for big fans of the series featuring Pendergast it’s an enjoyable dive into the lore—even if it’s not as tight, thrilling, or surprising as the best entries in the series. For newcomers, though, this probably isn’t the book to start with. It’s more of a companion piece than a standalone knockout.
#Pendergast,The Beginning. #Net Galley
Pendergast: The Beginning is one of those books that’s both satisfying and somewhat disappointing at the same time. As an early but lapsed fan of the series in recent years, I looked forward to reading this book in order to get a closer look at the early life of Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast—his family, his formative experiences, and the shadows that shaped him. There are some genuinely very good moments here and, as always, Preston & Child continue to do a very good job in building atmosphere.
But… this is also a rare case where the authors’ own mythology works against them. By pulling back the curtain on Pendergast’s past, the book inevitably removes some of the mystique that made him such a compelling character in the first place. Certain revelations feel a bit too tidy, and I found the pacing to oftentimes be uneven—slow throughout a considerable portion of the book, then suddenly rushing once the actual plot kicks up the excitement level during the final 30% of the book. Further, several side characters come off as flat; more archetype than flesh and blood.
Still, for big fans of the series featuring Pendergast it’s an enjoyable dive into the lore—even if it’s not as tight, thrilling, or surprising as the best entries in the series. For newcomers, though, this probably isn’t the book to start with. It’s more of a companion piece than a standalone knockout.
#Pendergast,The Beginning. #Net Galley
November 25, 2025
Decent but somewhat disappointing origin story about the start of Pendergast's FBI career in New Orleans. The case chosen is a bit more pedestrian than you'd expect and not seemingly worthy of the beginning of a character as iconic as Pendergast. As has been the case with several of the last few entries in the series, the writing is getting somewhat stale and cliched at times. I've read every book in the series and I long for the days of exciting stories like Relic and Still Life With Crows, just to name a few. It's certainly not a bad book, but it's just not as good as you'd expect for an entry of this nature. We do get to see the initial connection with Proctor, which is cool, and the epilogue reminds us of the glory days of the series. I liked it generally, but I was left wanting more. Here's hoping again that this duo can find the same magic that once existed in the series. I know I'll keep reading regardless, though. Thanks to the publisher via Netgally for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 1, 2026
I am familiar with the authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, but have not read any of their work recently, so it was a great surprise to see Pendergast: The Beginning up for grabs on NetGalley. I get an introduction to Pendergast through the experience of his first case. And what a whopper of a case it is.
FBI Special Agent Dwight Chambers’ life has fallen into a shamble, and, on top of that, he is assigned a new agent as his partner, A X L Pendergast. When Pendergast pulls a stunt, they are told to go work on something and stay away from the office. Pendergast loves the opportunity to work on a cold case that caught his attention. Neither him nor Chambers could have foreseen what was to come…and I wasn’t either.
Pendergast is a quirky character, and I love him. He sees more than meets the eye, and he will need every bit of his inner sight to battle evil. Why would a person as rich as Pendergast, want to be an FBI agent? You will need to read the story to find out why. It will test all his skills.
Chambers was a puzzle to me and I will solve it…maybe. Still, at the end, I am not sure what to make of him. Is he clueless, gullible?
The villains are awesome, and I mean that in the worst possible way. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have created some of the most intriguing characters. None of them are perfect in any way.
Wow. I knew some things before they happened. I have read so many books, it is hard to totally surprise me, but that ending. Fantastic. I think I have read some of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s work, but I will definitely be reading more, now that he is in my sights.
See more at https://www.fundinmental.com
FBI Special Agent Dwight Chambers’ life has fallen into a shamble, and, on top of that, he is assigned a new agent as his partner, A X L Pendergast. When Pendergast pulls a stunt, they are told to go work on something and stay away from the office. Pendergast loves the opportunity to work on a cold case that caught his attention. Neither him nor Chambers could have foreseen what was to come…and I wasn’t either.
Pendergast is a quirky character, and I love him. He sees more than meets the eye, and he will need every bit of his inner sight to battle evil. Why would a person as rich as Pendergast, want to be an FBI agent? You will need to read the story to find out why. It will test all his skills.
Chambers was a puzzle to me and I will solve it…maybe. Still, at the end, I am not sure what to make of him. Is he clueless, gullible?
The villains are awesome, and I mean that in the worst possible way. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have created some of the most intriguing characters. None of them are perfect in any way.
Wow. I knew some things before they happened. I have read so many books, it is hard to totally surprise me, but that ending. Fantastic. I think I have read some of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s work, but I will definitely be reading more, now that he is in my sights.
See more at https://www.fundinmental.com
December 8, 2025
PENDERGAST: The Beginning, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child shows us the start of Agent Pendergast's illustrious career. It was nice to see the enigmatic Pendergast without all the accumulated "baggage" that has surrounded him for the past half dozen or so books. I loved that we got to see his interaction with Proctor (another favored character), and some of his trademark investigative genius.
The case itself was a little underwhelming for my tastes; switching mid-book into something...quite bizarre. This was probably more a fault of my hoping that we would be seeing into an even earlier period, including the house his parents died in, than the writing itself. I was expecting more information on an even earlier path, and this story was set as more of a precursor to THE RELIC. That being said, the epilogue made me think fondly of those earlier books, where our MC was not .
Overall, smooth writing style featuring one of my all-time favorite Protagonists. I was a bit disappointed not to have a better glimpse into an even earlier time, and featuring some of his more "infamous" family members. However, a good throwback to the original Pendergast from the early books.
The case itself was a little underwhelming for my tastes; switching mid-book into something...quite bizarre. This was probably more a fault of my hoping that we would be seeing into an even earlier period, including the house his parents died in, than the writing itself. I was expecting more information on an even earlier path, and this story was set as more of a precursor to THE RELIC. That being said, the epilogue made me think fondly of those earlier books, where our MC was not .
Overall, smooth writing style featuring one of my all-time favorite Protagonists. I was a bit disappointed not to have a better glimpse into an even earlier time, and featuring some of his more "infamous" family members. However, a good throwback to the original Pendergast from the early books.
February 2, 2026
3.5 generous stars
For fans of this series, this is the story of Special Agent Pendergast’s first big FBI case. The story takes place in 1994, only a couple years before the events in “Relic.” Fan-favorite supporting character Proctor is here too.
If you’re not familiar with this series, this crime story can be read as a standalone.
The novel itself follows the trail of a kidnapper and killer who is inexplicably interested in men’s right arms. Yes you read that correctly.
There’s more to it than that, but you’ll have to wait until the second half of the novel.
I can’t recommend this book, not for Pendergast fans or for anybody else, really. The story is very basic in my opinion and it’s nothing you haven’t read a dozen times before. The pacing is uneven especially in the middle.
As far as being a Pendergast origin story, this ain’t it. We already know he’s an FBI agent and makes everybody he works with crazy. This book does have some additional detail about Pendergast’s working relationship with Proctor prior to the FBI, so that’s something. Gentlemen, this is book 23 and nobody is getting any younger. There are giant gaping holes in his backstory pre-FBI that we still barely understand. Ghost Company is a trilogy waiting to happen, and so is The Family Pendergast and their history in New Orleans. Still waiting, I guess.
For fans of this series, this is the story of Special Agent Pendergast’s first big FBI case. The story takes place in 1994, only a couple years before the events in “Relic.” Fan-favorite supporting character Proctor is here too.
If you’re not familiar with this series, this crime story can be read as a standalone.
The novel itself follows the trail of a kidnapper and killer who is inexplicably interested in men’s right arms. Yes you read that correctly.
There’s more to it than that, but you’ll have to wait until the second half of the novel.
I can’t recommend this book, not for Pendergast fans or for anybody else, really. The story is very basic in my opinion and it’s nothing you haven’t read a dozen times before. The pacing is uneven especially in the middle.
As far as being a Pendergast origin story, this ain’t it. We already know he’s an FBI agent and makes everybody he works with crazy. This book does have some additional detail about Pendergast’s working relationship with Proctor prior to the FBI, so that’s something. Gentlemen, this is book 23 and nobody is getting any younger. There are giant gaping holes in his backstory pre-FBI that we still barely understand. Ghost Company is a trilogy waiting to happen, and so is The Family Pendergast and their history in New Orleans. Still waiting, I guess.
January 29, 2026
Suspenseful, addictive, and twisty!
In this twenty-third instalment in the Pendergast series, Pendergast: The Beginning, we head back in time to 1990s New Orleans, when Agent Pendergast’s career in the FBI first began with a complex case involving a serial killer with a chilling fixation on right arms.
The writing is taut and intense. The characters are meticulous, tormented, and persistent. And the plot is a suspenseful, engrossing whodunit full of twists, turns, lies, deception, revelations, obsession, depravity, violence, and murder, all interwoven with a dab of the supernatural.
Overall, Pendergast: The Beginning is an eerie, tortuous, fast-paced tale by Preston & Child that far exceeded my expectations and does an exceptional job of highlighting just how easily evil can live among us hidden behind masks of normality.
In this twenty-third instalment in the Pendergast series, Pendergast: The Beginning, we head back in time to 1990s New Orleans, when Agent Pendergast’s career in the FBI first began with a complex case involving a serial killer with a chilling fixation on right arms.
The writing is taut and intense. The characters are meticulous, tormented, and persistent. And the plot is a suspenseful, engrossing whodunit full of twists, turns, lies, deception, revelations, obsession, depravity, violence, and murder, all interwoven with a dab of the supernatural.
Overall, Pendergast: The Beginning is an eerie, tortuous, fast-paced tale by Preston & Child that far exceeded my expectations and does an exceptional job of highlighting just how easily evil can live among us hidden behind masks of normality.
Read
February 1, 2026The Lord’s Name in Vain. DNF’d.
February 3, 2026
Review to come soon.
dnf
January 23, 2026DNF on page one when one of the characters was introduced as “Martego Unpronounceable-Last-Name.”
GTFO with that.
GTFO with that.
November 16, 2025
This book is a prequel to the Pendergast series and goes back to just before he appears in The Relic. It takes place in New Orleans before he is transferred to New York City and as with the other books in the series is engaging which makes it a fast read. It is well done and provides some more background on the main character. A definite read for those who are fans of the Pendergast series.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon, and my fiction book review blog.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon, and my fiction book review blog.
November 4, 2025
I feel like I was there for the literary beginning of Pendergast — I read “Relic” in 1995 and the FBI special agent had a small part in the shadows (and did not appear in the movie). Now, twenty two books later and of indeterminate age (maybe born in 1960, but still in his 40s), we get an origin book for A.X.L. Pendergast. It’s taken a long time for the reader to glean certain facts (like his first name, later his middle name, a former wife who is dead/then not-dead, twin sons secretly born in 2012, a beautiful companion who is really about 150 years old, and many relatives who dealt in, um, pharmaceuticals). Plus many unexpected supernatural encounters.
This particular origin story is focused on Pendergast’s first days at the New Orleans Field Office as a rookie agent. His placement there is due to an intervention higher up, although he was born in Louisiana. He’s been partnered with Dwight Chambers, an agent near retirement and terribly depressed after the death of his wife. Chambers initially has no desire to mentor the strange pale young man, but is eventually intrigued enough to work a cold case with corpses missing right arms. Simultaneously, we’re introduced to Proctor’s pre-Pendergast chauffeur story — as a former military man working private security who is unexpectedly kidnapped by a man who is admiring Proctor’s right arm. A typically weird Preston/Child plot. Have no fear: rookie Pendergast presented himself then with the same sly arrogance that still has.
Pendergast generally doesn’t have partners (until the great addition of Coldmoon), and we do get to meet the agent who was assigned to mentor him initially.
I felt the plot was a clever way to give us more of early Pendergast without considering the trajectory of the future storylines, and I’m all in for more early New Orleans Pendergast capers. 4.5 stars.
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Sophie has jade colored eyes, and Magnus has deep green, almost feminine, eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There are exuberant descriptions of live oaks, Chinese Wisteria and Spanish moss that characterize the Louisiana swamp.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!
This particular origin story is focused on Pendergast’s first days at the New Orleans Field Office as a rookie agent. His placement there is due to an intervention higher up, although he was born in Louisiana. He’s been partnered with Dwight Chambers, an agent near retirement and terribly depressed after the death of his wife. Chambers initially has no desire to mentor the strange pale young man, but is eventually intrigued enough to work a cold case with corpses missing right arms. Simultaneously, we’re introduced to Proctor’s pre-Pendergast chauffeur story — as a former military man working private security who is unexpectedly kidnapped by a man who is admiring Proctor’s right arm. A typically weird Preston/Child plot. Have no fear: rookie Pendergast presented himself then with the same sly arrogance that still has.
Pendergast generally doesn’t have partners (until the great addition of Coldmoon), and we do get to meet the agent who was assigned to mentor him initially.
I felt the plot was a clever way to give us more of early Pendergast without considering the trajectory of the future storylines, and I’m all in for more early New Orleans Pendergast capers. 4.5 stars.
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Sophie has jade colored eyes, and Magnus has deep green, almost feminine, eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There are exuberant descriptions of live oaks, Chinese Wisteria and Spanish moss that characterize the Louisiana swamp.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!
January 30, 2026
You had me at the prolouge.
FBI Special agent Dwight Chambers has been assigned to mentor the new recruit A. X. L. Pendergast.
Poor guy. Before he knows it, Chambers is in all sorts of situations.
Forget all the short letter series on the telly, this is what you want.
🔹️
"For want of a better word. Devious. Calculating. careful."
🔹️
I have never been to swamps myself. Still, I can see their world. I can feel my own nervousness with the boats and hidden threats that might cost you an arm or a leg.
The pace of the story is good. There is always something happening, yet we have time to think, to let things... simmer, if you would like.
Pendergast might appear as a little peculiar to some. To me, it made total sense. Actually, he made sense total to me. As peculiar as that might sound.😂
🔹️
"Even I find this spectacle of ferocity and gore to be strangely compelling."
🔹️
This is not for the faint of heart.
I held my breath. Of course, I had to try.
Even though I was hooked, the authors kicked it up another notch when someone ran out of resources...
I enjoyed the different points of view. I do not know what it is. Somehow, I just crave the "bad" person's side of things in this book.
With enemies almost as formidable as the authors of this book, Chambers and Pandergast do their best to solve this case. I am at the edge of my wits, right down to the oh, so twisted twists.
🔹️
"He was done with Pendergast."
🔹️
You do not have to twist my arm, I think I have to read the "next" 22 books now.😁
FBI Special agent Dwight Chambers has been assigned to mentor the new recruit A. X. L. Pendergast.
Poor guy. Before he knows it, Chambers is in all sorts of situations.
Forget all the short letter series on the telly, this is what you want.
🔹️
"For want of a better word. Devious. Calculating. careful."
🔹️
I have never been to swamps myself. Still, I can see their world. I can feel my own nervousness with the boats and hidden threats that might cost you an arm or a leg.
The pace of the story is good. There is always something happening, yet we have time to think, to let things... simmer, if you would like.
Pendergast might appear as a little peculiar to some. To me, it made total sense. Actually, he made sense total to me. As peculiar as that might sound.😂
🔹️
"Even I find this spectacle of ferocity and gore to be strangely compelling."
🔹️
This is not for the faint of heart.
I held my breath. Of course, I had to try.
Even though I was hooked, the authors kicked it up another notch when someone ran out of resources...
I enjoyed the different points of view. I do not know what it is. Somehow, I just crave the "bad" person's side of things in this book.
With enemies almost as formidable as the authors of this book, Chambers and Pandergast do their best to solve this case. I am at the edge of my wits, right down to the oh, so twisted twists.
🔹️
"He was done with Pendergast."
🔹️
You do not have to twist my arm, I think I have to read the "next" 22 books now.😁
February 1, 2026
Pendergast's first case is best yet!
Pendergast: The Beginning, is, as it sounds, the origin story of the eponymous A.X.L Pendergast and chronicles his first case, one that broke all the rules about serial killers. The book is an absolute masterclass in mystery/thriller construction, there is nothing to criticize in this book. Like every Pendergast novel, things are much crazier than it seems on the surface, and the truth is brought to light via highly unique and amusing means. Overall, 5/5 stars, though it deserves more! Highly recommended for nearly any reader!
Pendergast: The Beginning, is, as it sounds, the origin story of the eponymous A.X.L Pendergast and chronicles his first case, one that broke all the rules about serial killers. The book is an absolute masterclass in mystery/thriller construction, there is nothing to criticize in this book. Like every Pendergast novel, things are much crazier than it seems on the surface, and the truth is brought to light via highly unique and amusing means. Overall, 5/5 stars, though it deserves more! Highly recommended for nearly any reader!
February 2, 2026
A whopping 5 stars. I was skeptical heading into this. I did not know what to expect. it was great seeing Pendergast up to his old tricks without his mental baggage that has plagued him in later novels. It was refreshing not having Constance lurking throughout. I hate her. Such good fun. A real page turner. I am an ardent fan of Pendergast. Have been for years. I have lost count of how many times I have re-read the entire series. This book is much better than say Crooked River, Obsidian Chamber or Bloodless. Just honest to goodness Pendergast doing what he does best.
January 14, 2026
I really liked Pendergast character and the way he worked to solve the murders with his partner. I liked how much back story we got of him. Some of the characters felt dull with not much personality.
Really creepy settings when it came to the murder scenes / body discoveries.
Parts of the story felt unfinished and rushed.
Since I enjoyed this one, I will continue reading this series soon.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Really creepy settings when it came to the murder scenes / body discoveries.
Parts of the story felt unfinished and rushed.
Since I enjoyed this one, I will continue reading this series soon.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 2, 2026
A Great Introduction into The Pendergast Series !
If you are a fan of Pendergast then you’ll certainly need no encouragement to read the latest in the series. If you’ve not yet begun reading of Pendergast then this is an excellent novel to begin with, and once read, then start with the first book of the series. It’s truly an amazing series !
If you are a fan of Pendergast then you’ll certainly need no encouragement to read the latest in the series. If you’ve not yet begun reading of Pendergast then this is an excellent novel to begin with, and once read, then start with the first book of the series. It’s truly an amazing series !
February 1, 2026
I have read so many of the Agent Pendergast books, plus the spin-offs with Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson, all of them excellent. While the mystery here might not have been epically good, it was wonderful to get backstory on Pendergast, as well as the mysterious Proctor. The only thing missing was a younger Constance Greene. Pendergast rules!
January 30, 2026
The Epilogue. It got me! Full circle. More Relic Pendergast!!!
January 28, 2026
Pendergast in his purest form!
December 1, 2025
I love this series so much! It's hard to believe I've been reading Pendergast books for more than two decades, and that they've been written for three, and yet each book feels fresh and original and moves the story along (forward or back) with innovative and interesting twists and turns!
While I must admit that this wasn't my very favorite of the series (I love Constance and Diogenes and have really preferred the books where they feature prominently), I still thoroughly enjoyed it - particularly picking up all of Proctor's backstory. The relationship between Chambers and Pendergast reminded me, in many ways, of that between D'Agosta and Pendergast, and I found that to lend itself to intriguing comparisons and projections as to how the former influenced the latter.
The pacing was quick and the writing crisp, as always. The characterizations were marvelous, again as always, and the book flew by for me. I hope Preston and Child keep writing Pendergast books for another couple of decades!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
While I must admit that this wasn't my very favorite of the series (I love Constance and Diogenes and have really preferred the books where they feature prominently), I still thoroughly enjoyed it - particularly picking up all of Proctor's backstory. The relationship between Chambers and Pendergast reminded me, in many ways, of that between D'Agosta and Pendergast, and I found that to lend itself to intriguing comparisons and projections as to how the former influenced the latter.
The pacing was quick and the writing crisp, as always. The characterizations were marvelous, again as always, and the book flew by for me. I hope Preston and Child keep writing Pendergast books for another couple of decades!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
December 11, 2025
Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Grand Central Publishing — thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.
I opened this prequel expecting something calm and nostalgic, maybe even a gentle “once upon a time” for our favorite pale and unsettling FBI agent. Instead, I got a story that grabbed me by the collar and said, “Sit down, we’re doing this my way.” Which, to be fair, is exactly how Pendergast himself operates, so the tone is fitting.
We meet him as a rookie assigned to the New Orleans Field Office, where Dwight Chambers—his designated mentor—is struggling to function after personal tragedy. Chambers is exhausted, grieving, and absolutely not in the mood to babysit an unnervingly polite wunderkind in a black suit who seems to know everything except how to follow a single order. Their early scenes together feel like watching a tired dad realize the toddler he’s been handed can pick locks, quote obscure poetry, and probably solve a homicide before breakfast. It’s funny, but also unexpectedly tender.
Once the pair are “temporarily encouraged” to disappear from the office after Pendergast pulls a stunt that would get a normal agent fired on sight, the book really opens up. They land on a strange murder over the Mississippi border, and what looks like an isolated case quickly spirals into something darker and much more elaborate. The ritualistic killings are chilling without leaning into shock value, and the pacing builds just right—steady at first, then tightening, then refusing to let go.
What impressed me most is how the authors balance familiarity with novelty. Pendergast already feels fully formed—precise, eerie, brilliant—but we get just enough vulnerability to remind us he hasn’t become that legend yet. And we finally see the early bond with Proctor, whose presence adds depth without stealing the spotlight. His storyline offers clarity on a relationship that always felt strange and strangely loyal.
New Orleans is almost a character itself here. The humidity, the layered history, the juxtaposition of beauty and decay—it all fits Pendergast like a tailored suit. If someone else had been born in this city, the story might’ve unfolded differently. But Pendergast? No. He and New Orleans share a sort of gothic DNA.
There’s one quote from the book I kept coming back to, because it sums up his entire vibe:
“Some men chase answers. Pendergast chases the truth hiding beneath them.”
That line snapped into place for me like the final bead on a string. It’s why he feels so different from every other fictional investigator.
Was everything perfect? No. I could nitpick the occasional detour that felt a bit stretched, or the fact that Pendergast shows almost no signs of rookie awkwardness—not that anyone expected him to. But honestly, the book’s charm is that it leans into his absurd competence with a straight face. The authors know their character, and they know their audience.
Reading this felt like settling in for a long-awaited reveal. Not a loud one, not an overwrought one, but the kind delivered in a quiet room where someone finally says, “Here’s how it really began.” And for longtime fans, it’s almost emotional.
The last pages tie directly into Relic, which made my little book-nerd heart flap like a startled pigeon.
In short: it’s atmospheric, clever, tense in all the right places, and absolutely worth losing sleep over. I started it at a reasonable hour and finished it at a deeply unreasonable one, muttering “just one more chapter” like a person bargaining with their own bad decisions.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Grand Central Publishing — thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.
I opened this prequel expecting something calm and nostalgic, maybe even a gentle “once upon a time” for our favorite pale and unsettling FBI agent. Instead, I got a story that grabbed me by the collar and said, “Sit down, we’re doing this my way.” Which, to be fair, is exactly how Pendergast himself operates, so the tone is fitting.
We meet him as a rookie assigned to the New Orleans Field Office, where Dwight Chambers—his designated mentor—is struggling to function after personal tragedy. Chambers is exhausted, grieving, and absolutely not in the mood to babysit an unnervingly polite wunderkind in a black suit who seems to know everything except how to follow a single order. Their early scenes together feel like watching a tired dad realize the toddler he’s been handed can pick locks, quote obscure poetry, and probably solve a homicide before breakfast. It’s funny, but also unexpectedly tender.
Once the pair are “temporarily encouraged” to disappear from the office after Pendergast pulls a stunt that would get a normal agent fired on sight, the book really opens up. They land on a strange murder over the Mississippi border, and what looks like an isolated case quickly spirals into something darker and much more elaborate. The ritualistic killings are chilling without leaning into shock value, and the pacing builds just right—steady at first, then tightening, then refusing to let go.
What impressed me most is how the authors balance familiarity with novelty. Pendergast already feels fully formed—precise, eerie, brilliant—but we get just enough vulnerability to remind us he hasn’t become that legend yet. And we finally see the early bond with Proctor, whose presence adds depth without stealing the spotlight. His storyline offers clarity on a relationship that always felt strange and strangely loyal.
New Orleans is almost a character itself here. The humidity, the layered history, the juxtaposition of beauty and decay—it all fits Pendergast like a tailored suit. If someone else had been born in this city, the story might’ve unfolded differently. But Pendergast? No. He and New Orleans share a sort of gothic DNA.
There’s one quote from the book I kept coming back to, because it sums up his entire vibe:
“Some men chase answers. Pendergast chases the truth hiding beneath them.”
That line snapped into place for me like the final bead on a string. It’s why he feels so different from every other fictional investigator.
Was everything perfect? No. I could nitpick the occasional detour that felt a bit stretched, or the fact that Pendergast shows almost no signs of rookie awkwardness—not that anyone expected him to. But honestly, the book’s charm is that it leans into his absurd competence with a straight face. The authors know their character, and they know their audience.
Reading this felt like settling in for a long-awaited reveal. Not a loud one, not an overwrought one, but the kind delivered in a quiet room where someone finally says, “Here’s how it really began.” And for longtime fans, it’s almost emotional.
The last pages tie directly into Relic, which made my little book-nerd heart flap like a startled pigeon.
In short: it’s atmospheric, clever, tense in all the right places, and absolutely worth losing sleep over. I started it at a reasonable hour and finished it at a deeply unreasonable one, muttering “just one more chapter” like a person bargaining with their own bad decisions.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
February 2, 2026
The enormously creative minds of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have provided readers with dozens of complex and intriguing stories over the past several decades. Nothing, though, has shined as brilliantly as their most popular character, A. X. L. Pendergast.
Their latest novel, PENDERGAST, is a prequel of sorts set in the time period just before the first Pendergast novel, RELIC. The story takes place in New Orleans, where Pendergast is about to become the new partner of senior FBI Special Agent Dwight Chambers, who is approaching the end of his career. Chambers is still reeling from serious setbacks involving the loss of both his previous partner and his wife. As he returns to work following a period of grieving, he finds himself saddled with a new junior partner he must mentor.
Prior to the action here, we are given a prologue set in 1989 where a funeral director has hired a bunch of local men to fill in as pallbearers for a funeral. Due to their intoxication, they mishandle the coffin. It falls awkwardly into the grave and pops open to reveal something shocking to all who are present. We then meet Proctor, who was just part of a heist and finds himself targeted by a mysterious person who tases him outside his home before abducting him.
August 1994 is when Chambers returns to work and meets his new partner and mentee. They are assigned to look into an unsolved murder from Mississippi, and what they find is bizarre. The victim was kept captive and later had his right arm garroted off completely. Pendergast’s keen and unusual instinct for following up and sniffing out leads will find him and Chambers heading down a path that uncovers other victims, each of whom had their right arms removed, which is what happened to the corpse from the prologue.
We learn that Proctor, who is being kept prisoner in a padded cell, once served in the military under Pendergast --- making their ultimate reunion ironic. Proctor is shrewd enough to know that his captor is specifically interested in his right arm and angers him when he takes a blade to it, cutting it up badly. Chambers and Pendergast eventually rescue Proctor, and they learn that the culprit may be a man named Wickman. When they attempt his apprehension, they find his home in flames and his body floating in the nearby waterway. They also note that he is missing his right arm.
The premise of this case is extremely creepy, and the answers lie in Wickman's past. Chambers and Pendergast face more than a few pitfalls along the way, and the backlash they receive from the New Orleans FBI office temporarily drives a wedge between them in the early days of their partnership. Preston and Child keep the surprises coming, and the revelations are unsettling and brilliant in their construct. The finale is wild and unpredictable with some truly shocking events that I did not see coming.
The last chapter of PENDERGAST is both cathartic and nostalgic as it is taken directly from RELIC. We get to see how Pendergast steps directly from the action of this book into the strange case baffling the NYPD at the Museum of Natural History that started it all. Readers hopefully will love this move as much as I did!
Reviewed by Ray Palen
Their latest novel, PENDERGAST, is a prequel of sorts set in the time period just before the first Pendergast novel, RELIC. The story takes place in New Orleans, where Pendergast is about to become the new partner of senior FBI Special Agent Dwight Chambers, who is approaching the end of his career. Chambers is still reeling from serious setbacks involving the loss of both his previous partner and his wife. As he returns to work following a period of grieving, he finds himself saddled with a new junior partner he must mentor.
Prior to the action here, we are given a prologue set in 1989 where a funeral director has hired a bunch of local men to fill in as pallbearers for a funeral. Due to their intoxication, they mishandle the coffin. It falls awkwardly into the grave and pops open to reveal something shocking to all who are present. We then meet Proctor, who was just part of a heist and finds himself targeted by a mysterious person who tases him outside his home before abducting him.
August 1994 is when Chambers returns to work and meets his new partner and mentee. They are assigned to look into an unsolved murder from Mississippi, and what they find is bizarre. The victim was kept captive and later had his right arm garroted off completely. Pendergast’s keen and unusual instinct for following up and sniffing out leads will find him and Chambers heading down a path that uncovers other victims, each of whom had their right arms removed, which is what happened to the corpse from the prologue.
We learn that Proctor, who is being kept prisoner in a padded cell, once served in the military under Pendergast --- making their ultimate reunion ironic. Proctor is shrewd enough to know that his captor is specifically interested in his right arm and angers him when he takes a blade to it, cutting it up badly. Chambers and Pendergast eventually rescue Proctor, and they learn that the culprit may be a man named Wickman. When they attempt his apprehension, they find his home in flames and his body floating in the nearby waterway. They also note that he is missing his right arm.
The premise of this case is extremely creepy, and the answers lie in Wickman's past. Chambers and Pendergast face more than a few pitfalls along the way, and the backlash they receive from the New Orleans FBI office temporarily drives a wedge between them in the early days of their partnership. Preston and Child keep the surprises coming, and the revelations are unsettling and brilliant in their construct. The finale is wild and unpredictable with some truly shocking events that I did not see coming.
The last chapter of PENDERGAST is both cathartic and nostalgic as it is taken directly from RELIC. We get to see how Pendergast steps directly from the action of this book into the strange case baffling the NYPD at the Museum of Natural History that started it all. Readers hopefully will love this move as much as I did!
Reviewed by Ray Palen
Review of advance copy
The enormously creative minds of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have provided readers with dozens of complex and intriguing stories over the past several decades, but nothing has shined as brilliantly as their most frequent fictional creation of A.X.L. Pendergast.
Their latest novel simply entitled PENDERGAST allows us to step back in time and experience a prequel of sorts set in the time period just before the first novel to feature Pendergast. This story is set in New Orleans where Pendergast is about to become the new partner of a senior FBI Special Agent Dwight Chambers who is approaching the end of his career. Chambers is still reeling from serious setbacks involving the physical loss of both his previous partner and his own wife. As he returns to work following a period of grieving, he finds himself saddled with a new junior partner who he must mentor.
Prior to the action here we are given a Prologue set in 1989 where a funeral director has hired a bunch of local men to fill in as pall bearers for a funeral. Due to their intoxication, they mishandled the coffin at the grave site. It falls awkwardly into the grave and pops open to reveal something shocking to all present. We then meet a man named Proctor who was just part of a heist and finds himself targeted by a mysterious person who tases him outside his home before abducting him.
August 1994 is when Dwight Chambers returns to work and meets his new partner and mentee, Pendergast. He and his interesting new colleague are given an assignment to look into an unsolved murder from Mississippi involving a victim from Louisiana. What they find is bizarre whereby the victim was kept captive and later had his right arm garroted completely off. Pendergast’s keen and unusual instinct for following up and sniffing out leads will find the partners heading down a path which uncovers other similar victims, each of whom had their right arms removed. They will also learn that the situation from te Prologue revealed a corpse missing this specific limb.
Proctor, who is being kept prisoner in a padded cell by his mysterious captor, we learn once served in the military under Pendergast --- making their ultimate reunion an interesting and ironic one. Proctor is shrewd enough to know that his captor is specifically interested in his right arm and angers him when he takes a blade to it, cutting it up badly. Chambers and Pendergast eventually rescue Proctor, and they also learn that the captor may be a man named Wickman. When they attempt his apprehension, they find his home in flames and his body floating in the nearby waterway. They also make note that Wickman is missing his right arm.
The premise of this case is extremely creepy, and the answers lie in Wickman's own past. Chambers and Pendergast face more than a few pitfalls along the way and the backlash they receive from the New Orleans FBI office temporarily drives a wedge between them in the early days of their new partnership. Preston and Child keep the surprises coming and the revelations behind the serial murder case the two agents uncover is unsettling and brilliant in its’ construct. I also loved how Pendergast and Chambers shared the same first initials as our stalwart authors. The finale is wild and unpredictable with some very shocking events I did not see coming.
The last chapter of PENDERGAST is both cathartic and nostalgic as it is taken directly from the very first novel to feature Pendergast, THE RELIC. We get to see how he steps directly from the action of this novel into the strange case baffling the NYPD at the Museum of Natural History that started it all. Readers and fans will hopefully love this move as much as I did!
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
Their latest novel simply entitled PENDERGAST allows us to step back in time and experience a prequel of sorts set in the time period just before the first novel to feature Pendergast. This story is set in New Orleans where Pendergast is about to become the new partner of a senior FBI Special Agent Dwight Chambers who is approaching the end of his career. Chambers is still reeling from serious setbacks involving the physical loss of both his previous partner and his own wife. As he returns to work following a period of grieving, he finds himself saddled with a new junior partner who he must mentor.
Prior to the action here we are given a Prologue set in 1989 where a funeral director has hired a bunch of local men to fill in as pall bearers for a funeral. Due to their intoxication, they mishandled the coffin at the grave site. It falls awkwardly into the grave and pops open to reveal something shocking to all present. We then meet a man named Proctor who was just part of a heist and finds himself targeted by a mysterious person who tases him outside his home before abducting him.
August 1994 is when Dwight Chambers returns to work and meets his new partner and mentee, Pendergast. He and his interesting new colleague are given an assignment to look into an unsolved murder from Mississippi involving a victim from Louisiana. What they find is bizarre whereby the victim was kept captive and later had his right arm garroted completely off. Pendergast’s keen and unusual instinct for following up and sniffing out leads will find the partners heading down a path which uncovers other similar victims, each of whom had their right arms removed. They will also learn that the situation from te Prologue revealed a corpse missing this specific limb.
Proctor, who is being kept prisoner in a padded cell by his mysterious captor, we learn once served in the military under Pendergast --- making their ultimate reunion an interesting and ironic one. Proctor is shrewd enough to know that his captor is specifically interested in his right arm and angers him when he takes a blade to it, cutting it up badly. Chambers and Pendergast eventually rescue Proctor, and they also learn that the captor may be a man named Wickman. When they attempt his apprehension, they find his home in flames and his body floating in the nearby waterway. They also make note that Wickman is missing his right arm.
The premise of this case is extremely creepy, and the answers lie in Wickman's own past. Chambers and Pendergast face more than a few pitfalls along the way and the backlash they receive from the New Orleans FBI office temporarily drives a wedge between them in the early days of their new partnership. Preston and Child keep the surprises coming and the revelations behind the serial murder case the two agents uncover is unsettling and brilliant in its’ construct. I also loved how Pendergast and Chambers shared the same first initials as our stalwart authors. The finale is wild and unpredictable with some very shocking events I did not see coming.
The last chapter of PENDERGAST is both cathartic and nostalgic as it is taken directly from the very first novel to feature Pendergast, THE RELIC. We get to see how he steps directly from the action of this novel into the strange case baffling the NYPD at the Museum of Natural History that started it all. Readers and fans will hopefully love this move as much as I did!
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
November 29, 2025
Pendergast: The Beginning is an origin story for the enigmatic FBI agent. Set before the events of Relic, where we first met Pendergast, it goes back to his first shocking case.
New Orleans in the early 1990s, and Special Agent Dwight Chambers’ life is in free fall. First, he lost his partner, and then, tragically, his wife. Returning to work at the New Orleans Field Office, Chambers is drinking too much and is dismayed to find himself saddled with mentoring a brand new FBI agent, the quirky A. X. L. Pendergast. As Chambers tries to pull himself together, his unfathomable and exasperating junior partner pulls an outrageous stunt that gets both of them suspended.
Pendergast welcomes the banishment, because it gives him the opportunity to investigate a peculiar murder in Mississippi that has captured his fancy. Chambers grudgingly goes along. What starts off as a whimsical quest swiftly turns into a terrifying pursuit, as Chambers and Pendergast uncover a string of grisly, ritualistic killings that defy any known serial killer profile.
This is a very atmospheric and chilling thriller. It starts out as a hunt for a serial killer, but then around the halfway point it unexpectedly turns into something very different. The pacing is good throughout, with the additional viewpoint of a captive of the serial killer adding to the early suspense. The descriptions of New Orleans and the Louisiana swamps are rich, and give the book a strong sense of place, and the secondary characters and villains are well described and interesting.
There are misdirections, surprises and gruesome events along the way to the final showdown, which is spectacularly good and bloody, with the usual Preston and Child touches of the extraordinary.
Fans of the series will greatly enjoy seeing Pendergast as a rookie agent, with a mysterious past, on his first case. Although a new agent, he already has that sly arrogance that becomes so evident later in the series, but he is willing to learn from the more steadfast and wily Chambers. Being set in Louisiana, the book does allow the authors to dive into Pendergast’s fascinating family legacy, brimming with secrets, unique eccentricities, and wild rumours. There is also a significant appearance by a tough ex-military contractor, known as Proctor, who goes on to become Pendergast’s chauffeur in later books. 4.5 rounded up.
Very enjoyable. Full review and more at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/l...
New Orleans in the early 1990s, and Special Agent Dwight Chambers’ life is in free fall. First, he lost his partner, and then, tragically, his wife. Returning to work at the New Orleans Field Office, Chambers is drinking too much and is dismayed to find himself saddled with mentoring a brand new FBI agent, the quirky A. X. L. Pendergast. As Chambers tries to pull himself together, his unfathomable and exasperating junior partner pulls an outrageous stunt that gets both of them suspended.
Pendergast welcomes the banishment, because it gives him the opportunity to investigate a peculiar murder in Mississippi that has captured his fancy. Chambers grudgingly goes along. What starts off as a whimsical quest swiftly turns into a terrifying pursuit, as Chambers and Pendergast uncover a string of grisly, ritualistic killings that defy any known serial killer profile.
This is a very atmospheric and chilling thriller. It starts out as a hunt for a serial killer, but then around the halfway point it unexpectedly turns into something very different. The pacing is good throughout, with the additional viewpoint of a captive of the serial killer adding to the early suspense. The descriptions of New Orleans and the Louisiana swamps are rich, and give the book a strong sense of place, and the secondary characters and villains are well described and interesting.
There are misdirections, surprises and gruesome events along the way to the final showdown, which is spectacularly good and bloody, with the usual Preston and Child touches of the extraordinary.
Fans of the series will greatly enjoy seeing Pendergast as a rookie agent, with a mysterious past, on his first case. Although a new agent, he already has that sly arrogance that becomes so evident later in the series, but he is willing to learn from the more steadfast and wily Chambers. Being set in Louisiana, the book does allow the authors to dive into Pendergast’s fascinating family legacy, brimming with secrets, unique eccentricities, and wild rumours. There is also a significant appearance by a tough ex-military contractor, known as Proctor, who goes on to become Pendergast’s chauffeur in later books. 4.5 rounded up.
Very enjoyable. Full review and more at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/l...
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