Hi all! I’m back for my mystery‑loving friends. Wow! We made it another turn and here we are in January 2026.
This is going to be a fun newsletter this time. So, pull up a chair, pour something warm, and let’s talk about two authors who have mastered the art of the pulse‑quickening page‑turner: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
This duo is one of my all-time faves and I was easily entrapped by the dashing and otherworldly looking FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. He’s just one of the very best and I can’t seem to get enough.
So, if you’ve ever found yourself (like me) reading late into the night, muttering “just one more chapter,” chances are you’ve crossed paths with their work. I think most of you will enjoy this quick walk down their book aisle and I’m quite sure I didn’t forget and do a newsletter on their work before.
These two have been co‑conspirators in literary suspense for decades and we can’t get enough. Today, we’re diving into a few of their standout books, the enduring magic of their partnership, a look back at their recent bestseller Angel of Vengeance, and—most exciting of all—their brand-new 2026 release, arriving in just two days.
These guys just can’t write a bad book. I’ve read ALL of them and even the side passion projects, well, they’re STILL really good!
They are so cohesive in their writing but there is something missing when one of them does a writing without the other.
Preston & Child? They’re a seamless braid. I don’t really get how they consistently write this character so well, and for so long.
Their stories blend science, history, archaeology, psychology, and that delicious sense of “something is not quite right” that keeps readers hooked.
Their signature creation, of course, is the enigmatic, elegant, and delightfully unsettling Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast — a character who feels like Sherlock Holmes wandered into a gothic thriller and decided to stay.
But what makes their books, so addictive isn’t just the characters. It’s the atmosphere. The pacing. The way they take a seemingly ordinary setting — a museum, a small town, a remote dig site — and peel back the wallpaper to reveal something ancient, dangerous, or beautifully bizarre.
Let’s take a little stroll through some of their most memorable works. If you’ve read them, you’ll smile at the memories. If you haven’t, well… your TBR pile is about to grow.
1. Relic (1995)
The book that started it all. A museum. A mysterious creature. A series of gruesome deaths. And the first appearance of Pendergast, slipping into the story like a shadow with impeccable manners. This is one of my faves
2. The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
A hidden chamber. A century‑old string of murders. Pendergast at his most cerebral and haunting.
This is the book many fans point to as the moment the series became legendary.
3. The Ice Limit (2000)
A meteorite recovery mission gone wrong.
A fan favorite that shows how well Preston & Child handle high‑stakes adventure outside the Pendergast universe.
4. Crooked River (2020)
Severed feet washing ashore on a Florida beach. Atmospheric, eerie, and impossible to put down
Recent Bestseller Spotlight: Angel of Vengeance (2024)
Before we leap into 2026, we have to talk about the powerhouse that dominated mystery shelves just two years ago: Angel of Vengeance.
This novel was a bestseller for a reason. It delivered everything fans crave — razor‑sharp pacing, a chilling mystery, Diogenes, Pendergast’s hot and crazy brother and that signature blend of science and psychological tension that only Preston & Child can pull off.
The story follows a series of meticulously staged murders that appear to be the work of a vigilante with a disturbingly precise moral code. As Pendergast digs deeper, he uncovers a web of secrets that challenges even his famously unshakable composure.
Readers praised the book for its emotional depth, its tight plotting, and the way it pushed Pendergast into new, unsettling territory. It’s one of those novels that lingers long after the final page — the kind you end up recommending to everyone you know.
Brand‑New 2026 Release: Pendergast: The Beginning
It’s so wild that this newsletter will be posted right when the latest Pendergast novel gets released!
On the 27th, Pendergast: The Beginning, a highly anticipated return to the origins of one of mystery fiction’s most enigmatic figures hits the bookshelves.
And boy, is this one going to be another winner for Preston and Child. This book dives into the early life of Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, exploring the events, secrets, and shadows that shaped him long before the cases we know so well.
Early buzz suggests this novel blends a gothic atmosphere with psychological depth, giving readers a rare glimpse into Pendergast’s formative years — his family legacy, his earliest investigations, and the mysteries that forged his singular mind.
Fans have been waiting years for this kind of origin story, and it’s already being called one of the most important entries in the Preston & Child universe.
Preston & Child have produced a long list of hits, but a few titles consistently rise to the top when readers talk about their most unforgettable works:
Relic — The explosive debut that launched the Pendergast phenomenon.
The Cabinet of Curiosities — A fan‑favorite masterpiece of atmosphere and dread.
Brimstone — The start of the Diogenes Trilogy, often cited as one of their best arcs.
The Book of the Dead — A high‑stakes, emotionally charged conclusion to the trilogy.
The Ice Limit — A cult classic adventure thriller.
Crooked River — A modern standout with unforgettable imagery.
Angel of Vengeance (2024) — Their most recent major bestseller, praised for its intensity and emotional resonance.
These books represent the full spectrum of what Preston & Child do best: gothic mystery, scientific intrigue, psychological tension, and characters who feel like old friends — or old ghosts.
Preston & Child have a rare gift: they write mysteries that feel both timeless and modern. Their stories are grounded in research, but never weighed down by it.
Their characters are eccentric, flawed, brilliant, and deeply human. And their plots — whether involving ancient curses or cutting‑edge science — always feel just plausible enough to make you shiver.
They also understand something essential about mystery readers: we don’t just want answers. We want atmosphere. We want questions that linger.
Their books deliver that feeling again and again.
As I wrap up this newsletter, I’d like to say, if you’re looking for a reading plan for the next few months, you can’t go wrong revisiting their classics, diving into Angel of Vengeance, and preparing for the release of Pendergast: The Beginning on January 27th.
And if you’re new to their work, start with Relic or The Cabinet of Curiosities — then let yourself tumble down the rabbit hole. You’ll enjoy where you land with their body of work.
As always, thank you for joining me for another mystery‑soaked newsletter.
Well, dear reader, we did it! Another newsletter on the record books and sadly, our time together ends again.
I sure hope your early days here in the New Year are going as planned (I’m feeling pretty good about 2026), and I sure hope you were missed by the monster storm from this past weekend.
We’d already had a lot of snow, so we just got a deep freeze. Lol Life went on as usual around here, hey, cause its just snow. No biggies here.
Until next time, keep your flashlight handy and your imagination sharp. |
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Mystery: January 28, 2026 Issue [#13573]
