Smithback is murdered.
But no zombie did it, as his wife Norah, cop-friend de Agosto, and suave FBI agent Pendergast seem to think in the beginning. For shock factor, a callous disregard for the connection made by the series fans to characters from the first thriller, Relic, over Reliquary to Book of the Dead, authors Douglas and Lincoln kill off NY Times journalist Smithback, and things will never be the same again in Pendergast universe.
Masama ang loob ko, huhu. Pinatay ni Douglas at Lincoln si Smithback.
Going downhill at the Wheel of Darkness, the series reaches a slump with this ninth installment. Where is the sense of connection to previous adventures? What is this detachment that infects the book from page one? I only see token efforts at continuity. In previous books, Pendergast as a character is vibrant with promise. Here he is dead. The entire story lacks energy.
Maybe it suffers in comparison, in particular to the monster factor in Relic, the complex mystery of Cabinet of Curiosities, and amazing thriller of the Stillness of Dead Crows–but for rabid fans looking ever for more and better, how is this an excuse?
For murder, the gallows may be too good. For a lackluster book, the penalty is death. Of my interest.
——
Ok, I wrote this in the heat of my ire over Smithback’s death. One gets attached. Sorry. Cemetery is still a good thriller, which capitalizes on elements proven wildly successful in previous books. A thriller is afoot, possibly a monster. The heroes crawl through dark passageways searching for clues. Red herrings are thrown left and right. A maddened crowd complicates things and becomes additional fodder for monsters running around. The reader is sufficiently befuddled. The answer is sufficiently logical. Why the heck did they kill off Smithback?! Oops.
ArtSeblis 
Joy Grace G.Jerusalem
September 3, 2010
Wait till you read FEVER DREAM. I agree with you, the earlier books were awesome! I especially enjoyed STILL LIFE WITH CROWS and CABINET OF CURIOSITIES.
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artseblis
September 3, 2010
Joy, Joy, Joy!!! Nice to see you here. How are you? I see you’re also still very much a reader. You attending the kitakits next week? I’ll send you the link to the event on Facebook.
Re Fever Dream, I’m happy to hear that the dynamic duo authors are back to form with that book. I’m waiting for the paperback edition. The hardback is EXPENSIVE.
See you around, ok?
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Joy Grace G. Jerusalem
September 7, 2010
My sister and I are die hard Preston Lincoln fans!! Have you read Matt Reilly and John Rollins yet? Thursday next series??? Anyway, I enjoy reading your reviews. Im planning to pick up souless, parang maganda hehe. Regards to your brothers, mom and lola!
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artseblis
September 21, 2010
I have John Rollins on my TBR.
I read the first in the Thursday series–I preferred the “real world’ over the book world. I felt like the author was playing with my beloved Classic characters.
Yes, pick up Soulless. It’s funny.
Hey, don’t you have some free time? Let’s get together over coffee sometime soon. Schedule na natin! =P
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