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Scharlaken kust by Preston & Child
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Scharlaken kust (edition 2016)

by Preston & Child

Series: Pendergast (15)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,0895718,448 (3.73)20
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. HTML:When a straightforward murder case spirals out of control, Pendergast and his ward investigate an ancient witches' colony in a sleepy New England town where a terrible evil awaits . . .
A secret chamber.
A mysterious shipwreck.
/> A murder in the desolate salt marshes.

A seemingly straightforward private case turns out to be much more complicated-and sinister-than Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast ever could have anticipated.
Pendergast, together with his ward Constance Greene, travels to the quaint seaside village of Exmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the theft of a priceless wine collection. But inside the wine cellar, they find something considerably more disturbing: a bricked-up niche that once held a crumbling skeleton.
Pendergast and Constance soon learn that Exmouth is a town with a very dark and troubled history, and this skeleton may be only the first hint of an ancient transgression, kept secret all these years. But they will discover that the sins of the past are still very much alive. Local legend holds that during the 1692 witch trials in Salem, the real witches escaped, fleeing north to Exmouth and settling deep in the surrounding salt marshes, where they continued to practice their wicked arts. Then, a murdered corpse turns up in the marshes. The only clue is a series of mysterious carvings. Could these demonic symbols bear some relation to the ancient witches' colony, long believed to be abandoned?
A terrible evil lurks beneath the surface of this sleepy seaside town-one with deep roots in Exmouth's grim history. And it may be that Constance, with her own troubled past, is the only one who truly comprehends the awful danger that she, Pendergast, and the residents of Exmouth must face . . .
.… (more)
Member:robbiedeclercq
Title:Scharlaken kust
Authors:Preston & Child
Info:Amsterdam : Luitingh Sijthoff; 1 online resource (ePub); http://opc4.kb.nl/DB=1/PPN?PPN=401353117
Collections:Your library
Rating:
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Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston

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» See also 20 mentions

English (56)  Italian (1)  All languages (57)
Showing 1-5 of 56 (next | show all)
I going to finish the series, however, I'm quickly getting annoyed and tired of it.

Does a dog have to die a gruesome death every time one appears in the book? Answer: Yes
How many more times can Pendergast "die"? Answer: probably at least 2 depending on how many more we have to go.
Can we please, please, please be done with Diogenes? Answer: No
Can we continue to treat all women like they are totally lame and helpless? Answer: Yep I'm sure they will.

Ugh.
( )
  ankhamun | Nov 2, 2023 |
Pendergast takes the case of stolen wine in exchange for a very special bottle of wine. That leads to an old mystery. The theft and mystery are resolved. Only to have the start of a new mystery that ends in a cliff hanger. ( )
  nx74defiant | Aug 31, 2023 |
This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.


Many thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC copy for review.

Pendergast almost turns this case down because he feels it's too pedestrian for him. But once he hears about the priceless wine being offered as payment, he decides to travel to Massachusetts after all.

He and Constance stick out like sore thumbs, skulking about and dressed in black, manipulating everyone in sight. His sarcastic comments and glittering eyes will make every Penderpeep sigh with joy, and we see Constance's emotions stirred as well. There is an episode where the two of them share wine together, and I read it holding my breath. No spoilers here, though! (I'm actually not sure I want to see the two of them together, as I fear it may change my perception of both of the characters.)

One of Preston and Child's trademarks is the extensive research done to ensure the environment is described well, and CRIMSON SHORE is no exception. It was easy to hear the pounding surf and feel the sullen stares of the townspeople due to the stellar depiction of the desolate surroundings. There is a perfect balance of action, conversation, and description, just enough of everything to keep the plot moving forward and place the reader firmly in the salt marshes.

Constance is not happy to sit and wait for Pendergast to do all the work, as she takes on responsibilities of her own and helps things along by doing extensive research on the history of witchcraft that's endemic to the area.

That's when the plot veers off to the supernatural and violent. Almost all the loose ends are tied up when, suddenly new things appear and Pendergast must brave the marshlands to rescue Constance. This is where the suspense ratchets up quite a bit and things start happening quickly.

Earlier books had Pendergast sporting almost superhuman strength, and these last few show him in a different light. This one is no exception, as I was prepared to see him put up a good fight but suffer in the process. There is the almost mandatory cliffhanger ending that draws in elements from other books, written deliberately cryptic to keep us all guessing.

I enjoyed this latest outing even though it got sidetracked to the supernatural. The spotlight is centered firmly on Pendergast and Constance here - with humor, suspense, witchcraft and even a cooking lesson, there is a great deal to get your mind around. Preston & Child are continuing to create quality work with consistency and no lack of interesting plotlines. Exactly what the doctor ordered. ( )
  kwskultety | Jul 4, 2023 |
Another great Preston & Child book. Two mysteries take place in Exmouth Massachusetts.
A wine theft leads to dark misdeeds from the towns past and legends from Salem which is close by influence this small community. ( )
  zmagic69 | Mar 31, 2023 |
Great story!
In fact more like a double story.
Excellent cliff-hangers.
Still trying to figure out what does Pendergast do with all those test tubes and baggies he collects at crime scenes? ( )
  Rockhead515 | Dec 22, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 56 (next | show all)
***** 5 out of 5 stars TOP PICK 2015
Review by: Mark Palm
A Blood-dimmed Tide.

Almost a year ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Blue Labyrinth, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. If you missed that review, Dear Reader, than I will once again extoll the singular virtues that make Mssrs. Preston and Child the best pair of authors writing thrillers today. They write smart, sophisticated books full of scientific and historical erudition, but impart all their knowledge without lecturing or slowing down the momentum of the story. Their plots are beautifully structured, but still tense and surprising, and their characters are unique and original, but still believable. All of this is delivered in prose as smooth and clear as a mountain stream. They have been doing this for around twenty years now, working together and separately, and if you want something more from a book, then you, Dear Reader, are a lot more picky than me.

Crimson Shore is the fifteenth installment of the Pendergast books, which tell the story of the enigmatic and brilliant Aloysius X.L. Pendergast, and FBI Agent who works the cases he wants, and has little use for protocol or bureaucracy. Most of the Pendergast books feature a large supporting cast, but this time it’s just Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, who find themselves in coastal Massachusetts, investigating the theft of a priceless wine collection. In the wine cellar they find a chained skeleton in a hidden alcove, and from there the game is truly afoot.

A dead body, covered with ritual carvings is found on the salt flats where local legend says the escaped Salem Witches came to hide, leads the investigators to the first step of a long and twisting path through the troubled history of the small town of Exmouth. What a history it is! Shipwrecks, racism, Witchcraft, starvation, mass murder; it’s all hidden deep beneath the granite facade of the myth of New England. Together Pendergast and Constance tease out the details by coming to know the town, and more importantly, it’s inhabitants. The townsfolk are all well drawn and believable, with just the right undertow of secrecy and menace. It’s impossible to divulge much more of the plot without dropping spoilers, but I can tell you that like the old sports cliche, “It’s not over till it’s over.”

Pendergast is his usual contentious and competent self, and gets to shine, especially in a series of excellent action scenes, but for the second book in a row, his ward, Constance Greene steals the show. When Pendergast is sure that everything is over, it is Constance who is sure that something sinister is still out there. She is not as experienced as Pendergast, but she is every bit a charismatic, and dangerous, and even more enigmatic that her mentor. The development and evolution of her character, taken together with the last quarter of this book, left me totally shocked. Near the end the pages were flying by at lightning speed as I rushed towards the stunning finale. It should be tribute enough to say that after fifteen books, Preston and Child manage to keep me off balance.

There is so much I enjoyed about this book that I am unable to convey in a short review, so you just have to take my word for it. Crimson Shore is an absolute stunner of a novel, and while it works as a stand-alone book, I would suggest that you read the previous book, Blue Labyrinth, just to be sure. For your enjoyment I would suggest that you go back and start with Relic. Oh hell, just go and read everything that Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have written, together and separately, just to be safe. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.

Full reviews available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.co...
 

» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Douglas Prestonprimary authorall editionscalculated
Child, Lincolnmain authorall editionsconfirmed
Auberjonois, RenéReadersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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When the doorbell chimed, Constance Greene stopped playing the Flemish virginal and the library fell silent and tense.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Fiction. Literature. Mystery. HTML:When a straightforward murder case spirals out of control, Pendergast and his ward investigate an ancient witches' colony in a sleepy New England town where a terrible evil awaits . . .
A secret chamber.
A mysterious shipwreck.
A murder in the desolate salt marshes.

A seemingly straightforward private case turns out to be much more complicated-and sinister-than Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast ever could have anticipated.
Pendergast, together with his ward Constance Greene, travels to the quaint seaside village of Exmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the theft of a priceless wine collection. But inside the wine cellar, they find something considerably more disturbing: a bricked-up niche that once held a crumbling skeleton.
Pendergast and Constance soon learn that Exmouth is a town with a very dark and troubled history, and this skeleton may be only the first hint of an ancient transgression, kept secret all these years. But they will discover that the sins of the past are still very much alive. Local legend holds that during the 1692 witch trials in Salem, the real witches escaped, fleeing north to Exmouth and settling deep in the surrounding salt marshes, where they continued to practice their wicked arts. Then, a murdered corpse turns up in the marshes. The only clue is a series of mysterious carvings. Could these demonic symbols bear some relation to the ancient witches' colony, long believed to be abandoned?
A terrible evil lurks beneath the surface of this sleepy seaside town-one with deep roots in Exmouth's grim history. And it may be that Constance, with her own troubled past, is the only one who truly comprehends the awful danger that she, Pendergast, and the residents of Exmouth must face . . .
.

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Book description
Haiku summary
Stolen wine whining
Pendergast's hit and big miss
Larger evil lurks
(hardboiled)

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