Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

From Booklist: It takes a certain amount of guts to start a novel by killing off a popular recurring character, but no one has ever accused this writing team of lacking guts. The latest Pendergast thriller begins with a murder that is apparently committed by a man who, 10 days earlier, was pronounced dead and then buried. But the eyewitness is sure it’s the same man, and footage from a security camera appears to confirm it. How does a dead man commit murder? And why this particular victim? Pendergast, the FBI special agent who frequently takes on personal assignments on a freelance basis, teams up once again with New York police lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta to solve a crime that has ties to the supernatural. Individually, these two writers turn out books that are solid, competent, workmanlike. Together, they manage to kick it up several notches, producing novels that are elegantly written and feature unique characters and eerie, compelling stories. For fans of the Pendergast series, this is a must-read.

My Thoughts: I have read all of the Pendergast novels (in order) as well as others Preston & Child have penned together and have enjoyed them all. Pendergast is still somewhat of a mystery as is his family and background. A little something is pulled out in every novel. I usually buy any new Preston-Child book as soon as it comes out. I was SHOCKED to find that one of my favorite recurring characters, Bill Smithback, was killed off. What of Nora? Will she be back?

Anyway, back to the book- it all...the supernatural, mystery, suspense...all the things I have come to expect in the writing of Preston and Child. There are surprising plot twists , and it's generally a very fun read with quite a bit of action. After Smithback is killed by someone who is deemed to be a zombii, Pendergast and D'Agosta begin their investigation into black magic, vodou and zombii's. It leads them to the upper-most northern part of Manhattan where a strange settlement known as the Ville has existed since before the Civil War. There have been complaints that everything from animal sacrifice to the creation of zombiis takes place up there. But, as usual everything is not as it seems. At the end there was a quick little tease for the next book. A strange little man calaiming to be the lawyer for the Pendergast family visits Pendergast in the hospital. Can't wait to see what's next!

thriller, murder mystery, paranormal, zombiis, suspense