Review: Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Published November 10, 2015
by Grand Central Publishing

Crimson Shore is #15 in the Pendergast series. Pendergast and his ward Constance take on a mystery that on the surface seems to be about purloined wine, but ends up being about a much bigger mystery. They find a remnant of a skeleton that had been walled up in a wine cellar from a distant past. Who retrieved the skeleton and why? Who put it there in the first place? There is a mystery of the past as well as of the present. Exmouth, Massachusetts isn't the sleepy, idyllic town it would appear to be on the surface. The city has a seriously twisted past.

Was this a good book? Basically yes. But, I did find something problematic with it for me. The first two-thirds of the book was a well-written mystery book with a nod to Poe. It progressed swiftly and I read it eagerly. The mystery seems to be well wrapped up, then boom! There is a supernatural-ish plot tacked on for the last third of the book. The two parts of the story only seem loosely related. I still enjoyed the writing in the second part,  but was dismayed as to what seemed to be added on for specific purposes rather than to further the plot of the book. I guess I would say it most likely furthers the plot of the series.

If you've enjoyed books in this series in the past,  you will most likely mostly enjoy this book as well. I would not start reading the series with this book though.

I gave this book 3.5 stars out of 5. It's well written, but there is that problem with plot.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesday: Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. 

Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

He felt a strange mixture of emotions - shock, repulsion, worry, anger... and embarrassment. This was not the way he wanted outsiders to think of Exmouth.

61% through on my Kindle

What are your teaser sentences this week? Share them or a link in the comments so we can check them out. Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday #105: Crimson Shore by Preston and Child

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

This week the book I am waiting on is Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It's number 15 in the Pendergast series. It's due to be published November 10, 2015 by Grand Central Publishing. The first two chapters are available on their website.

Synopsis via Goodreads.com:
Special Agent Pendergast takes on a private case in Exmouth, Massachusetts-an ancient village on the coast north of Salem-to investigate the theft of a valuable wine cellar. He travels to the seaside town with his ward, Constance Greene, where they quickly discover something far more sinister: a bricked-up niche in the wine cellar that held the remains of a man, tortured and then entombed alive 150 years ago. But why? The puzzle is compounded when they discover a murdered body covered with mysterious symbols in the salt marshes behind Exmouth...the place where, legend has it, the real witches of Salem took refuge after fleeing the 1692 witch hunts...

Why am I waiting on it? I've found that I enjoy this series. I like reading about the history of Salem and I'm wondering how much of a role it will play in what happens in the book. And I've liked the paranormal aspects to the stories in other novels in the series.

What book are you waiting on this week? Leave it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy reading!