Crimson Shore

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Narrator: Rene Auberjonois
Series: Agent Pendergast #15
Published by Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio on November 10, 2015
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural
Length: 10 hours 46 minutes
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Library, Publisher
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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 . . .

This was good! I have had this book for almost a decade. When I realized it was part of a series, I put it off because I like to read it in order if possible. After this many years, it is obvious that I am not going to be reading the first 14 books in this series anytime soon so I decided to see if this book would work as a stand-alone. And I think it did. I am actually more likely to go back and start this series at the beginning after reading this entertaining installment.

Agent Pendergast and his associate, Constance Greene, are on the case. They have been hired to find out who might be behind the theft of a valuable wine collection but they find clues that tell them that a lot more is going on than just a robbery. I really liked Agent Pendergast and Constance. Both were incredibly smart and able to navigate intense situations. They both ran circles around local law enforcement and were able to get to the bottom of things.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. I believe that this is the first time that I have listened to Rene Auberjonois’s narration and I was quite impressed. I thought he did an excellent job of adding just enough personality to the varied cast of characters. I found his voice to be very pleasant and had no issues listening for hours at a time. I believe that his performance added to the experience.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a solid mystery that kept me engaged and guessing until the end. I enjoyed getting to know these quirky characters and believe I would enjoy listening to more of the series as soon as time allows.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.

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