Blue Labyrinth

by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
403 pgs  (Pendergast series #14)

Blue Labyrinth is Preston and Child's 14th book featuring FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. I'll admit that some of their more recent books hadn't been living up to the expectations I had for the series, but they righted the ship nicely with the most recent one: White Fire, and Blue Labyrinth keeps the series on track.

The book begins with the death of Pendergast's son. Alban, who was a psychopathic serial killer, was killed himself and left on the front porch of Pendergast's Manhattan residence. A one-of-a-kind turquoise was discovered in Alban's stomach that leads Pendergast on a hunt for Alban's killer. Pendergast soon learns that Alban's killer has a personal vendetta against Pendergast and his family, and that killing Alban was a way of drawing Pendergast into a trap. The trap leaves Pendergast poisoned and fighting for his life, relying on Constance and Margo Green to discover the antidote before his time runs out.

The rest of the book involves one man being strangled with a shoelace, and another man committing suicide by biting off his big toe and chocking on it. I mentioned before that the series is back on track, and both these deaths should sufficiently justify my opinion.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆