Relic cover art

Relic

Pendergast, Book 1

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Relic

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Narrated by: David Colacci
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About this listen

Relic, a Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child thriller that introduces FBI Special Agent Pendergast

Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human....

But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.

Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who - or what - is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?

©1994 by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. (P)1995 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Horror Supernatural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Scary Exciting Natural History Detective Mystery

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Critic reviews

"With its close-up view of museum life and politics, plausible scientific background, sharply drawn characters and a plot line that's blissfully free of gratuitous romance, this well-crafted novel offers first-rate thrills and chills." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Wildly cool....Thrill hounds couldn't ask for a creepier environment....a thriller staged in the world's scariest building, with no room for the squeamish." ( Kirkus Reviews)
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Most relevant
This is the first boom in the Pendergast series and introduces the listener to many of the characters used in future 'Pendergast' books. The plot twists and turns right from the beginning and leaves you wondering where it will go next. Gritty characters and great narration will get your pulse racing and biting your lip in anticipation of the next twist. Follow this up with Reliquary, then Preston's other 'Pendergast' books, they are all as gripping!

Gripping Plot and Gritty Characters

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This was another book that I just could not let go of. At first it felt like the narrator was mumbling, but later on it fit perfectly with the gloomy tone. The voices are varied with the delicious little effect when there is echo, radio noise, shouting or whispering. I love this book and if you have watched the film, get this one. It is somehow better than the movie, but having the visuals and the beast in your mind helps a lot to get the right ambient of the story.

Gripping and gloomy story

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Recommended by a friend I really enjoyed this book - all the more for knowing there was plenty more where this came from. I think (not being of a scientific background) that some of the science is a little stretched - but the characters and story are great. That said the denouement plays out in a quite protracted way.

There is quite a lot of humour, particularly earlier on. I believe various characters reappear at times in later books - particularly Pendergast - a contemporary Sherlock Holmes (though far more polite and unfortunately - tiny spoiler? - with a penchant for hunting).

The narration by David Colacci is excellent (except perhaps the Scottish accent!) and adds well to the story. I’m disappointed to see he does not narrate the next few, but see he does reappear later.

Recommended!

A New Seam of Gold!

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I have read this book more than once and was intrigued to try the audiobook.

On the whole the narrator did a great job, my only real criticism would be that his attempt at a Scottish accent was poor and made that particular character's dialogue awkward to listen to at times.

Other than that I loved it.

A great story performed well

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I found this book very entertaining. a lot like the film of it only without the outdated CGI 😄 .
good mystery elements and gruesome descriptions make it an enjoyable "read" .

creature feature

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