Past and present collide as Special Agent Pendergast uncovers mysterious connections between a string of 19th century bear attacks in a Colorado mining town, a fabled, long-lost Sherlock Holmes story, and a deadly present-day arsonist.
In 1876, in a mining camp called Roaring Fork in the Colorado Rockies, eleven miners were killed by a rogue grizzly bear. Corrie Swanson has arranged to examine the miners' remains. When she makes a shocking discovery, town leaders try to stop her from exposing their community's dark and bloody past.
Just as Special Agent Pendergast of the FBI arrives to rescue his protege, the town comes under siege by a murderous arsonist who-with brutal precision-begins burning down multimillion-dollar mansions with the families locked inside. Drawn deeper into the investigation, Pendergast discovers a long-lost Sherlock Holmes story that may be the key to solving both the mystery of the long-dead miners and the modern-day killings as well.
Now, with the ski resort snowed in and under savage attack-and Corrie's life suddenly in grave danger-Pendergast must solve the enigma of the past before the town of the present goes up in flames.
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"It's no brainer for any fan of these novels that the creation the Pendergast was slightly influenced by Sherlock Holmes.So this book is quite a treat for any fan of both respective Characters. We're even treated to a albeit pastiche Sherlock Holmes short story in the novel. "
— Wukong99 (5 out of 5 stars)
“Preston and Child have done it again! Simply brilliant!”
— Lisa Gardner“The best Pendergast book yet—a collision between past and present that will leave you breathless.”
— Lee Child“Through myriad shocks, surprises, twists, and turns, the suspense never lets up.”
— Anne Rice“Preston and Child have created a terrific mix of mystery and the unexpected that will keep you reading into the late hours of the night. They promise a great read and they have delivered.”
— Clive Cussler“What Preston and Child are so good at are exemplified here: solid research, clear swift prose and enough twists to fill a jar of pretzels. Sit back, crack open the book, and get ready for the ride of your life.”
— David Baldacci“I’ve read every Pendergast thriller. This is the most suspenseful and most horrifying of them all. This book holds chills you can’t imagine. I’m still shuddering. I promise—you’ll shudder, too.”
— R. L. Stine“Sherlock Holmes fans will relish Preston and Child’s 13th novel featuring eccentric FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast, one of their best in this popular series…easily stands on its own.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Narrator René Auberjonois is perfection as he portrays the rip-roaring assortment of Preston and Child’s over-the-top characters…A sadistic serial arsonist, a beleaguered sheriff, wizened miners, and ‘old-money’ interests give Auberjonois plenty of opportunities to dazzle. This highly satisfying Pendergast adventure includes an alleged long-lost Sherlock Holmes mystery.”
— AudioFileAnother highly entertaining and genuinely thrilling story from Preston & Child starring their romantic, faintly gothic, and always mysterious FBI agent, Aloysius Pendergast. As always the prose is elegant, replete with exquisite descriptions, and this time we're treated to dashes of historic characters Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde, as well as a positively delicious serving of the great Sherlock Holmes. Through myriad shocks, surprises, twists and turns, the suspense never lets up. Great fun to the last page.
— Anne RiceA mile-a-minute thriller with a deeply entertaining plot and marvelous characters, in a setting that will chill your blood, and not only because it's 10 degrees below zero and covered with snow. My copy is full of crumbs because I couldn't put it down long enough to eat.
— Diana GabaldonWHITE FIRE is as incandescent as its title, a beautifully organized, tautly paced book that really did just yank me in and demand that I keep reading. I'm very grateful for the experience.
— Peter StraubPreston and Child have created a terrific mix of mystery and the unexpected that will keep you reading into the late hours of the night. They promise a great read and they have delivered.
— Clive CusslerPendergast--an always-black-clad pale blond polymath, gaunt yet physically deadly, an FBI agent operating without supervision or reprimand--lurks at the dark, sharp edge of crime fiction protagonists.
— Kirkus ReviewsPreston and Child continue their dominance of the thriller genre with stellar writing and twists that come at a furious pace. Others may try to write like them, but no one can come close. The best in the business deliver another winner.
— RT Book Reviews on Cold VengeanceThis is no dream; it's the authors' best book in years. Pendergast has to rein in his feelings to pay attention to the details, and it's fun to see the role reversal between him and the usually emotional D'Agosta. Not to be missed by either newcomers or die-hard fans.
— Library Journal (starred review) for Fever Dream" I enjoyed almost all of it, but the thing with conan doyle/sherlock holmes was misplaced and had no place in this book. It felt like the writers were after something to fill the story, but they failed big time. "
— Per Stagis, 11/3/2022" I've enjoyed all the Pendergast books so far and this one was a good one. First time the detective has shown emotion. "
— Linda, 4/22/2018Douglas Preston has published forty books of both nonfiction and fiction, of which over thirty have been New York Times bestsellers, several also reaching the #1 position. He is the co-author, with Lincoln Child, of the Pendergast series of thrillers. He also writes nonfiction pieces for the New Yorker magazine. He worked as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and taught nonfiction writing at Princeton University. He is president emeritus of the Authors Guild and serves on the advisory board of the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe.
Lincoln Child is the New York Times bestselling author of The Forgotten Room, The Third Date, Terminal Freeze, Deep Storm, Death Match, and Utopia, as well as coauthor, with Douglas Preston, of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Fever Dream.
René Auberjonois is an American stage, film, television, and voice actor and an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. After graduating from Carnegie-Mellon University, he acted with various theater companies, including San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater and Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum. In 1969, he earned a Tony Award for his performance as Sebastian Baye alongside Katharine Hepburn in Coco. Since then, he has acted in a variety of theater productions, films, and television series, in addition to being active in radio drama.