A Book Review: Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Reliquary is the sequel to Relic, a best-selling, techno thriller novel written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This adrenaline-pumping novel was published in 1997. It expanded the nail-biting story that began in Relic and brought it to a fitting conclusion. Where the story in Relic was confined to New York Museum of Natural History, the story in Reliquary impacts the entire New York city, and it is set in the city's shadow-haunted, subterranean underworld. I read this book during the weekend and it was the best entertainment I can ask for. Here is my review for this book.

Synopsis:

Under the belly of Manhattan lies a warren of forgotten passages, abandoned subway tunnels, and derelict buildings. It is one of the largest inhibited, but unmapped areas in the world. Thousands of homeless people dwell in this subterranean refuge of darkness, while going about their own businesses.

Troubles began, when two strangely deformed, headless skeletons were discovered along Manhattan shoreline. Forensic analysis identified one of the skeletal remains belonged to Pamela Wisher, a wealthy “society girl” and a celebrity in New York city. Her gruesome death caused an outrage among the upper and middle class New York residents, putting the police under an immense pressure to solve this murder case.

As if things were not bad enough already, a murder spree began to spread as a wild fire across New York. All victims were mysteriously decapitated in the same grotesque and brutal fashion as in the Wisher murder. At this troubled time, a wave of paranoia and anger seized New York residents, and the city was sliding towards the brink of utter chaos.

The police called for the aids of museum curator Margo Green and the brilliant biologist, Dr. Whitney Frock, to assist the investigations. Meanwhile, FBI special agent Pendergast also arrived on the scene to provide support. Margo, Frock, and Pendergast teamed up once again with Lieutenant D'Agosta to solve the murder mystery. The clues soon point to the spidery, labyrinthine tunnels in New York's shadowed underground, where an indescribable horror awaits in the dark...

My thoughts about this book:

Reading this book was an experience both educational and entertaining. Prior to reading Reliquary, I did not know a vast, but unmapped subterranean world exists under New York. I also didn't know thousands of homeless people dwell in New York's underground. They are often referred to as Mole people, or the tunnel people. This is new information to me, and I am fascinated by the existence of this dangerous underworld and its communities (I did some search on the internet and confirmed this is a fact).

As for the novel itself, Reliquary is a worthy successor to Relic. This claustrophobic, underground adventure moved at a lightning fast pace. The writing is atmospheric and descriptive. Reliquary is a very well written novel, and it shrouds readers in a cloak of creeping horror and edgy suspense. When I was reading this book, the story kept me at the edge of my seat and all I wanted to do, was finding out what was going to happen in the next chapter. Having said this, keep in mind Reliquary brought a closure to the story that began in Relic. This means, while Reliquary is a stand-alone novel, but I highly recommend reading Relic first to gain a better insight into the story and its characters.

Speaking of characters. All past favorite characters returned in this book. From Margo Green, Pendergast, D'Agosta, Bill Smithback, and Dr. Frock, all these characters were cast to play vital roles in the story. I especially like FBI agent Pendergast, whose star power was enframed in a Sherlock Holmes like portrayal for his character. This book also introduced a new character, sergeant Laura Hayward, who impressed me with her distinctive personality and natural confidence. Many characters in this book are involved with major plot twists. I do not wish to spoil the story here, so let me just say if you read this book, then prepare to be hit by surprises that you never saw coming from miles away.

Reliquary is a solid, entertaining techno thriller. It has mystery, horror, tension, detective works, and sprinkled with heart-racing actions on top. This book tells a haunting, suspenseful yarn that will keep you reading and wanting for more. Furthermore, Reliquary also brought a fitting closure to the nerve-wracking story that began in Relic. I highly recommend this book (together with Relic) to fans of the thriller genre.