10 March 2026
I finished my latest read last nightâPendergast: The Beginning, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Itâs part of the longârunning Pendergast series, and if youâre a fan, youâll definitely want to pick this one up.
If youâre new to the series, it follows a peculiar FBI agent named Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergast, often shortened to A.X.L. Pendergast. Most people simply call him Pendergast; only his closest friends dare use Aloysius. Heâs described as tall and pale, with blond, almost white hair and icy, pale blue eyes. He dresses in a black suit regardless of the weather. His manner is formal, even odd, and his skill as a special agent is an almost preternatural blend of forensic brilliance, psychological insight, and unshakable calmâqualities that make him one of the FBIâs most formidable investigators. His cases nearly always carry a faint supernatural edge.
This book takes you back to his early days in the Bureau and his very first case, where heâs paired with senior agent SA Chambers, whom Pendergast later calls his FBI mentor. Together, they go a bit rogue as they try to solve a string of strange murders in the swamps just across the Louisiana border in Mississippi.
The story eventually lands in familiar territory, borrowing a chapter from the very first Pendergast novel, Relic, which was adapted into a movie. Oddly enough, the film left out the main characterâPendergast himself. Strange choice, isnât it? Perhaps they simply couldnât figure out how to cast him.
âCondemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance.â â Albert Einstein
âThe truth is often hidden in plain sight, waiting for the right eyes to see it.â â C. Auguste
âThe question that haunted every investigation was âwhy.ââ â Louise Penny
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