Rating: 4 stars (Spotlight Review)

In the ninth Pendergast novel, New York Times reporter William Smithback and his wife Nora are celebrating their one-year anniversary. When Nora steps out to pick up a sweet surprise for Bill she comes home to a gruesome surprise of her own; Bill has been brutally murdered in their apartment and she is attacked by the same assailant in the hallway. Not only do all eye-witnesses name the killer as fellow neighbor Colin Fearing, but surveillance footage clearly shows a blood-covered Fearing exiting the building.

What appears to be an open and shut case turns out to be anything but, when it’s learned that Colin Fearing was found dead two weeks prior. So the question stands; can a corpse commit murder?

I haven’t read a Pendergast novel since reading Relic, the first in the series back in 2003. Coming back to Douglas and Child after all this time, was quite nostalgic. In this installment Bill Smithback’s death seems to be linked to his exposé of a place called The Ville, a shanty town of sorts squatting on public park property. The Ville is a haven for a religious cult who performs voodoo ceremonies, complete with animal sacrifices and reanimation of the dead. Although zombies are nothing new to plots these days, it was interesting to have a bit of voodoo thrown in the mix.

While I enjoyed Relic, I wasn’t so besotted as to breathlessly await the follow-up. Now six years later and eight more books, I once again revisit the duo of Douglas and Child. Although the story held my attention without question, I couldn’t help but feel that I was reading something fairly formulaic. Taking nothing away from this bestselling duo, the writing was strong, the story interesting and the formula working; however, once again, it didn’t leave me wanting more.

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Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 12, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0446580298