Book Reviews by Mae Clair: Bloodless by Preston and Child #supernaturalthriller #pendergast

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Striped kitten lying on open book, eyeglasses resting on pages. Book and kitten on white blanket

Oh boy, oh, boy, oh boy! Once a year, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child make it possible for readers to escape into the dangerous and eerie world of Special Agent Aloysuis Pendergast, a highly unorthodox FBI agent who specializes in unusual cases. If you’ve followed my blog for a while you know I’m crazy-mad about this series and, most especially, Pendergast. Needless to say, I devoured the latest release, Bloodless. The only down side of finishing this enthralling book is now I have to wait a year until a new release!

BOOK BLURB:

Agent Pendergast faces his most unexpected challenge yet when bloodless bodies begin to appear in Savannah, GA, in this installment of a #1 New York Times bestselling series.

A fabulous heist:
On the evening of November 24, 1971, D. B. Cooper hijacked Flight 305—Portland to Seattle—with a fake bomb, collected a ransom of $200,000, and then parachuted from the rear of the plane, disappearing into the night…and into history.

A brutal crime steeped in legend and malevolence:
Fifty years later, Agent Pendergast takes on a bizarre and gruesome case: in the ghost-haunted city of Savannah, Georgia, bodies are found with no blood left in their veins—sowing panic and reviving whispered tales of the infamous Savannah Vampire.

A case like no other:
As the mystery rises along with the body count, Pendergast and his partner, Agent Coldmoon, race to understand how—or if—these murders are connected to the only unsolved skyjacking in American history. Together, they uncover not just the answer…but an unearthly evil beyond all imagining.

MY REVIEW:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Combining the mystery of D. B. Cooper with a series of odd murders in which the victims are drained of blood? Only Preston & Child could pull off a plot like that, and they do it exceptionally well in the twentieth outing for FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast. If you’ve never read a Pendergast novel, Bloodless is written in such a way that you can go into it fresh without worrying about what came before.

Pendergast and his sometimes partner, Coldmoon, are diverted to Savannah, Georgia, accompanied by Pendergast’s ward, Constance Greene. Call me a happy camper as other than Corrie Swanson (who now stars with Nora Kelly in their own series), Coldmoon and Constance are my favorite supporting characters.

The haunted setting is perfect for a story that includes an unethical ghost-hunting reality TV host, a slimy politician, and an eccentric wealthy woman who lives in isolation on the upper floor of a luxury hotel. There’s also a collection of local law enforcement for Pendergast and Coldmoon to interact with. I particularly loved Delaplane, the Savannah commander who gets to shine in her own right.

The book starts out with a slow build of eerie killings, then explodes in the last half as all hell breaks loose. The story is so different than any that have preceded it—downright bizarre—I had to pause for a day to examine how I felt about it. I stayed up reading past bedtime on a work night just because I had to know how it ended.

It’s near impossible to put the book down once the action really kicks in and pieces begin to slot into place. The pace is frantic, and the descriptions vividly portrayed. This is another five-star read in a series that never grows stale and features one of the most unique characters in modern fiction. I can’t wait for the next Pendergast adventure—especially with the hint provided in the closing chapter of what is to come. One of my top reads of 2021!

60 thoughts on “Book Reviews by Mae Clair: Bloodless by Preston and Child #supernaturalthriller #pendergast”

  4. I’ve never thought I’d be interested in this series, but you had me with D. B. Cooper. That mystery fascinates me. In fact, I’ve been watching (yet another) documentary where someone is trying to solve the mystery.

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  7. I was almost afraid to read the review, Mae, even though I KNOW you wouldn’t include any spoilers. Still, sometimes I don’t even want a hint of what’s happening, so I thought maybe I’d skip it. And then I caved! 😁

    Great review, with nothing but intriguing info, and I’m SO happy you loved the book. I’d heard it was very different, and I was praying they hadn’t taken something that “ain’t broke” and “fixed it,” as the saying goes. YAY!

    Planning to start this one tonight, if I’m not too tired by day’s end, and SO looking forward to getting a chance to spend some hours with A.X.L. again! Thanks for whetting my appetite, and for being such a great Penderpal! And here’s to one of the most original and entertaining characters ever created! I’ll drink (Earl Grey) to that! 🙂 ❤

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    • Heeheee. I thought of you as I was writing this, Marcia. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. As for those reviews saying it’s very different–yep, that’s a big affirmative. But I loved it. And wait until you see what happens at the end!
      Happy reading, PenderPal!

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      • I’m soooooo looking forward to this! Oh, how I’ve missed A.X.L. !! I don’t even know if I can wait for tonight to get started, though I would like to finish the book I’m on, first. Surely I can hold out until I do??? *goes off wondering if a little peek would hurt* 😂😂😂

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    • I’m doing a happy dance, Judi. I can’t wait to see what you think of it. The direction it took is different than anything Preston & Child have done before, but I loved it.

      BTW, I finished Solstice Retribution. I so enjoyed visiting the gang from Muddy River again! I left my 5-star review on Amazon, but couldn’t find it on GR or BB. Just thought I’d mention it. 🙂

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      • I saw your review on Amazon. Thank you! It’s on Goodreads under my books, but Goodreads stuck other books between my regular list and Solstice Retribution. I’m not sure it’s long enough to be listed on BookBub since it’s a short novella. I was going to look that up when we got home from our trip, but you beat me to it. THANK YOU!

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      • I found it on Goodreads. YAY!
        I think you’ll be fine adding it to BB. I have In Search of McDoogal listed there and that’s a short novella, too!

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    • I don’t think I ever saw Leverage, but I like the idea they took on the D. B. Cooper case. I’m such a sucker for unsolved mysteries.
      And yeah, some of the names in the Pendergast series are really different, especially among the eccentrics in his family tree!

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    • YAY! This one is a tad more different than some other books in the series, Denise, but I loved it. The last half is really a nail-biter. I wish you happy reading and can’t wait to hear what you think of Pendergast!

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  19. Savannah – a perfect setting. Possible vampires – yes please! I know I’d enjoy this series – just finding the time is the problem, but your review makes me want to dive in. Especially if I didn’t have to start from the beginning.

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    • It’s an awesome series, Teri, and each book always features plenty of “weirdness.” There’s some stuff related to backstory going on in this one, but the authors flesh it out in the narrative, and the bulk of the tale is just focused on the case. I think you’d like it, but I fully understand what you mean about time and reading, LOL!

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  21. As you know, I’m a big fan, too! I was so excited for this book. I downloaded it in audio, although I’m really going to miss Rene Auberjonois, who has narrated most of the Pendergast books. He had the voice down perfectly, so I was VERY disappointed in whoever did the Pendergast voice the last time (maybe in a Corrie/Nora book?) I’m not sure who’s doing this one. I’m almost at the end of Stephen King’s latest, so it won’t be long before I can devour the new Pendergast book. I love to listen while I’m driving.

    I think it’s odd that you like Constance, and I don’t. We usually have the same tastes. But I’ve never liked her. But I love Corrie.

    By the way, it wouldn’t let me reply to Marcia, but I agree with her…Thor all the way! LOL

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    • LOL! Marcia and you would get along great, Lauralynn (says the diehard Loki fan). Marcia, who is also a huge Pendergast fan, does not care for Constance either. It took me a while to warm up to her, but I’ve been ever since she took down that horde of bad guys to save Pendergast (I forget the title of the book). She gets a chance to shine in this one again.

      I’ve never listened to Pendergast on audio, but I imagine Rene Auberjonois did an excellent job. It must have been hard when they made a switch to a different narrator.

      I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

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