THANK YOU, PRESTON & CHILDS, FOR GETTING PENDERGAST BACK TO HIS OLD SELF.
So, this book is not as good as the early Pendergast, but it's so much better than the last trilogy. So. Much. Better. It's also better than the trilogy before that. The tautness of their writing is back, the horror bent is back, twisted humanity is back, and, not only is Pendergast back to his Sherlock Holmesian sensibility, the book ACTUALLY TIES IN SHERLOCK HOLMES *squees in excitement*. And Corrie Swanson, one of my favorite characters, is back and really starting to develop and come to the forefront as her own character, if still a bit immature.
I was in heaven. I also completely and totally fell for one of their tricks. I gasped out loud and dropped the book. I don't want to give it away, b/c it's a helluva thing, but I give them super kudos for that. It's not often after so many years of reading that I have the wool pulled over my eyes and find it so enjoyable.
It is a stand alone, so you can read it w/out knowing the history of the rest of the series. There is exactly one page that will seem confusing, but it doesn't matter at all for the story being told. The plotline is basic: Corrie is trying to write her thesis; her idea takes her to Roaring Fork, CO where she finds more than she bargains for. Pendergast is drawn in in an attempt to protect her and uncovers one of the biggest finds in literature while trying to save Corrie from herself.
TL;DR: New Pendergast novel is awesome.