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A long, wooden box, sealed for a thousand years, is stolen from a Tibetan monastery. The box contains something called the Agozyen, and if it’s opened, it will release evil and pain upon earth. But the monks couldn’t destroy it because it has an important future purpose.
FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast spends his life prying into the affairs of others, putting right what is wrong, solving riddles, and shining light onto darkness. It’s for this reason that he’s asked into the monks’ inner sanctum, so they can ask for his help in finding the box.
Constance Greene, Pendergast’s partner, is the only female allowed into the monastery. She’s haunted by a tragedy and wants to find peace, but her purpose in the scheme of life is much more than she can imagine.
Aloysius and Constance track the Agozyen onto the maiden voyage of the Britannia, a luxury liner full of privileged and spoiled travelers. While they’re on board the ship, strange things began to happen, and a vicious serial killer begins to take the passengers one by one. As the ship sails into a storm, Aloysius and Constance face a sinister evil that will destroy them all if not stopped.
The Wheel of Darkness is a little bit of James Bond with a paranormal twist, combined with race-against-the-clock suspense. It’s both absorbing and thrilling, and the authors take you through a complicated maze of mystery and intrigue. As you read, you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next, and the mystery of it will keep you penned to the story.
Though this book can stand alone, there are references to earlier novels involving the characters Aloysius and Constance that might seem a bit confusing. I was never completely sure of just what happened to Constance to make her feel so haunted. So I do recommend that you start from at least Book of the Dead, but you might want to read Dance of Death as well.
The Wheel of Darkness has definitely whet my appetite for earlier works by these two gifted authors. In a business where authors tend to use the same mold time after time, Preston and Child are a welcome diversion from the usual fare. Their work combines a jumble of ancient evil, mystery, suspense, the paranormal, and FBI thrillers that flow together smoothly, making them a one-of-a-kind read.
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