Crimson Shore

Library Journal ★ 11/01/2015 Agent Pendergast is back! Taking on a case involving a stolen wine collection would seem to underutilize his superior detective wizardry, but the pay is a bottle of priceless wine. How can he resist? He and his ward Constance head to the tiny town of Exmouth on the rocky Massachusetts coast. Examining the scene of the crime shows that more than wine was stolen from that particular cellar. As Pendergast and Constance investigate the theft, a visiting historian is murdered. Odd symbols linked to witchcraft are carved in unusual places, including the historian's body. A village legend of witches escaping Salem in the 1690s is only one of the puzzles deepening the mystery. Preston and Child's (Relic, Blue Labyrinth) famous agent believes the legends are red herrings. Even when the mystery is solved, it seems that some small-town secrets are deeper than even Aloysius Pendergast had realized. VERDICT Anyone who enjoys deep intrigue with a historian's viewpoint or a touch of macabre or gothic horror will love this adventure. New readers will be hooked and scrambling to catch up with the first 14 books. Die-hard fans will add this to their must-read lists. [See Prepub Alert, 5/11/15; November LibraryReads Pick.]—Elizabeth Masterson, Mecklenburg Cty. Jail Lib., Charlotte, NC