Does anybody else read the Preston & Child books, specifically Agent Pendergast? I've read the first half-dozen or so, but then took a bit of a break (possibly while waiting for a next book to come out). Now there are a few out that I haven't read, so I thought I'd go backward a book or two to refamiliarize myself with the world and characters, but all of a sudden Agt Pendergast is such a Marty Stu. Anybody else have this problem? It's weird. I've always loved him (and this is just a couple/few years ago, not like when something you loved as a teenager sucks as an adult), I'm gonna be bummed if I can't get back in the story.

I loved Relic back in the day, but Reliquary was weird, and I never really followed him after that. I read a few Preston & Child books during my airport-thriller phase (see also: James Patterson).

Epic, I've been reading them, although I've gotten fed up with a story arc that's been going through several books. They're good bus reading, so I've been following. Can't really recommend them, though.

Unrelatedly, title of the day: The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning.

I've gotten fed up with a story arc that's been going through several books.

Now I'm stupidly intrigued to know what.

The one I just re-read was Cabinet of Curiosities. I knew I had already read that and Brimstone, but I wanted to reintroduce myself before hitting the next vein of books that I don't remember nearly as well. Though reintroducing Bill Smithback sucks a little since I know (some of) what's coming for him in the "zombie" book (I started before deciding I needed to relearn some characters) and I like the big dumbass.

There's a story arc in which it turns out Pendergast's wife, presumed eaten by a lion years before, is alive and hiding from some neo-Nazis who are running a eugenic program (she's part of it). There's the discovery that her death was not an accident (her gun was loaded with blanks), then who was responsible, then that she's alive ... and so on.

Pendergast's wife, presumed eaten by a lion years before

...What.

is alive and hiding from some neo-Nazis

...Okay.

who are running a eugenic program

...Um?

(she's part of it)

...I see.

Oh, wow. And I thought the zombie thing was gonna be ridiculous...

It's just ... it's one of those things I dislike - it's kind of like when CSI: Miami was all about Horatio Cain and the angst of having his wife shot. All personal angst, spread over several books. And, yeah, he's just a little too perfect for my taste.

I learned today that a friend of mine used to be Elmore Leonard's gardener in Detroit. She describes him as "truly sweet" an apparently he liked peanuts so much she spent a lot of time removing peanut shells from flower beds.

I agree with Toddson, the Helen Pendergast "trilogy" made me want to beat my head against a wall. Same with the preceding Diogenes "trilogy". (Trilogy in quotes, 'cause each storyline got THREE ENTIRE BOOKS, but I'm not sure they were billed as a trilogy.)