The Obsidian Chamber

I gave this four instead of five stars for the single reason that I had a difficult time understanding how the story was going to merge. But again, it's a great story by Preston/Child. I said I was going to read these in order, and I think I skipped past one. Reading in order is not necessary, but would be helpful.

I sort of liked it. PrestonChilds are good writers and tell an interesting story which is why it got 3 stars rather than 2.
The problem is I'm not interested in nor do I like Diogenes.
In general, I'm not interested in the bizarre relationship between A. Pendergast and D. Pendergast.
I think Constance is intriguing but not Diogenes' obsession with her.
I found the ending unsatisfactory.
All I can say is I read it and I don't think you'll miss much if you skip it.

I've read every book in the Pendergast series. While they've become somewhat predictable and formulaic, I still enjoy them. FBI Special Agent AXL Pendergast in one of those characters that starts as something original, and then becomes mysterious, and now–in many ways–sometimes seems of a parody of the original character, but I still enjoy reading about him. I enjoy his fastidious ways, his Sherlockian view of the world, and his upper-crust snobbery. I especially enjoy getting little glimpses of the past. How does someone like Pendergast exist? What made him join the Army? What made him opt for Special Forces? What makes him tick?

THE OBSIDIAN CHAMBER deviated from the paranormal slant that many of the Pendergast books rely up, and that made it feel slightly fresher. It was also a (potential) end to the Cain/Abel relationship between Aloysius and Diogenes.

While I enjoyed the book, I felt myself skimming pages because I didn't need to get bogged down in Lincoln and Child's endless descriptions of a world that only the wealthy and intellectually snobbish can pursue. There was precious little of D'Agosta in this book, and that was a bit of a downside. I think the relationship between D'Agosta and Pendergast is one of things that make the series more accessible to outsiders (reg'lar folk like us all...).

I hope that Lincoln and Child get back to the roots of the Pendergast series (i.e. Pendergast vs. Supernatural monsters) and just do it better. While I'm giving the book four stars, it's starting to feel rehashed and phoned-in. After sixteen books, I imagine it would begin to. Perhaps giving Pendergast someone to butt heads with, someone who will call him on his upper-crust antebellum better-than-thou attitude would enliven the series.

If you haven't read any of these books, I recommend them. They're easy reading with memorable characters.