The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

 

One of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's most popular novels is The Cabinet of Curiosities. This introduced us to Dr. Enoch Leng, one of the evilest and most brilliant villains Pendergast has ever encountered. Now he returns in their latest book, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng. 

Pendergast's ward, Constance, has found her way back to where she came from, New York in the late 1800s. She is determined to save the lives of her brother and sister. Lurking in the way, however, is Dr. Leng. 

Pendergast, not fully recovered from his injuries suffered in the last book, is desperate and determined to find a way to reach Constance. Meanwhile, Agent Coldmoon is finally able to get to the Denver office where he is assigned a case involving the death of Lakota on reservation land in South Dakota. 

Amazingly, all these events circle back to New York and a crime at the New York Museum of Natural History. Now the real question is will Pendergast find a way back to Constance, and will he be in time. Or will Dr. Leng add another name to his long list of murders?

Every great detective is at his best when matched with a villain whose intellect matches his own. Holmes had Moriarity, Nero Wolfe had Arnold Zeck, and Pendergast has Enoch Leng. For much of the novel, it is Constance matching wits with Leng and hatching schemes to save her siblings. 

Preston and Child vividly create an 1880s New York that richly portrays both the desperate state of the poor and the trappings of the very wealthy. The story bounces between this setting and the present day, where a pair of interesting mysteries, involving murder and theft leave you wondering how everything connects. You won't really get an answer here as the book ends on a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger that does include one shocking revelation.

This book is enthralling from beginning to end and the authors promise the story will be wrapped up in the next book. The action is exciting, the mysteries intriguing, and the battle of wits is extremely suspenseful. The Cabinet of Dr. Leng is one of the better entries in the series, although seeing how the story concludes in the next book will give a better idea of where it ranks.

While it is possible to pick up the story beginning with this book, you will have a much better understanding of Dr. Leng if you first read Cabinet of Curiosities. It is also helpful to read Bloodless to gain a better understanding of how and why Constance ends up back in 1880. 

This book is thoroughly enjoyable, despite the open ending. I can't wait to see how it all concludes!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.