Part of Pendergast, book 3
First published 2002
FBI Special Agent Pendergast descends into a forgotten tunnel deep beneath New York City. Workers have uncovered a chamber filled with thirty-six bodies, each one murdered and carved up more than a hundred years ago. The victims were arranged with deliberate care, suggesting a killer who took pleasure in his work. Pendergast begins piecing together the century-old mystery, studying the decomposed remains and searching for patterns in the carnage. Then modern New York erupts in terror. Someone begins killing again, copying the same brutal methods used on those long-dead victims. The murders mirror the historical crimes in every sick detail. Pendergast realizes he faces a killer who has studied the original murders and decided to continue the work. The agent must solve both the old crimes and stop the new ones before more bodies pile up in the tunnels beneath the city.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, cold-case
Setting: New York City
Period: 19th-century
Kindle Edition · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder