Title: Relic (Pendergast #1)

Author: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Publisher: 1995

Genre: Horror / Thriller

Pages: 484

Rating: 4 /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Imaginary Creature; Horror

The New York Museum of Natural History is built over a subterranean labyrinth of neglected specimen vaults, unmapped drainage tunnels and long-forgotten catacombs. And there's something down there. When the mutilated bodies of two young boys are discovered deep within the museum's bowels, Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta of the NYPD fears a homicidal maniac may be at large. FBI agent Aloysius X.L. Pendergast believes they may be facing something much worse. As the death toll mounts, and with the opening of the museum's new 'Superstition' exhibition just days away, the two men must work together to prevent a massacre.

As a part of our spooky movie month, we wanted to watch The Relic (1997), but I realized that I had never actually read the original novel that the movie is based on. Off I went to the library to get the book so we could watch. And to my surprise, I really enjoyed the book. It’s a horror thriller in the vein of Michael Crichton’s works. We get a mysterious event, a disbelieving population, scientific discovery, and tons of carnage. I loved all the action bits and the larger mystery of the creature and the murders. I wasn’t quite excited about the long scientific passages. I think the book could have been cut by about 75 pages and still have all the relevant information. I may just have to pick up the next book in the series.

Next up on the TBR pile: