Douglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. His first job was as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. His stint at the museum resulted in his first nonfiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, as well as his first novel, Relic, co-authored with Lincoln Child, which was made into a movie by Paramount Pictures. Relic was followed by a string of other thrillers co-written with Child, many featuring eccentric FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast. Preston spends his free time riding horses in New Mexico and gunkholing around the Maine coast in an old lobster boat. He counts in his ancestry the poet Emily Dickinson, the newspaperman Horace Greeley, and the infamous murderer and opium addict Amasa Greenough.
Genres: Thriller, Mystery
New Books
Series
Agent Pendergast (with Lincoln Child)
1. The Relic (1995)
2. Reliquary (1997)
3. The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
4. Still Life with Crows (2003)
5. Brimstone (2004)
6. The Dance of Death (2005)
7. The Book of the Dead (2006)
8. The Wheel of Darkness (2007)
9. Cemetery Dance (2009)
10. Fever Dream (2010)
11. Cold Vengeance (2011)
12. Two Graves (2012)
12.5. Extraction (2012)
13. White Fire (2013)
14. Blue Labyrinth (2014)
15. Crimson Shore (2015)
16. The Obsidian Chamber (2016)
17. City of Endless Night (2018)
18. Verses for the Dead (2018)
19. Crooked River (2020)
20. Bloodless (2021)
21. The Cabinet of Dr. Leng (2023)
Aloysius X. L. Pendergast (2022)
1. The Relic (1995)
2. Reliquary (1997)
3. The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002)
4. Still Life with Crows (2003)
5. Brimstone (2004)
6. The Dance of Death (2005)
7. The Book of the Dead (2006)
8. The Wheel of Darkness (2007)
9. Cemetery Dance (2009)
10. Fever Dream (2010)
11. Cold Vengeance (2011)
12. Two Graves (2012)
12.5. Extraction (2012)
13. White Fire (2013)
14. Blue Labyrinth (2014)
15. Crimson Shore (2015)
16. The Obsidian Chamber (2016)
17. City of Endless Night (2018)
18. Verses for the Dead (2018)
19. Crooked River (2020)
20. Bloodless (2021)
21. The Cabinet of Dr. Leng (2023)
Aloysius X. L. Pendergast (2022)
Wyman Ford
1. Tyrannosaur Canyon (2005)
2. Blasphemy (2007)
3. Impact (2010)
4. The Kraken Project (2014)
1. Tyrannosaur Canyon (2005)
2. Blasphemy (2007)
3. Impact (2010)
4. The Kraken Project (2014)
Gideon Crew (with Lincoln Child)
1. Gideon's Sword (2011)
2. Gideon's Corpse (2012)
3. The Lost Island (2014)
4. Beyond the Ice Limit (2016)
5. The Pharaoh Key (2018)
1. Gideon's Sword (2011)
2. Gideon's Corpse (2012)
3. The Lost Island (2014)
4. Beyond the Ice Limit (2016)
5. The Pharaoh Key (2018)
Nora Kelly (with Lincoln Child)
1. Old Bones (2019)
2. The Scorpion's Tail (2021)
3. Diablo Mesa (2022)
4. Dead Mountain (2023)
1. Old Bones (2019)
2. The Scorpion's Tail (2021)
3. Diablo Mesa (2022)
4. Dead Mountain (2023)
Novels
Jennie (1994)
Mount Dragon (1996) (with Lincoln Child)
Riptide (1998) (with Lincoln Child)
Thunderhead (1999) (with Lincoln Child)
The Ice Limit (2000) (with Lincoln Child)
The Codex (2003)
Mount Dragon (1996) (with Lincoln Child)
Riptide (1998) (with Lincoln Child)
Thunderhead (1999) (with Lincoln Child)
The Ice Limit (2000) (with Lincoln Child)
The Codex (2003)
Novellas
Series contributed to
Non fiction
Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986)
Cities of Gold (1992)
Talking to the Ground (1995)
The Royal Road (1998) (with Jose Antonio Esquibel)
The Monster of Florence (2008) (with Mario Spezi)
Trial By Fury (2013)
The Forgotten Killer (2014) (with John E Douglas)
The Lost City of the Monkey God (2017)
The Lost Tomb (2023)
Cities of Gold (1992)
Talking to the Ground (1995)
The Royal Road (1998) (with Jose Antonio Esquibel)
The Monster of Florence (2008) (with Mario Spezi)
Trial By Fury (2013)
The Forgotten Killer (2014) (with John E Douglas)
The Lost City of the Monkey God (2017)
The Lost Tomb (2023)
Douglas Preston recommends

Neverland (1991)
Douglas Clegg
"Neverland is a masterpiece of dark suspense that will forever haunt your dreams."

Revelation (1998)
L Christian Balling
"High-tech thriller that explores the terrifying intersection of science, religion, and madness."

Mark of the Lion (2006)
(Jade del Cameron Mystery, book 1)
Suzanne Arruda
"One of the most memorable mystery adventure stories I've read in a long time."

The Genesis Code (2007)
Christopher Forrest
"Starting with a truly extraordinary pretense, The Genesis Code launches the reader into a story of science and ancient mystery that will blow your mind. An autstanding debut."

The Reincarnationist (2007)
(Reincarnationist, book 1)
M J Rose
"One of the most original and exciting novels I've read in a long time, with a premise so delicious I'm sick with envy I didn't think of it myself."

Final Theory (2008)
(Final Theory, book 1)
Mark Alpert
"A deliciously explosive premise and a breakneck plot."

Critical Mass (2009)
Whitley Strieber
"Whitley Streiber's Critical Mass is one hell of a book--a frighteningly plausible conspiracy-thriller that is so real it sometimes feels like an expose. It conjures up a world that is terrifying in its technological plausibility--if not probability."

Bad Things Happen (2009)
(David Loogan, book 1)
Harry Dolan
"From the astringent first sentence - 'The shovel has to meet certain requirements' - Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan builds like a Midwestern thunderhead into an atmosphere of darkness, dread, and impending doom. It is a hypnotically readable novel, with richly wrought characters, a corkscrew plot, and dialog worthy of Elmore Leonard. What a breathtaking debut."

Molly Fyde and the Land of Light (2009)
(Bern Saga, book 2)
Hugh Howey
"One of the most delightful characters in recent science fiction."

Silver (2010)
(Ogmios Team Adventure, book 1)
Steven Savile
"The mix of history, suspense, and action in Silver is a perfect combination for those DaVinci Code fans looking for another electrifying read combining Biblical history with modern-day Armageddon."

Hell's Horizon (2010)
(City Trilogy, book 2)
Darren Shan
"I loved it! Compelling... richly imagined... a frightening spiral of violence, mystery and murder."

Midnight Angels (2010)
Lorenzo Carcaterra
"Crackles with action... a riveting and ingenious read that will keep you turning the pages."

The Ocean Dark (2010)
Jack Rogan (Christopher Golden)
"A gale force 10 of a thriller, blending furious suspense with brilliantly speculative science. Wow."

The Fund (2011)
H T Narea
"A financial apocalyptic thriller full of surprises and insider knowledge. A terrific read!"

The Phoenix Apostles (2011)
(Seneca Hunt, book 1)
Joe Moore and Lynn Sholes
"Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore have created a knockout apocalyptic thriller with The Phoenix Apostles. An epic tale of gold, archaeology, mass murder, ancient prophecy and terrorism, it propels the reader at light speed from its opening chapters to its stunning climax. An outstanding read!"

Frail (2011)
(Resurgam Trilogy, book 2)
Joan Frances Turner
"Joan Frances Turner has done for zombies what Anne Rice did for vampires."

The Winslow Incident (2011)
Elizabeth Voss
"A strikingly original idea in an area where original ideas are few and far between."

Betrayal (2012)
Robert Fitzpatrick and Jon Land
"One of the best tales of crime and (non) punishment I've ever read."

Murder in Maui (2012)
(Leila Kahana Mystery, book 1)
R Barri Flowers
"A masterful thriller from a top criminologist."

The Cryptos Conundrum (2012)
Chase Brandon
"The conspiracy thriller of the century... a spellbinding novel."

The Trinity Game (2012)
(Daniel Byrne, book 1)
Sean Chercover
"The Trinity Game takes the reader on the wildest of rides, from a fabulous and truly diabolical premise to a shattering finale that will leave you gasping for breath. This is one hell of a good thriller."

Red Rain (2012)
R L Stine
"Real characters, crisp writing, and a wicked senseof humor. Keep this book, far, far away from your kids."

The Cure (2013)
Douglas E Richards
"This cutting edge science-based thriller will keep you turning the pages all night long."

Retribution (2014)
(Will Parker Thriller, book 2)
Anderson Harp
"Outstanding thriller with vivid characters, breakneck pacing, and suspense enough for even the most demanding reader. Harp writes with complete authenticity and a tremendous depth of military knowledge. A fantastic readdon’t miss it!"

Ark Storm (2014)
Linda Davies
"Plausible and terrifying. The writing is crisp, the pacing breakneck, and the characters are vivid. I highly recommend it."

Lock In (2014)
(Lock In, book 1)
John Scalzi
"This is the kind of thriller that Michael Crichton, Lincoln Child, and James Rollins do so well. Add John Scalzi to that list."

The Golden Hour (2014)
(Judd Riker, book 1)
Todd Moss
"Terror, violence, beauty, good and evil and everything in between. It is just about impossible to stop reading this book."

Night Life (2015)
(Michael Cassidy, book 1)
David C Taylor
"A heart-stopping bullet brain of a novel with action and atmosphere to burn."

Shadow Ritual (2015)
(Antoine Marcas)
Éric Giacometti and Jacques Ravenne
"Phenomenal, I highly recommend this novel!."

Primordial (2015)
(Lilitu Trilogy, book 2)
Toby Tate
"...an exceptionally well-crafted sci-fi supernatural thriller!."

The Seventh Sun (2017)
(Dan Clifford, book 1)
Kent Lester
"The characters are real, the science is convincing and disturbing, and the pacing is excellent . . . A winner."

The Dark Lake (2017)
(Gemma Woodstock, book 1)
Sarah Bailey
"Beautifully written, compulsively, readable, and highly recommended."

The Anomaly (2018)
(Anomaly Files, book 1)
Michael Rutger
"A taut, take-no-prisoners thriller, lean and fast as an express train. Make no mistake: THE ANOMALY is the real deal."

Long Road to Mercy (2018)
(Atlee Pine, book 1)
David Baldacci
"An epic thriller-fast moving, beautifully imagined, and vividly set in the Grand Canyon and its environs. From the opening chapter to the final twist, this novel will absolutely transfix you. A stunning debut to what promises to be a great series. Agent Pine is a character for the ages."

Save Me from Dangerous Men (2019)
(Nikki Griffin, book 1)
S A Lelchuk
"Save Me from Dangerous Men is one of those rare thrillers that draws you in so relentlessly that you find yourself getting kicked out of bed and reading all night on the sofa. If you’re a fan of Jack Reacher or Lisbeth Salander, you are gonna love Nikki Griffin. This is an outstanding debut novel to what promises to be an exceptional series. Highly, highly recommended."

A Solitude of Wolverines (2020)
(Alex Carter , book 1)
Alice Henderson
"A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson is a thriller with a heart, a riveting story of conspiracy, murder, and wilderness survival that will keep you turning the pages. Vivid characters, a pulse-pounding plot, a fascinating wildlife-conservation background, and beautifully realized settings make this an exceptional read. This is the first book in a series about wildlife biologist Alex Carter; I can't wait for the next one."

McGarvey (2020)
(Kirk McGarvey, book 25)
David Hagberg
"The grand master of the contemporary thriller."

The Midnight Ride (2022)
Ben Mezrich
"THE MIDNIGHT RIDE is one hell of a trip, a whirlwind tale of murder, mayhem, secret history, and the greatest art heist of all time. I'm a huge fan of Mezrich's nonfiction books, and I totally devoured his foray into fiction. The guy is just an all-around amazing writer--and Hailey Gordon is a fabulous character. Highly recommended."

The Midcoast (2022)
Adam White
"The Midcoast is an insanely good novel, compulsively readable, with a growing feeling of menace and catastrophe that becomes almost unbearable. Elegantly written, with vivid characters and an intricately realized setting, this is a stunning debut from a writer we will certainly hear from again. I highly recommend this book."

Project Namahana (2022)
John Teschner
"An enthralling tale of disappearances, deaths, dark secrets, and corporate evil. I loved it and highly recommend it!"

Wealth Management (2022)
Edward Zuckerman
"A pure joy to read with a wickedly clever plot, vivid characters, and a fabulously droll sense of humor that emerges even with the novel's deadpan title. If you are a fan of Leonard or Le Carre, you are going to love Zuckerman."

Going Zero (2023)
Anthony McCarten
"One of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. Beyond pure entertainment is the truth this novel speaks about the disturbing times we live in."

Central Park West (2023)
James Comey
"Central Park West is a truly outstanding debut novel, a sophisticated and engaging legal thriller that grabs the reader from the opening scene and doesn't let go until the surprising ending. In between the author weaves an intricate and stylish story with vivid characters, playing out in a brilliant New York setting. Comey knows exactly how things work at the FBI and DOJ, and Central Park West opens a door into a fascinating and complex world of tradecraft, criminal investigation, political corruption, legal wrangling, and murder. I loved this book-highly, highly recommended!"
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