Dead Mountain (Nora Kelly, 4)

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me an early copy. Below you'll find my honest review. Everyone who follows my reviews know that I am *huge* Preston & Child fans - their individual books and their co-written ones. Pendergast is one of the series I have followed the longest, and this is the fourth book in a spinoff of the Pendergast series starring two breakout characters who have played key roles in Special Agent Pendergast's cases, Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson. These two are a fantastic duo. They have their areas of expertise, and they mesh them together really well to solve cases. They always have some tension, as they have certain areas of their jobs that require following certain protocols, and that can be frustrating to the other party. Corrie has grown so much since we first met her in Still Life with Crows, and Nora's introduction in non-Pendergast (but Smithback-including) "stand-alone" Thunderhead seems ages ago in her development as well. They've both come so far, personally and professionally, and been through so much. I love watching them work together to solve cases. I also really enjoy the secondary characters in this spin-off series. Agent Sharp, introduced in this book, is a fresh new face with a lifetime of experiences that really drive his character. Nora's brother Skip is present, of course, and always finding himself getting into hot water somehow. Homer Watts makes an appearance again, and I really adore the growing relationship he has with Corrie. Some other characters are mentioned, along with events of both prior Nora/Corrie books AND some of their histories (like Still Life with Crows and Thunderhead). I really loved that their pasts are mentioned, as long-time followers of the Preston & Child "Pendergast-verse" will appreciate the references and feel nostalgic, like I did. All in all, a strong entry in the series, though I felt a little like the Sheriff Hawley/Skip situation felt like it was tacked on and not necessarily vital to the story, other than to just provide a storyline for Skip... but to be fair, that could also be setting up for future confrontations, so might just be some extra world building. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5, rounded up to 5. Highly recommended, but with the caveat - start where you want, but you will be spoiled on a dozen books' worth of character development and a MAJOR event from the Pendergast series if you start here. I'd suggest reading every single one of them! They're worth your time and money.

Fifteen years of unanswered questions, as 9 mountaineers never returned from a winter backpacking trip in the New Mexico mountains. No one has yet to address how they died or why the gruesome sight when 6 were originally found and in the or the 2 more leaving one unaccounted for. At the campsite scene a bizarre object was found something that appeared at the door of their tent that they had no choice but to slash their way out to certain death in a cold and barren world with nothing to protect their feet and a mark for certain death. This is just one mystery being faced by the search team and now the FBI in the present but why we're each customs missing their eyes? Red Mountain is the code name for this unsolved case as two more bodies are found when two young guys get drunk and winder inside this sacred cave and unleash a hailstorm of powerful magnitude. They defaced the cave and the remains belonging to an Indian tribe plus funded the 2 bodies of the Mountaineers. Corrie Swanson and Nora Kelly are tasked to investigate the causes of these deaths and the history behind the remains is Nora cause. Some parents have asked, questioned, and sat silent for two long as we hear the voices of the Manzano Families Memorial Association seeking answers to what happened to their children, why aren't the parents of the two new victims found told anything about the causes of their deaths? Nora heloscCorrie and Agent Sharp uncover the two bodies and when Nora agrees to work with Nagpra to remove the remains with Tenorio from the Indian tribe, Sheriff Hawley attacks Nora, she falls, and Skip her brother was They attempt to inspect what they believe are ancestral to Isleta Pueblo. Arguments with the sheriff and when Nora is attacked the sheriff arrests alter brother on four triumphed-up charges. Who wants to prevent the last victim from being found as Corrie refuses to help Nora or her brother saying they can't get involved. So much for friendship. An investigation and case went cold but Corrie and Sharpe questioned Robertson Gold the lead on the Ynus case the questions and answers did not bring them closer but left Corrie wondering what did Gold miss and why didn't he inspect or survey the area where the fire started and what about the radiation reports and what was her next move and was her theory about why the bodies were burned plausible? He had not surveyed the fire pit that Nora did and discovered a knife. Was this the knife used to kill one of the victims? Pages 186-189 allow readers to explore her theory. Why did she want a tour of the military base and Kirkland? Then driving through Kirkland Corrie and the colonel who's drinivgctalh about the radiation, the Boston project, how radioisotopes were disposed of, and weapon storage. It is explained how the link to the storage facility in the Manzano mountains and the weapons were removed. It c...

Love the way these authors write a mystery.From first page to last an episode of pure enjoyment. Buy the book.