Extinction

By Douglas Preston

Douglas Preston dives into Jurassic Park territory with “Extinction.” It is ironic that Michial Crichton’s long-awaited book “Eruption” also just came out. After Crichton’s death in 2008, there has been much speculation regarding his unfinished works and what would be published. With the help of James Patterson, “Eruption” is finally available.

“Extinction” provides the next step up from the Jurassic World concept and takes you to a place that makes you simply shake your head in shock. The book starts out with a double homicide on the grounds of the Erebus Resort. The Resort is located in a 100,000-acre valley in the Colorado Rockies. Guests come to view the de-extinct species that the scientists of Erebus have brought back with genetic manipulation including woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths. A billionaire's son and his new wife decide that Erebus would be a perfect location for their honeymoon, but they are immediately murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists. Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators.

The newlywed couple’s death appears to be a beheading, but the heads and bodies have disappeared. Cash and Colcord work with Erebus’ security staff and search and rescue people to try to find the bodies. While the science is important in this novel, it is at its heart a mystery novel where Cash and Colcord work to discover why the couple was murdered. What is actually taking place is much more complex than either could have imagined. What Erebus is doing is mind boggling and digging into the truth is dangerous in unexpected ways. Needless to say, long before the truth can be uncovered, many will die.

This novel held my attention from start to finish. I liked Cash and Colcord and their work relationship. Big money and science play important roles in this novel which is a thriller and a mystery novel and a warning.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s latest Agent Pendergast novel comes out in August 2024 and is called “Angel of Vengeance.” This is the 22^nd book in a series that has remained fascinating and unusual throughout the series. I will be placing a hold on this and look forward to seeing what trouble Agent Pendergast will be heading into.