This was another very engaging page-turner from Preston & Child. It's the second book in the Nora Kelly/Corrie Swanson series although both Nora and Corrie have appeared in other Preston/Child novels in the past. I read the first in this series, Old Bones when it first came out a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. This one was just as compelling and made me want to go back and read more of their books that I have missed.

In this one, a corpse is found in the cellar of a building in an old ghost town in New Mexico by a relic seeker. He is seen looting the place by the local sheriff resulting in a gunfight. Based on this, Corrie, the young FBI agent and protege of FBI agent Pendergast, is called in to ID the body and determine the cause of death. But this leads to a whole series of unforeseen events. Corrie persuades Nora Kelly to come to the site to excavate the body and she finds as part of the excavation a very valuable gold cross dating back to the 1600s and the Spanish conquerors of the Southwest. The cross is apparently part of a lost treasure that has remained a mystery and has been sought by many fortune seekers including the head of the nearby White Sands Missile Range. This and subsequent discoveries by Corrie and Nora lead to their endangerment by the ruthless treasure seekers. But is that the reason the relic seeker was at the ghost town? Is there something even more valuable hidden there?

This one really kept me turning the pages. Full of action and suspense as usual for Preston/Child. I have read a large portion of their books but I still need to finish reading the Pendergast series. I'll be looking forward to doing so, hopefully sooner than later.

Share/Like this Review?

If you're in the mood for a book that's flat-out fun to read, by all means, get your hands on a copy of The Scorpion's Tail. Preston and Child's story of treasure and obsession had my eyes glued to the page, and when life intruded and I had to put the book down, my mind kept wandering back to it, wondering what was going to happen next.

These two authors pushed so many of my WOW buttons that I don't think I can list them all. I learned several interesting tidbits of New Mexico history such as the Pueblo Revolt. I was taken to the White Sands Missile Range. The trip to a remote ghost town reminded me of so many similar trips my husband and I made here in Arizona. Ones where the trails were so bad I thought my kidneys and spine would never be the same-- but so much fun! Then there was the fabulous lost Spanish treasure, the white-knuckle night escape from the bad guys, a little Army-Navy joke, and of course, the archaeology.

There's so much "wonderfulness" in The Scorpion's Tail that I think the brief appearance made by Preston and Child's Agent Pendergast was completely unnecessary. This book's adventure, its marvelous setting, its mystery are all taken to the next level by the authors' characters. Corrie Swanson's backstory is slowly being revealed, and it's an interesting one. She's going to make an excellent agent, but she can be impulsive and does need Agent Morwood's mentoring. Nora Kelly is my kind of archaeologist who's learning about the politics of promotion at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute, and her brother Skip is the perfect person to bring along on a dig. There's the smart, handsome sheriff of Socorro who wears two six-shooters strapped to his hips, but don't let the theatricality fool you. When you've got a cast like this, it makes the mystery and the adventure shine even brighter.

If you can't tell that I loved this book, I have to say that I'm worried about you. I'll also worry about you if you like this sort of book and decide not to read it. The Scorpion's Tail is a fantastic, fun read. What are you waiting for?

Share/Like this Review?

Preston and Childs have done it again with this story starring Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson. I really enjoy the character of Corrie, a long time protege of FBI Agent Pendergast and love that the authors choose to combine them in their storyline.

The fast paced plot takes place in New Mexico, and was exciting from start to finish. Of course the appearance of Aloysius Pendergast near,the very end was the Cherry on top of the ice cream sundae!

Share/Like this Review?

First-rate in every way! Well-plotted, with interesting setting and story in the deserts and high country of New Mexico, and totally believable historical backdrop. Highly recommended for mystery and thriller fans.

Share/Like this Review?