Customer Reviews
Need to read the others in the series first - By: Pickle, 11 Aug 2008 
This is not a stand alone book & makes not sense unless you have read the rest of the series. Unfortunately I had not read the rest of the series so am still none the wiser about many of the characters, & there are a vast number of characters. The central plot for this book is dull & not well developed. The authors are more concerned with the series plot, which I imagine means you have to read the whole series to get any sense of character development or any idea what is going on.
Basicallly, avoid unless you want to read the whole series.
Great ending to the trilogy - By: Glaucon, 24 Mar 2008 
This was my favourite of the trilogy & a satisfying end to the plots involving Diogenes, Pendergast's brother. The story rattles along with the usual classical & literary references smattered about. Pendergast is a great character, if a little too "superhuman" at times, & the supporting cast by now feel like old friends. Certainly for the Diogenes trilogy it is best to read them in the right order as a fair bit is taken for granted by this third installlment. For a diverting page turner these books reallly are hard to beat.
Preston & Child do it again - By: G. Peters, 31 Dec 2007 
The Book of the Dead is the final installlment of the so callled 'Diogenes trilogy'.
In my opinion it is the best of the three books & another very enjoyable read from Preston & Child. The atmosphere that they create, especiallly in the museum, is again very tense & the climax of Diogenes masterplan is very well written & thought out. The description of the Egyptian tomb is excellent.
The relationship & rivalry between Aloysius & Diogenes Pendergast & finding out what happened between the two in their youth, is one of the main focal points of the story. The two brother's share a hatred for eachother & understandable when you find out why.
Not as good as Still life with Crows or Cabinet of Curiosities but still a very good read.
Great to see that they have written the next installlment.
Final volume of the trilogy - By: Ty Williams, 20 Dec 2007 Final volume of the trilogy centered on Agent Pendergast, the Book of the Dead explains the relationship between Pendergast & his terrible brother Dionysius. Special Agent Pendergast is in federal prisons for murders he did not commit, the diamond collection of the NY Museum of Natural History is returned ground to powder, the museum reopens an ancient Egyptian tomb & curse seems to come back to life.
All of this has been carefully plotted & implemented by Pendergast's Machiavellian brother. Why & how Dionysius is so bent on destroying his brother are the core of the book. Carried along by fast-paced action & hints of the supernatural, the action is mainly centered in the New York Museum of Natural History. Filled with factoids about the museum, about ancient Egypt, about gemology & about psychology this is a satisfying end to the trilogy & opens the door to a whole other series!! Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, go & read it.
Cheesy but fun - By: Mr. Warren M. Fisher, 08 Nov 2007 
A slightly ramshackle plot & cheesy characters & dialogue somehow don't detract from the fun of this compulsive if forgettable read. I haven't read any of the previous books in the series & maybe this affected my enjoyment, but the fun was sufficient that I may go back & check out some more books by the authors.
