Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: I loved this wonderful tale about Old and New New York I was spellbound by this absolutely engrossing book and would recomend it to everyone
Rating:
Summary: I just loved this book!!!
Review: Give me a book with a New York setting and a serial killer and you have just made my day. This one was awesome for me. Lots of bones discovered while excavating for a new building. Now Special Agent Pendergast is called to the scene and enlists Nora, an insignificant worker at the New York Museum of Natural History. But he realizes her talents, and her reporter boyfriend is also imbedded in the mystery. The "Cabinet of Curiosities" takes us back to the late 1800's when scientists andexplorers were discovering new animals, artifacts, and cultural
items that astounded the people of that time. They became kind of a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.
I was totally intrigued by the information imparted. The mystery was so interesting. I have run out and purchased all the Preston/Child books I could find. However, I do remember reading "Relic" very many years ago and honestly recall almost every bit about it. That's saying a lot...since I can hardly recall the plot line of some books that I read 2 weeks ago!
Rating:
Summary: Juicy Read!
Review: The premise of "The Cabinet of Curiosities" has already been described so I won't go over it again. I just got done reading this and I was blown away! This is my first book by these particular authors and I so enjoyed them! I heartily recommend this novel. I agree with the previous reviewer cyk1: the climax wasn't as "wild" as I thought it was going to be. However, this really did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. The plot-line was layered and intelligent, but exciting and unpredictable. I really loved the characters: they were so well-written and diverse. The story is set in present times, but is connected with hundred-year-old murders that happened in NYC. The authors include rich, historic details about the times in which these murders occured that are wonderful to read, but never superfluous. I felt it was hard to stop reading and never came across slow, drawn-out bits. Finally, while being a being a very entertaining book it was definitely *not* formulaic. The characters and the plot-line were very innovative. And, just to add, there were no cheezy romantic sub-plots or graphic hanky-panky, which for me is a plus and just exemplifies the sophistication of this book. A juicy, enjoyable read! :)
Rating:
Summary: 4.9 stars....
Review: I won't attempt to reply to all the arguments placed here about the book, but I will say that perhaps if you've never read a book by this duo, you shouldn't start here. I myself had no problem understanding and really savoring the main characters (Nora, Pendergast, Smithback)--but then I was introduced to them many books ago, so perhaps I am biased. I love Preston & Child novels for the nonstop action. I enjoy taking an entire evening (after dinner and family things are done) where I can stay up all night to finish the book in one sitting. This book is no exception--it will hook you because it's fast-paced, it has a clever premise (100 year old murders), and beautiful details. With that said, I had two major problems. Well, make that three. 1. Every fifth page of my paperback version had the bottom two lines of print blurry. I do hope that was a fluke and not all editions came out that way. 2. I, personally, didn't like the way the mystery resolved itself. I was expecting something...wilder, I guess. Not to say it wasn't wild enough--it's plenty wild, in its own way. Judging by the fact that I give it 4.9 stars anyway, it was clearly not enough of a letdown to mar my enjoyment of the book. 3. There is a paragraph on page 580 that seems to suggest an extra person being introduced, who never *is* actually mentioned anymore. Maybe I just misunderstood the paragraph--someday I hope to find someone to discuss that with. All in all, it's a very thrilling, fascinating book. BUT, a large part of its fascination is the in-depth look at Pendergast--if you don't know this character yet, you'll spoil some of the fun of the other books by reading this one first. This book is not a series book; it can stand alone, but it is my opinion that one's enjoyment of this book is greatly enhanced by already being curious about Pendergast. If you're curious to try a Preston & Child novel, please don't be put off by the negative reviews here. I think many of them stem from not being familiar with the key characters; the book presumes you to already care about them when you pick it up, so the characterization is slim on the whole, but taken in full with the other books by this duo, the key characters here grow by leaps and bounds. (Want to know where to start? Start with The Relic, then Reliquary, then work your way up in order of publication. You'll meet everyone in the right order.)
Rating:
Summary: The best book I ever read...
Review: Since I am sure you have read the other reviews and know what the book is about, I will tell you this: this is the one book that will never be topped. I couldn't wait to get into bed at night just to read this book! It was a complete page turner! It has become my all time favorite book. And I was never into detective novels or crime-murder mystery novels - but I'm a history major and this book satisfied my cravings for a great book about history and creepy-ness (yes, it does get a little gory - but it's needed for this book)! Do yourself a favor and BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best audiobooks ever
Review: Before I get into the review, I have to say that this is one of the best books I've listened to yet.
When I first saw two authors in the credits, I thought it was going to stink, especially since I've
never read anything by either of them before. And Rene Auberjonois isn't exactly the type of
person I thought would read a book well. But I was desperate for a book to listen to on one of my
trips and downloaded this from Audible.com, then crossed my fingers. I soon uncrossed them after the first few minutes. Flipping between the late 19th century and
present day, the reader learns about cabinets of curiosities, basically mini-"museums" set up in
New York City by collector of oddities. There were actually quite a few in those days. Then it's present day and at a construction site, all work has stopped. In the basement of an old
apartment building being razed, an underground charnel house is discovered. Bones of 36 murder
victims from the late 1800s are found in little alcoves in the charnel house, some with clothing
and hair still attached. Archaeologist Nora Kelly is called in from the Museum of Natural History
by an FBI Agent by the name of Pendergast (no first name). She can't figure out why she's there,
but looks at the remains and finds herself embroiled in a battle of the FBI versus local cops when
the owner of the property tries to get them kicked out. Nora pockets some of the things she finds
on one body, tucking them in her clothes. It turns out these were victims of a serial killer in what was then known as the Five Points
neighborhood in the late 1880s. Nora's love interest, William Smithback, is a freelance
journalist, and smells a story. When she and Pendergast discover some incriminating evidence
about the murders, she entrusts a diary to William and he ends up writing an article, blowing the
whole story, but tying them into some murders that had already been going on recently. No one believes the serial killer could possible still be alive, but it's obvious the copycat is good,
too good, because the victim's spinal cords have been ripped out in the same way. Yes, I wrote
ripped out. Ee-yew. Pendergast and Nora use the clues from the diary and trace a possible lab back to what is now
Chinatown and discover the lab in an underground chamber. The owner of that lab had been
looking for the answer to eternal life and thought spinal cords were the answer. Racing to try to
find out who the present-day serial killer could be, and scared at who they think he may be,
Pendergast and Nora race to a long-abandoned mansion, only to find that William was already
there and his back isn't looking too good. The most intriguing part of this book was when Pendergast would "meditate" and take himself
back to the 1880s. I mean, really take himself back there. It was weird, but it fit in with the story
and sure as heck surprised me. Nora isn't a gung ho heroine, but she's not wimp, either. William,
her erstwhile lover/boyfriend, is just bumbling enough that you want her to get rid of him, but
endearing enough, you want her to hang onto him. Pendergast is not your typical FBI agent, nor
is he like Mulder in the X-Files. And the killer, phew, wait until you see who he is.
Rating: 
Summary: "E" for effort but not memorable...
Review: Sometimes authors become too ambitious in their effort to create a blend of genre. This is an excellent example. Cross-genre works but it takes great craftsmanship. Preston and Child obviously have the necessary background to provoke and intrigue us on an intellectual level with in this case "urban archeology" and the inner machinations of the world of academics within a museum, but fail in the arena of mystery and horror and police procedural by trying to do all three. They take a page from Caleb Carr's "The Alienist," another from Doyle's Holmes the calculating thinking-machine detective and attempt to blend these with a modern day thriller and historical horror novel. Let's examine agent Pendergast; the personification of the intellectual, refined consulting detective. A gentleman of independent means with the uncanny abilities of the psychic detectives of classic mystery. But he's an FBI agent on a never-ending unofficial investigation. Now that's too much of a stretch even for those who, apparently like the authors, have no working knowledge of the overriding bureaucratic nature of the FBI. Agents don't just leave their field office in New Orleans and travel to New York City and operate on an independent basis. Okay, you say this is fiction. Yes, but fiction must conform to dictate that the reader can suspend disbelief.
I found myself completely unable to suspend disbelief. And even if they had come up with a more plausible background for Pendergast, he comes off as a lifeless stick figure walking through scenes. Be honest--did you see any of the manic intensity and drive of Sherlock Holmes here? No. Only a skeletal figure who never even tantalizes us with subtle hints along the path. Teaming him with the plodding but loyal Irish NYPD cop should have given them more than enough fodder for character development. For well-written variation on Holmes read Mark Frost's "The List of Seven" and "The Six Messiahs." The same holds true for our heroine, Dr. Nora Kelly. We never really get into her head and receive more then the slightest explanation for her motivation, her willingness to accept the challenge and risk here career to aid Pendergast. Perhaps this is do to the authors attempt to escape any stigma of the "HORROR" novel.
However, by never really giving us a complex plot driven mystery (i.e. The Da Vinci Code), and by never achieving a truly visceral feeling of dread, the reader is left with an empty puzzle box and an empty coffin. Writers such as Thomas Harris are able to place their well fleshed out characters in true jeopardy at the hands of updated versions of the classic stock-in-trade villains of horror. His Hannibal Lecter is an amalgamation of Count Dracula and the Mad Scientist who is dropped into the middle of a modern thriller. "The Relic" was less ambitious, but hit the mark.. I think Preston and Child would be better served if they gave up trying to cloak their "bat wings" in an Inverness cape or a trench coat. In plain English: stop holding back and write an honest to God horror novel first and then, if they feel compelled to have it shelved in the Thriller isle at BORDERS, build a hard-nosed police procedural around it.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Worst I Have Ever Read (well, listened to).
Review: I will never pick up a book by these two again. The main character had Holmes-like abilities, but his were attained by magic, not by deduction and observation. For example, to help solve this murder, he was able to go back in time 100 years (in his head) and watch what happenned. GIVE ME A BREAK! The characters were stereotypical (especially the NYCity Policemen) with childish dialogue, and the ending was pathetic. Luckily, I wasted no time reading this book, I listened to it while commuting.
If you like wasting time, read this book, otherwise, RUN!!! ... --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition
Rating: 
Summary: Very Unrealistic
Review: The beginning of this book was very interesting. It seemed interesting at first and through out the middle of the book. It had way too much detail in it. So much useless detail that I felt like putting the book down often, and did. Towards the end of the book, the authors let their imagination run away with them, and the book had a horrible ending. They should have kept ir more realistic. I enjoy a book with a story line that could possibly actually happen in real life. It makes it more interesting. This book was extremelt far fetched towards the last few chapters. I was completely unsatisfied.
I give them an "A" for effort
Rating:
Summary: Scary,atmospheric..a wonderful read
Review: This scary,well-written,well-researched,and creepily atmospheric book grabbed me from the first sentence,and held on tightly until the end.It is very,very creepy,and therefore,most delightful! if you are a fan of hair-raising horror,and have a good imagination,then this is the book for you!
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