Review: Atmospheric, but incomplete
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 11, 2012
A lot of authors are writing short stories for Kindle, and this one - like many others - seems to be a "loss leader" to advertise an upcoming book. You might think 99 cents a small price to pay for a good story, but that's the catch: this isn't a good story. The attractions are obvious. The story has a couple of beloved characters, Agent Prendergast and his ward Constance. But nothing really new is learned about either, particularly Constance, whose presence is merely a sounding board. A potentially interesting character is introduced and ignored. There is plenty of atmosphere, but all the action is off-stage, from the interaction of Diogenes with the mysterious hermit to the uncle's torturous intervention to the grand finale. This story, which really leaves out everything one might wish for, is not worth the price. I actually felt cheated, which is rare, as I read all of the Preston/Child collaborations. In future, I'll stick to the full-length novels and not waste time or money on these teaser tales.