Fever Dream

Rene Auberjonois continues his skilled narration of Preston and Child's suspense series featuring FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. Twelve years ago, Pendergast's beloved wife, Helen, was killed by a lion in Africa, and her bizarre death still haunts him, but now he's discovered something extraordinary. Helen's death was no freakish accident, it was murder. Accompanied by his good friend, NYPD detective Vincent D'Agosta, Pendergast travels halfway around the world to investigate his wife's killing. Auberjonois perfectly captures the mysterious and suspenseful tone of the authors' story. His character portrayals are spot on as he slips from one diverse set of characters to another. This particular adventure provides him with a stronger emotional range in regard to the usually unflappable Pendergast who is more passionate and impulsive than we've seen in the past, and Auberjonois embraces this opportunity to show a deeper, more human side of the agent. A Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 8). (May)