Extinction
Author: Douglas Preston
Publisher: Forge Books
American
release date: April 23, 2024
Format/Genre/Length: Hardback/Technothriller/384 pages
Overall
Personal Rating: ★★★★★
Frankie Cash receives her first assignment as AIC – Agent in Charge – as a member of the Colorado Bureau of investigation – a kidnapping and possible murder at the Erebus Resort. Erebus is a 144 square mile resort in the mountains of Colorado where the wealthy come to play. But the big attraction lies in the various animals, once extinct, that have been de-extincted by scientists and brought back to life, now roaming the self-contained land of Erebus. Animals such as the wooly mammoth and the giant sloth. The victims are a young couple on their honeymoon – he’s the son of a billionaire and she’s a former Olympic Gold Medalist. Things don’t look good for the young couple, considering the size of the blood stains found by their tent. But there’s no need to spread panic until they know more.
Jim Colcord is the local sheriff. An older man, with many years of experience, he heads immediately to the crime scene where he meets Cash. Looks like they’ll be working together. Colcord brings a team of dogs and their handler, Acosta, to follow the scents. But they lose them in a massive heap of mammoth dung. The head of Erebus’s security team is a man named Maximillian. Something seems off with him, almost like he’s hiding something. The arrival of the father of one of the victims, the billionaire Gunnerson, does nothing to help the situation. He wants answers and he wants them now!
To further complicate matters, a film crew is filming within Erebus, having paid a high price to do so, and they have their own security team. Cash thinks they need to close the resort, but her boss, McFaul, is having none of it. It’ll look bad, not to mention cost the resort money… and money talks.
One avenue they need to explore is the mines that are situated beneath Erebus, long disused. And yet Maximilian seems reluctant to discuss them, for some reason. That only makes Cash even more suspicious. Especially when she learns the security chief told them about two of the mines but neglected to mention a third mine. The deeper she and Colcord go down the rabbit hole, the worse it gets. And now more people are dying in terrible ways. What in the world is going on here?
Douglas Preston is one half of the fabulous team that brings us the Pendergast novels, which I dearly love. He also writes his own novels, which are just as wonderful. Extinction is no exception. He has a way of posing questions and then pondering possibilities. Imagine Jurassic Park… but worse. And it’s not farfetched either, considering how far modern science has advanced. Preston creates living, breathing characters, some of whom you’ll love, some you’ll come to hate. Action is never lacking, and the mystery will keep you guessing until the very end. Don’t forget to read the Afterword, it contains some fascinating information!
If you’re new to Douglas Preston, go back and read his other books. Also, delve into the Pendergast series. You’ll be glad you did!
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