The Cabinet of Curiosities

The Cabinet of Curiosities
Author	Lincoln Child, Douglas Preston
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Thriller, Science fiction
Publisher	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date	2002
Media type	Hardcover
Pages	565
ISBN	0-446-53022-0
OCLC Number	47737906
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 21
LC Classification	PS3566.R3982 C33 2002
Preceded by	Reliquary
Followed by	Still Life with Crows

The Cabinet of Curiosities {ISBN 0-446-53022-0} is a 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Plot summary

Dr. Nora Kelly's life as an archeologist at New York City's American Museum of Natural History becomes complicated when Aloysius X. L. Pendergast, a secretive and highly resourceful FBI Special Agent, convinces her to help him uncover the truth behind a string of brutal murders that appears to stretch back 130 years.

The adventure starts out with the discovery of a long-buried tunnel at a construction site in Manhattan containing the bodies of 36 young people all with parts of their spine removed, buried in the basement. Kelly's assistance as archeologist is needed by Pendergast. But they are soon frustrated by countervailing forces who oppose theiinvolvement:

• Roger C. Brisbane III: Museum's first Vice Director
• Anthony Fairhaven: Wealthy entrepreneur, owner of the development property. Fairhaven is a large contributor to the museum, and to the mayor's election campaign.
• The City of New York: The Mayor and the police exert every effort to stop Pendergast and Kelly's investigation.

Anthony Fairhaven, the owner of the site, wishes to build his glass tower of apartments before bad publicity and archeologists looking for a new dig site can stop him. He had the bodies quickly taken away and buried, but not before Dr. Nora Kelly and FBI Special Agent Pendegrast take a cursory look. Nora discovers a note written by Mary Greene sewn into the bodice of a discarded dress. Nora has her reservations about continuing the investigation, despite the personal connection she feels to Mary Greene through her painstakingly created note. She has recently been hired by the museum, and she is afraid of losing her job, especially since now budget cuts and politics have made it harder for her to continue her research.

In spite of efforts to thwart them, Pendergast and Kelly make some important discoveries at the construction site, especially the gruesome manner in which the victims were killed. Agent Pendegrast, determined to discover the name of the murderer for his own reasons. Later Nora's boyfriend, William Smithback trying to help Kelly in his way, writes a newspaper article about the investigation especially since Nora's employers are trying to bury all information. This does not help her as he hopes, and she refuses to have anything further to do with him. After the article published against nora's wishes a new a copy cat killer has started to kill people of the same way as the bodies discovered under the cabinet. Smithback's actions simply cause more trouble for Kelly at the museum

The Police Department, in spite of its intention to curtail Pendergast, has to appear helpful to the investigation, and supplies a liaison officer, Patrick Murphy O'Shaughnessy. To the department's chagrin O'Shaughnessy is much too helpful and becomes a boon to Pendergast and Kelly.

The murders continue, and they move closer in to the museum resulting in a horrific murder in the museum's basement archives, and a frightening chase after Kelly and every time when pendergast finds a clue he feels as someone as already been on same track they investigate.The evidence points towards the same person who committed the gruesome crimes over a century ago still operating today

The investigation reveals a startling secret in the Pendergast family, a successful means of prolonging life, and a murderous obsession to achieve the eradication of the mankind 'disease'. Pendergast's great-grand uncle Antoine Leng Pendergast (a.k.a. Enoch Leng) is the serial killer who killed many people used the missing spinal parts in an attempt to produce an elixer enabling him to prolong his life. He succeeded and survived well into the late 20th century But he was killed by the copy-cat killer who is revealed to be Anthony Fairhaven. Anthony Fairhaven, tracked Enoch Leng to his mansion on Riverside Drive. Leng, now physically an old man as he stopped using the formula was powerless against Fairhaven’s feverish brutality. Tired of life, Leng died amidst Fairhaven’s interrogations without ever revealing his secret formula. At last when fairhaven tries to kill Smithback, Pendergast arrives to stop him. After Fairhaven has died, Pendergast burns the formula that would prolong the life.

The story introduces the cabinet of curiosity (created by the killer Leng), and hints at something hidden in it, which is featured in the consecutive novels.