|
|
|---|
 |
"The cloven hoofprint burned into the floor told her everything she needed to know. The devil had finally come for Jeremy Grove." |
 |
Brimstone is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child first published in 2004. It is part of their informal Agent Pendergast series.
A string of murders among the wealthy and elite draws Pendergast to investigate. When the cause of death seems to be burning from the inside, and satanic images appear at the deaths, people begin to wonder if the devil really has appeared in modern day New York and is collecting his dues.
- Affably Evil: Count Fosco.
- Asshole Victim: Fosco points out that the people he killed were wastes of humanity and he probably did the world a favor.
- The Bus Came Back: D'Agosta has returned from his failed writing career an had to take a job that bumps him down two ranks to Sergeant.
- The Butler Did It: Fosco's butler committed half of the murders so the Count could provide an alibi.
- The Casanova: The last musician known to have the Stormcloud was a notorious womanizer. He succumbed to brain damage caused by syphilis, went crazy and fled the owners of the violin.
- Chekhov's Skill: Count Fosco's tinkering. D'Agosta's brushing up on his shooting skills.
- The Chessmaster: Fosco plans every minute detail to deliver master strokes at any possibility.
- Early-Bird Cameo: D'Agosta unknowingly sees Diogenes while escaping his pursuers. Diogenes then rescues Pendergast in the epilogue.
- Gaia's Vengeance: Von Menck believes the murders are a predictor that a natural correction is coming to wipe the corruption of the world away.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: D'Agosta sneaks back to Fosco's mansion and kills him with the microwave death ray he used for his Xanatos Gambit.
- Human Shield: Bullard's mooks strategically position a bunch of kids as a human shield against the Chinese. They don't care.
- Laser Hallway: The security system surrounding Bullard's factory. Aside from motion and weight sensors at the fence and booby traps throughout, an entire field is equipped with lasers that Pendergast and D'Agosta must crawl through (Pendergast using cigarette smoke to identify where the beam is). The space for them to avoid the beams is justified, as wild boar roam the area and the grid is specifically designed to pass over their backs and trip for a walking man.
- MacGuffin: The killer is after the Stradivarius violin, Stormcloud.
- Mad Scientist: Fosco and his tinkering, which becomes much more sinister.
- Master of Disguise: Pendergast shows up on the scene of the first murder dressed like a tourist and D'Agosta takes quite some time to recognize him.
- Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Pendergast begs Fosco to let him go. Not for his own life, but so he can save the world from Diogenes. He even swears he'll return and let the count kill him once he is done.
- No Bisexuals: Averted and lampshaded by Pendergast when an officer at Jeremy Groves' murder scene describes the fact that he "liked men and women" as "perverse sexual tendencies." Pendergast points out that thirty percent of all men have some bisexual tendencies.
- No Mister Bond I Expect You to Dine: Fosco invites Pendergast and D'Agosta to stay the night (which he won't allow them to refuse) and then explains his entire plan and it's execution over dinner.
- Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: Fosco VS D'agosta.
- Purple Eyes: Constance Green is described as having violet eyes.
- Scooby-Doo Hoax: Fosco orchestrated all the murders as a way to scare Bullard into thinking the Devil was coming to collect his soul so he would "sacrifice" the violin and Fosco could get his hands on it.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivered by Hayward to Buck.
|
"Mr. Buck? If you don't mind, there's something personal I'd like to say to you... First of all, there's only one Jesus and you aren't Him. Another thing: I'm a Christian, and I try to be a good one, although I may not always succeed. You had no right to stand there when I was at the mercy of that crowd, point your finger at me, and pass judgement. You should take a good look at that passage in the Gospel of Matthew: Judge not, that ye be not judged... Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.... I always liked the King James Version the best. Now, listen. You worry about yourself from now on, being a good citizen, keeping out of trouble, and obeying the law... If there's a Second Coming in the works, you sure as heck won't get advance notice - that much I do know... Farewell, Mr. Buck. Keep your nose clean." |
|
- Serious Business: Fosco really just wanted his violin back. Though the MacGuffin in question would have originally been put to use in helping the Chinese develop a stealth missile.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Diogenes saves Pendergast in the epilogue.
- Title Drop: Pendergast finds brimstone at the scene of Jeremy Grove's murder and notes that it is "good Old Testament brimstone."