Agent Pendergast

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Dr. Aloysius X. L. Pendergast is a fictional character appearing in novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

In the novels, Pendergast is a special agent with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He is a favorite among fans for his unique personality, appreciation of culture and his almost supernatural competence. He works out of the New Orleans, Louisiana branch of the FBI, but frequently travels out of state to investigate cases which interest him, namely those appearing to be the work of serial killers.

1 Background
2 Appearance
3 Accoutrements
4 Interests
5 Personal associations
- 5.1 Friends
- 5.2 Family
6 Chronicles
- 6.1 The Pendergast Trilogy
7 References
8 External link

[edit] Background

Born to a wealthy Southern family of French and creole descent circa 1960 and raised in New Orleans, Pendergast retains his gentlemanly Southern manners and mellifluous Southern accent. He studied Anthropology at Harvard University (graduating summa cum laude) and received a dual Ph.D. in Classics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford.^[1] As mentioned in Relic, Pendergast served with the Special Forces. At some point during his lifetime, Pendergast married, but has indicated that he is now widowed. Very little is known about his late wife, other than that she was a skilled big game hunter and may have died only a few years before the events of Relic.

Pendergast is a withdrawn man, but can be remarkably polite, charming or dangerous when need be. Well-learned in many subjects, he converses easily with doctors, scientists and intellectuals. He is a master of manipulation, both of people and of his own mind when difficult circumstances demand a fresh view of the situation.

[edit] Appearance

Pendergast's build is described as tall and thin, and he boasts a strong torso with lean muscle. His fingers are long and tapered. Pendergast has very light blue or grey eyes, a pale complexion, and light blond hair that appears almost white. Pendergast typically dresses in a black, hand-tailored, designer suit regardless of weather conditions, and is often described as looking like a well-dressed undertaker. Observers note that he moves with a "wraith-like" grace.

In many cases, Pendergast's normal appearance is irrelevant. A master of disguises, he has fooled even close acquaintances on several occasions.

[edit] Accoutrements

Pendergast owns and drives a 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. His personal sidearm is usually a customized and/ or expensive .45 caliber pistol: in Still Life with Crows, it is a Les Baer .45 caliber government model. An internally-renovated Beaux Arts mansion on 891 Riverside Drive in New York City, near Harlem, and inherited from a deceased relative in The Cabinet of Curiosities, serves as his personal residence; he also has an apartment at the Dakota.

Normally kept hidden from view, Pendergast wears a chain with a pendant that depicts a lidless eye over two moons, one new and one full, and a phoenix. The Pendergast family crest consists of the same eye and moons, but a lion instead.

Pendergast carries a variety of hidden tools, such as lock picks, flashlights of various sizes, test tubes, syringes, and forensic chemicals.

[edit] Interests

Pendergast appreciates the finer things in life, including expensive cuisine and wines. He has a stock of 1990 Petrus, and another one of his favorite drinks is green tea, in particular Oolong or Black Dragon tea, and he has specific ways to prepare it. He is known to enjoy steak tartare. He also has a passion for Bonsai trees. He enjoys classical music but detests opera. Perhaps because of his background in special operations, Pendergast has displayed sufficient ability in unarmed combat (see Brimstone) to kill a prison inmate with his bare hands (see The Book of the Dead).

Pendergast is a student of many languages. He is fluent in Italian, Latin, Greek, Chinese (some Mandarin, fluent in Cantonese) and presumably Spanish and French. He does not speak German or Neapolitan.

[edit] Personal associations

[edit] Friends

Lt. Vincent D'Agosta -- New York City Police Department / Southampton PD, possibly Pendergast's most trusted friend and associate
Constance Greene -- Pendergast's ward
Proctor -- Pendergast's butler and chauffeur
Corrie Swanson -- from Medicine Creek, Kansas, 18 years old, assisted Pendergast on a case. Currently enrolled at Phillips Exeter Academy
"Wren" -- book restorer at New York Public Library
"Mime" -- an invalid of unknown affiliation; skilled in obtaining obscure information via the computer and Internet
Dr. Nora Kelly -- New York Museum of Natural History curator
William "Bill" Smithback, Jr. -- New York Times (formerly New York Post) journalist
Dr. Margo Green -- New York Museum of Natural History curator
Dr. Viola Maskelene -- Egyptologist

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Family

Diogenes Pendergast -- Pendergast's younger brother (born circa 1962). As intelligent as Aloysius, but a criminal mastermind. Although he was always a unique child, Diogenes was pushed over the edge during a certain Event which occurred in his early years. The book Dance of Death deals with a cat and mouse chase between the two brothers. Following Dance of Death, the novel The Book of the Dead concludes the brothers' saga.
Cornelia Pendergast -- Pendergast's great-aunt. Poisoned her husband, brother and children and watched them die. Currently resides at the Mount Mercy Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
Ambergris Pendergast -- Cornelia's brother, whom she poisoned. Possibly Pendergast's grandfather.
Antoine Leng Pendergast (Enoch Leng) -- Pendergast's great-grand uncle. Travelled north to New York after being expelled from the Pendergast mansion. Taxonomist and chemist as well as a member of the New York Lyceum in the late 19th century. Exposed as a serial killer in Cabinet of Curiosities who killed many people in the pursuit of a substance that would prolong his life. He succeeded and survived until his home on Riverside Drive was invaded and he was tortured to death.
Hezekiah Pendergast -- (Pendergast's great-great grandfather) Antoine's father. Was a traveling salesman who contributed greatly to the family fourtune by selling a quack medicine known as Hezekiah's Compound Elixir and Gladular Restorative. The tonic was eventually exposed as a lethal blend of cocaine, acetanilid, and alkaloid botanicals. It was the cause of uncounted addictions and deaths, including that of Hezekiah's wife and Antoine's mother, Constance Leng Pendergast.
Comstock Pendergast -- Famed mesmerist, magician and mentor to Harry Houdini. Eventually murdered his business partner and his family. He then committed suicide by cutting his throat twice.
Linnaeus Pendergast -- Pendergast's father who was killed in the fire. Soon after, Pendergast left to study anthropology at Harvard.
Isabella Pendergast -- Pendergast's mother, also killed in the fire.
Helen Pendergast -- Pendergast's deceased wife. An experienced hunter who was killed in an accident in Tanzania. Pendergast's wife is briefly mentioned in several of the Preston/Child novels.

[edit] Chronicles

Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast appears in four stand-alone novels in addition to starring in his own trilogy. All of these books were jointly written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Relic (Pendergast's First Appearance) -- Pendergast investigates a series of strange murders and rumors of a murderous beast in the New York Museum of Natural History. Includes reporter Bill Smithback and Vincent D'Agosta.

Reliquary -- Pendergast returns to New York when a new string of murders surfaces resembling those of the Museum Beast case. He is again teamed with Margo Green, Dr. Frock, William Smithback Jr., and Vincent D'Agosta (all of whom were in the previous book) and introduces the character of Laura Hayward.

The Cabinet of Curiosities -- Pendergast is drawn to the remains of a 19th century charnal house, unearthed at a construction site in New York and finds himself investigating a new series of 20th century copycat killings. He is joined by William Smithback Jr. and Dr. Nora Kelly.

Still Life with Crows -- Agent Pendergast travels to midwestern Kansas to the dying farm town of Medicine Creek to investigate a series of brutal and ritualistic killings. He teams up with teenage malcontent, Corrie Swanson to solve the case.

[edit] The Pendergast Trilogy

Brimstone (Book One) -- Agent Pendergast and Vincent D'Agosta team up once more to investigate brutal murders of a seemingly supernatural origin. Their investigation takes them from high society New York to old world Italy and into the dark heart of an age-old conspiracy. Vincent D'Agosta, Laura Hayward and Bill Smithback's nemesis, reporter Bryce Harriman (mentioned often in the previous books) make a reappearance. In this book the reader is introduced to Pendergast's brother Diogenes and D'Agosta catches his first glimpse of Diogenes.

Dance of Death (Book Two) -- Aloysius Pendergast faces off against Diogenes in an attempt to stop his diabolical brother before he can complete the perfect crime. All of Pendergast's old compatriots find themselves in danger and old friends band together in the race to prevent an almost certain disaster. The novel features an all-star cast for Preston-Child fans and includes cameos from all of the books even going so far as to include characters from the authors' non-Pendergast novels. The book also hints at a sequel to The Ice Limit.

The Book of the Dead (Book Three) -- The final book of the Pendergast Trilogy. The Book of the Dead picks up immediately following the conclusion of Dance of Death (novel), with Diogenes Pendergast continuing his work towards the completion of his master crime. The majority of the action centers around the opening of the long closed (and cursed?) Tomb of Senef at the New York Museum of Natural History. The pursuers become the pursued, and the novel builds to a thrilling conclusion.

Co-author Douglas Preston has said that a new book featuring Pendergast is currently being written.^[2]