Crimson Shore
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
Crimson Shore is a suspense novel authored by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, published on November 10, 2015, through Grand Central Publishing. This book represents the fifteenth entry in the Special Agent Pendergast series.
Plot
Sculptor Percival Lake enlists Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast to probe a burglary at his lighthouse residence in Exmouth, Massachusetts. Enticed by the offer of a rare wine bottle as compensation, Pendergast and his ward Constance Greene agree to take on the investigation.
During an examination of the cellar, Pendergast discovers hidden shackles alongside human bone fragments dating back to the 1840s, which are associated with the captain of the vanished vessel Pembroke Castle. Their inquiry escalates when historian Morris McCool is found murdered, his body marked with mysterious symbols. Although local folklore speaks of witches escaping Salem to inhabit nearby marshlands, Pendergast initially regards these tales as mere superstition. Soon after, attorney Dana Dunwoody becomes another victim.
Further investigation reveals that the Pembroke Castle was transporting twenty-one flawless rubies known as the "Pride of Africa." Pendergast hypothesizes that desperate whalers deliberately caused the shipwreck to seize the gems but, failing to locate them, murdered the crew and imprisoned the captain, who had swallowed the rubies to conceal them. The captain’s secret remained hidden until McCool’s findings brought it to light. This discovery uncovers a plot involving Dana’s brother Joe and their half-brother Dunkan, who committed the killings for financial gain.
With suspects apprehended, Pendergast believes the case resolved. However, Constance’s independent investigation into the witches’ coven uncovers discrepancies. After a disagreement with Pendergast, she proceeds alone. When a storm strikes, several residents fall victim to a monstrous entity. Pendergast comes to understand that Constance’s theory about the coven’s persistence is accurate and that she faces imminent peril.
Constance traces the coven to Oldham, an abandoned island settlement featuring tunnels used for occult ceremonies. The creature terrorizing Exmouth is identified as Morax—a genetically altered man created by the coven. Deputy police chief Bradley Gavin discloses that much of Exmouth is under coven control; now its leader, he intends to wed Constance to secure his power. She rejects him and is saved by Morax, who kills Gavin. Lost beneath ground level, Constance reunites with Pendergast. They conclude Morax’s emergence was accidental and confront him while fleeing through subterranean passages. The three plunge into the ocean; Constance is rescued by a SWAT team responding to local violence. Morax vanishes into the sea; Pendergast disappears.
One month later, with no sign of Pendergast, Constance returns to his New York mansion under Proctor’s supervision. An intruder breaks in and captures Proctor—someone Pendergast believed deceased—and administers sodium pentothal before Proctor loses consciousness.