Gideon's Corpse
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
Gideon's Corpse is a suspense novel authored by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, published on January 10, 2012, through Grand Central Publishing. Serving as a continuation of Gideon's Sword, the narrative centers on Gideon Crew amid a nuclear threat and the federal government's attempts to defuse the situation.
Synopsis
In the sequel to Gideon's Sword, Eli Glinn enlists Gideon to aid with Reed Chalker, a scientist from Los Alamos who has taken hostages within his family, alleging exposure to radiation as part of a conspiracy. After Chalker's death, authorities discover his apartment contaminated with radioactivity, revealing an unsuccessful dirty bomb construction. A map highlighting Washington, DC, alongside a detonation timeline set for ten days later, leads Glinn to task Gideon with locating the bomb, collaborating with FBI Agent Stone Fordyce.
Their inquiry into Chalker's history involves interviews with his former spouse—currently involved in an extremist cult—author Simon Blaine, and members of Chalker's mosque. While traveling to Chalker's writers' workshop in California, their aircraft experiences engine malfunctions indicative of sabotage. Subsequently, Gideon is falsely implicated as a terrorist through fabricated emails and must evade capture with Alida Blaine, Simon’s daughter.
Gideon deduces that Simon Blaine is complicit in the plot. Suspecting misconduct by Los Alamos Security Director Bill Novak, Fordyce assists Gideon in breaching Simon’s computer system during their journey to DC. They reveal Blaine’s true objective: to steal a smallpox vial while attention remains fixed on the bogus bomb threat. Gideon manages to secure the vial; however, Fordyce perishes, leaving Alida grief-stricken. Additionally, Gideon confirms he has only one year left to live, information previously disclosed by Glinn.
Reception
The response to Gideon's Corpse ranged from mixed to favorable. Kirkus Reviews acknowledged a slow beginning but commended its rapid pace and numerous plot twists toward the end. Conversely, Publishers Weekly expressed disappointment that the novel did not uphold the authors’ customary high quality.