Pendergast: The Beginning

'Will leave you breathless' Lee Child on Preston and Child
'Get ready for the ride of your life' David Baldacci on Preston and Child
'Simply brilliant' Lisa Gardner on Preston and Child

Are you ready to enter the darkness? Discover the origins of Agent Pendergast...

FBI Special Agent Dwight Chambers has lost everything. His partner, his wife, and his footing at the Bureau. Now, he’s been assigned to mentor a new recruit who just might be the final nail in his coffin.

A.X.L. Pendergast is an enigmatic young agent with a complicated past. His recklessness soon drags Chambers into chaos and gets them both suspended.

For Pendergast, this is a chance to investigate a peculiar murder in Mississippi. With Chambers grudgingly in tow, the two agents discover a string of grisly, ritualistic killings that defy any known pattern.

Thanks to Pendergast’s unorthodox brilliance, they manage to find the killer.

Then the true horror begins.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or yet to discover the series, this chilling, gothic thriller about Pendergast’s strange and shocking first case is perfect for fans of True Detective, Michael Crichton, John Connolly, and A.G. Riddle.

• Publication date: 10 September 2026
• Page count: 384
• Dimensions: Height 129 mm; Width 199 mm; Thickness 29 mm
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN-13: 9781035915675